The forklift has become a crucial piece of machine that could raise and move products and heavy supplies with both efficiency and speed. The way a company makes use of this machinery can considerably affect its productivity.
Free stacking pallets is the most common storage system. Utilizing this storage technique is both economical and easy for your lift truck. Free Stacking Pallets is positioning one pallet on top of another to create a stack of goods. This is a stable storage method and is suggested when handling huge amounts of the same product, or many pallets of similar height and dimensions. The disadvantage of this method is that it only allows access to the objects put last, so it does not allow a First In First Out system.
Pallet Racking is a method which involves the stable storage of different sized pallets. Any pallet could be accessed at any time, which enables a First In First Out or Last In First Out system. It enables the rack to change shape and grow depending upon every day requirements. This method requires aisles that are adequately wide to enable a lift truck to maneuver easily and to freely access the racks. The downside is that this method means fewer pallets can be handled in the environment. This may not matter if there is adequate space available.
Like Pallet Racking, the technique called Narrow Aisle Racking enables a First In First Out or Last In First Out system. It differs in that a special narrow forklift is used. This means that smaller spaces are necessary between the aisles of pallets than in the Pallet Racking method. The benefit is that a lot more goods can be stored in the same area. The downside is that you would have to transition to a different type of truck if you already own a regular forklift truck. The expenditure of acquiring special equipment may be a deterrent to adopting this method of storage.
Using your lift truck to its fullest potential is vital because it pays to analyze your storage costs and retrieval costs of pallets. Afterward you can find out whether there are more efficient ways to use your forklift in order to increase the usable space of your units or to speed up the process. Greater effectiveness means greater productivity.