The lift truck has become a crucial piece of machinery able to raise and transport things and heavy materials with both speed and efficiency. How a business utilizes this tool can significantly affect its profitability.
A popular storage method is Free Stacking Pallets. This is a way to use your forklift that is easy and economical. Free Stacking Pallets is positioning one pallet over another to make a stack of goods. This is a stable storage technique and is suggested when dealing with huge amounts of similar product, or numerous pallets of the same height and dimensions. The disadvantage of this particular method is that it only enables access to the items placed last, so it does not allow a First In First Out system.
Pallet Racking is a method that involves the stable storage of different sized pallets. Any pallet can be accessed at any time, which allows a Last In First Out or First In First Out technique. It enables the rack to change shape and grow depending upon daily needs. This technique requires aisles which are wide enough to allow a forklift to freely access the racks and maneuver easily. The downside is that this specific technique means less pallets could be handled within the environment. This might not make a difference if there is adequate space available.
Narrow aisle racking is similar to pallet racking in that it enables for a First In First Out or Last In First Out method. The difference in the system is how the special narrow lift truck is utilized. This means that smaller areas are required between the aisles of pallets than in the Pallet Racking technique. The benefit is that much more product can be stored in the same space. The disadvantage is that you will have to transition to a different type of truck if you already own a typical forklift truck. The expenditure of acquiring special machinery may be a deterrent to adopting this particular system of storage.
It is important to use your forklift truck to its full potential. It pays to consider your time expenditure in storage and retrieval of pallets. Afterward you could find out whether there are more efficient means to utilize your forklift in order to increase the usable area of your units or to speed up the process. Greater effectiveness means greater productivity.