The lift truck is a very important tool to help employees raise and transport heavy weight supplies and goods with speed and efficiency without straining their bodies. The way a business uses this machine could significantly affect its profitability.
Free stacking pallets is the most common storage system. Using this storage method is both economical and easy for your lift truck. Free Stacking Pallets is placing one pallet over another to make a stack of goods. This is a stable storage technique and is suggested when handling numerous pallets of the same dimensions and height or large amounts of the same goods. The disadvantage of this specific method is that it only allows access to the things put last, so it does not enable a First In First Out system.
Pallet Racking is a technique which involves the stable storage of different sized pallets. Any pallet can be accessed at any time, that enables a First In First Out or Last In First Out technique. It enables the rack to grow and change shape depending upon daily needs. This system needs aisles which are sufficiently wide to enable a lift truck to freely access the racks and maneuver easily. The downside is that this system means fewer pallets can be handled in the environment. This may not make a difference if there is sufficient space available.
Narrow aisle racking is similar to pallet racking in that it enables for a Last In First Out or First In First Out technique. The difference in the system is how the special narrow forklift is utilized. This means that smaller spaces are necessary between the aisles of pallets than in the Pallet Racking technique. The benefit is that a lot more product could be kept in the same area. The disadvantage is that you will have to transition to a new truck if you already own a typical forklift truck. The cost of obtaining special equipment may be a deterrent to implementing this system of storage.
It is essential to utilize your lift truck to its full capability. It pays to consider your time expenditure in storage and retrieval of pallets. After that you can determine whether there are more efficient ways to utilize your forklift to accelerate the process or to increase the usable space of your units. Greater effectiveness equals greater productivity.