The forklift truck is a vital machine to help workers lift and move heavy weight supplies and goods with speed and efficiency without straining their bodies. How a business utilizes this machine could considerably affect its productivity.
Free stacking pallets is the most popular storage method. Using this storage system is both economical and easy for your lift truck. Free Stacking Pallets involves placing one pallet over another to create a stack of products. This is a stable storage system and is recommended when handling numerous pallets of the same dimensions and height or huge amounts of the same product. The disadvantage of this specific technique is that it just allows access to the things placed last, so it does not allow a First In First Out system.
It is important to have a pallet racking technique that involves the stable storage of various sized pallets. Using a Last In First Out or First In First Out system, will allow for easy access of any pallet. It allows the rack to grow and change shape depending upon every day needs. This system requires aisles which are sufficiently wide to allow a forklift to freely access the racks and easily maneuver. The disadvantage is that this specific technique means less pallets could 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 allows for a First In First Out or Last In First Out method. The difference in the method is how the special narrow lift truck is used. This means that smaller spaces are required between the aisles of pallets than in the Pallet Racking way. The benefit is that more product can be stored in the same space. The downside is that you will have to transition to a new truck if you already own a standard lift truck. The cost of acquiring special machines might be a deterrent to adopting this method of storage.
Using your lift truck to its fullest potential is essential since it pays to analyze your retrieval costs and storage costs of pallets. Then you can find out whether there are more effective means to utilize your forklift in order to increase the usable area of your units or to accelerate the process. Greater efficiency means bigger profitability.