The forklift has become a crucial piece of machine that can raise and transport products and heavy materials with both efficiency and speed. How a business utilizes this tool can significantly affect its profitability.
A common storage method is Free Stacking Pallets. This is a way to utilize your lift truck that is economical and easy. Free Stacking Pallets is placing one pallet over another to make a stack of goods. This is a stable storage method and is suggested when dealing with numerous pallets of the same height and dimensions or huge amounts of the same goods. The disadvantage of this technique is that it only enables access to the items put 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, that allows a First In First Out or Last In First Out method. It enables the rack to change shape and grow depending upon every day requirements. This particular technique requires aisles that are wide enough to enable a forklift to freely access the racks and easily maneuver. The disadvantage is that this specific system means fewer pallets can be handled within the environment. This may not matter if there is sufficient space available.
Similar to Pallet Racking, the technique called Narrow Aisle Racking allows a Last In First Out or First In First Out technique. It varies in that a special narrow lift truck is utilized. This means that smaller areas are necessary between the aisles of pallets than in the Pallet Racking technique. The advantage is that a lot more goods can be stored in the same area. The disadvantage is that you would have to transition to a different kind of truck if you already own a standard lift truck. The cost of obtaining special equipment might be a deterrent to adopting this specific technique of storage.
It is vital to utilize your lift truck to its full potential. It pays to analyze your time expenses in storage and retrieval of pallets. Then you could determine whether there are more efficient ways to use your lift truck in order to speed up the process or to increase the usable area of your units. Greater effectiveness equals bigger productivity.