The forklift truck is a very important machine to help workers raise and move heavy weight materials and goods with speed and efficiency without straining their bodies. The way a company uses this machine can significantly affect its productivity.
A common storage technique is Free Stacking Pallets. This is a way to utilize your forklift that is both easy and economical. Free Stacking Pallets is positioning one pallet on top of another to make a stack of goods. This is a stable storage system and is suggested when handling large amounts of similar goods, or many pallets of similar height and dimensions. The disadvantage of this method is that it only allows access to the items placed last, so it does not allow a First In First Out system.
It is essential to have a pallet racking method that involves the stable storage of various sized pallets. Utilizing a Last In First Out or First In First Out method, will enable for easy access of any pallet. It enables the rack to change shape and grow depending upon daily needs. This system needs aisles that are sufficiently wide to allow a forklift to maneuver easily and to freely access the racks. The disadvantage is that this technique means fewer pallets can be handled in the setting. This might not matter if there is enough space available.
Narrow aisle racking is like pallet racking in that it allows for a First In First Out or Last In First Out system. The difference in the technique is how the special narrow forklift is utilized. This means that smaller areas are necessary between the aisles of pallets than in the Pallet Racking way. The advantage is that more goods could be stored in the same space. The disadvantage is that you would have to transition to a different type of truck if you already own a typical lift truck. The expenditure of acquiring special machinery may be a deterrent to adopting this specific technique of storage.
It is essential to utilize your lift truck to its full potential. It pays to consider your time expenditure in storage and retrieval of pallets. After that you could find out whether there are more effective means to utilize your forklift to speed up the process or to increase the usable space of your units. Greater effectiveness means greater profitability.