In companies, and particularly in warehouses, the selection of shelves and racks is essential, especially when it comes to choosing shelving for heavy loads, which shouldn’t be taken lightly! But what are the different heavy-duty shelving systems? Which solution should you choose?

The most traditional: static pallet racking

Designed to store large, heavy loads in accordance with the applicable standards, static pallet racking is equally suitable in workshops as in warehouses, storerooms, or even cold storage areas. If it is equipped with galvanized steel supports, it can even be used outside.

 

Made up of levels and rails that directly support the pallets, its height can be adjusted, allowing for a perfect adaptation to the building’s ceiling height and to the forklifts.

 

Static pallet racking has the advantage of being adjustable and easy to set up, offering visibility in terms of inventory levels, and suiting many types of heavy loads.

 

Dynamic pallet racking: perfect for perishable goods

Generally used by the pharmaceutical, chemical, and food industries to store perishable goods, dynamic racking is a storage system that uses gravity. The shelves are equipped with gently sloping roller tracks that facilitate the movement of the pallets from one end to the other. Depending on your needs, two storage methods are applicable: FIFO or LIFO.

 

With the FIFO (First In First Out) method, the first goods deposited leave first, since the pallet placed at the entrance to the corridor moves to the other end of the corridor.

In the context of the LIFO (Last In First Out) method, since the pallets are loaded and unloaded from the same side, the last merchandise loaded is removed first.

This storage solution for heavy loads lets you eliminate traffic aisles, limit merchandise handling, and offer better stock rotation as well as compact merchandise storage, which helps increase storage capacity.

 

Accumulation pallet racking: ideal for large, homogeneous inventories

For companies that need to store large amounts of the same types of products on pallets, accumulation pallet racking is optimal, because it lets you use the entire surface area of the warehouse, both in terms of height and depth. In particular, it is commonly used in cold storage rooms as well as refrigeration and freezing chambers to store as much merchandise as possible in a controlled environment.

 

It is particularly well suited to homogeneous goods stored in large quantities with low rotation. With this type of racking, it’s possible to use the LIFO management method as well as the FIFO method, as long as there is a load access aisle on each side of the racking.

 

This storage solution not only makes it possible to eliminate the aisles between the racks, but also rigorously control merchandise inputs and outputs and store as many references as there are loading aisles.

 

Choosing heavy-duty shelving obviously involves taking the weight that will need to be supported into account, but it’s also necessary to consider the environment in which it will be placed and the type of goods to be stored in order to maximize space, limit handling, and optimize inventory management.

 

MSK Canada has been a Quebec leader in industrial development for 30 years. Working in the automotive, industrial and commercial fields and fall protection systems, MSK Canada's team of experts will advise you on the best products to maximize your space, increase your productivity and safety when working on roofs. Visit our website at www.mskcanada.com.