Pallet flow rack is primarily used to perform either full pallet or full case picking in a dense storage area of a warehouse or distribution center. Pallets are loaded onto pitched roller tracks on the back end, which is the high side of the flow lane. Since the lanes are pitched, gravity causes the pallet to gently flow down the track until it comes into contact with either another pallet or the pallet stop at the pick face on the low end of the lane. Pallet flow lanes often hold two to over ten pallets deep and sometimes can hold up to thirty depending on the application.
Some of the advantages of pallet flow rack include:
- First In First Out (FIFO) inventory control - Since the pallets are picked in the same order that they were placed into the pallet flow system, then inventory is rotated in a FIFO manner. This is beneficial since it minimizes the possibility of expired our outdated products.
- Space Savings - Since the pallet flow rack can store multiple pallets deep with only one end to pick from and one end to replenish to, then the aisles spaces required for this system is significant less than compared to selective storage rack. This space savings can translate into a reduced operating footprint which can mean less building square footage needed and also less cubic space to light, heat or cool.
- Labor Savings - Since the number of pick faces for multiple pallets in a pallet flow system is much smaller than the number of pick faces to store an equivalent amount of pallets in selective rack system, there is less travel associated with searching and picking from pallets. This translates into more efficient labor operations.
|
