PALLET FLOW RACKING

Pallet flow racking — also known as pallet live storage, gravity racking, and FIFO racking system — is the most agile high-density pallet storage system on the market. It comprises racks containing sloped rails with rollers upon which the loads slide. Its structure leverages gravity to streamline loading and unloading operations. In addition, the absence of interior work aisles increases the utilisation of the available storage space.

Pallet flow racks have multiple benefits. First of all, they are the most agile high-density storage system with the best operational performance, making them an ideal solution for different types of warehouses. Likewise, their implementation ensures excellent inventory control. Moreover, the separation of the loading and unloading aisles eliminates interference, and the existence of a single SKU per storage channel facilitates product location and reduces extraction times. The pallet flow rack also guarantees maximum use of the available surface area, although the installation of deep channels could entail a certain loss of capacity in height (a slope of approximately 4% is required for the system to function correctly).

One of the main differences between the two systems lies in the characteristics of their respective loading and unloading operations. In a drive-in/drive-through racking system, the forklift enters the storage lanes to deposit the pallets. With pallet flow racking, on the other hand, the forklift does not drive into the structure. Instead, it places the pallets at the entrance to the selected storage channel, and they slide into their locations in a completely autonomous way. Therefore, in pallet flow racking, storing and retrieving loads is significantly safer and more agile. Another notable difference is the variety of SKUs that can be stored. The number is substantially higher in gravity racking, as each channel can store a different SKU. In drive-in racking, however, all channels of a single storage lane must house the same SKU.

The main difference between these two types of racking systems is related to the inventory management method associated with each one. The pallet flow rack has two working aisles (one for loading and the other for unloading) and operates according to the FIFO (first in, first out) principle. Thus, the first pallet deposited in a channel is also the first to be removed. Push-back pallet racking, on the other hand, works in line with the LIFO (last in, first out) method. With only one working aisle, the last pallet stored in a channel is the first to be retrieved. In warehouses that manage perishable goods (e.g., food or pharmaceuticals), the pallet flow rack is the ideal alternative, as it prioritizes the removal of products with the closest expiry dates.