PUSH-BACK RACKING

Push-back pallet racking consists of high-density structures that eliminate interior aisles and allow up to 4 pallets to be stored by accumulation per channel. They increase warehouse capacity while reducing the surface area occupied by the storage system. Pallets are placed on a set of carts or rollers that are pushed along a series of rails mounted at a slight incline. They get their name from the forklift’s action of pushing back the pallets already in the racking to make room for a new one. The front part of the rack is the lowest part, so when goods are removed, the pallets at the back move forward one position by gravity, leaving the entrance to the channel occupied once again. With this type of racking, loading and unloading takes place in a single working aisle. Therefore, operations follow the LIFO (last in, first out) principle.

The main difference between the two systems lies in the inventory management strategies used in each case. Push-back racking is based on the LIFO (last in, first out) principle since goods are accessed from a single working aisle. Pallet flow racking, on the other hand, has a loading and an unloading aisle, so its operations are governed by the FIFO (first in, first out) principle.

Although push-back racks are compatible with any type of product, they’re especially ideal in certain circumstances. For instance, they’re perfect for storing medium-turnover palletised goods with 2 or more pallets per SKU and that are managed via the LIFO method. Additionally, push-back pallet racking systems are also routinely employed in facilities with few SKUs and few pallets per SKU. They’re also an excellent option for housing fast-moving consumer goods (FMGCs) thanks to the speed they bring to loading and unloading manoeuvres. Likewise — as with all high-density storage solutions — these racks are an optimal solution for businesses that need to maximize their available surface area to expand their warehouse capacity.