The lift truck is a very important tool to help workers raise and move heavy weight materials and products with speed and efficiency without injuring their bodies. The way a company utilizes this machinery could considerably affect its productivity.
A common storage method is Free Stacking Pallets. This is a way to use your lift truck that is both easy and economical. Free Stacking Pallets involves placing one pallet over another to create a stack of goods. This is a stable storage method and is suggested when dealing with numerous pallets of similar height and dimensions or huge amounts of the similar product. The disadvantage of this specific system is that it just enables access to the things placed last, so it does not enable a First In First Out system.
Pallet Racking is a technique that involves the stable storage of various sized pallets. Any pallet could be accessed at any time, which enables a Last In First Out or First In First Out technique. It allows the rack to change shape and grow depending upon daily requirements. This particular system requires aisles that are wide enough to allow a lift truck to freely access the racks and easily maneuver. The disadvantage is that this specific technique means less pallets can be handled in the environment. This may not matter if there is enough space available.
Similar to Pallet Racking, the technique called Narrow Aisle Racking allows a Last In First Out or First In First Out method. It differs in that a special narrow lift truck is utilized. This means that smaller spaces are necessary between the aisles of pallets than in the Pallet Racking method. The advantage is that a lot more product could be kept in the same space. The disadvantage is that you would have to transition to a new truck if you already own a standard lift truck. The cost of obtaining special machinery might be a deterrent to implementing this specific method of storage.
Using your forklift to its fullest potential is important since it pays to consider your retrieval costs and storage costs of pallets. Then you could find out whether there are more efficient means to utilize your forklift in order to increase the usable area of your units or to accelerate the process. Greater efficiency means greater profitability.