When you hear the words ‘perishable inventory’, you probably envision the immediate items such as food, beverages or pharmaceuticals. However, it encompasses many different kinds of products – such as cosmetics, flowers and plants, and chemicals among others. Whilst these products differ, they each have very similar challenges in their warehousing storage, and processing. Fortunately, there are many different forms of warehouse storage equipment, such as industrial storage racks, that work well within safe, efficient perishable inventory parameters.
There are some challenges to overcome and solutions to install within your warehouse setting to effectively store perishable goods among your other stock.
The first is an efficient date-sensitive inventory process, ensuring that the stock is kept only when it is within its healthy lifespan. The second is around climate control, ensuring that equipment is resistant to damage in cold, moist environments.
Cleanliness is going to play an even bigger factor, so your racking solution needs to allow for cleaning and be enabled for a washdown when required. The storage system also should maximise premium warehouse space for the compact footprint and minimize expensive repairs and downtime by being a low-maintenance system.
Pallet racking systems will always be key to maximizing cube space when storing any palletized inventory. The ability to create tall vertical storage and open up the floor space keeps pallets separated with easier and more efficient access.
Typically, first-in/first-out pallet racking systems are the go-to option for perishable inventory, but there are other recommendations within systems to also consider. Selective racking is a simple single or double-deep pallet rack that is most efficient for high numbers of stock with low pallet volume.
Pallet flow racking is a higher-density gravity flow system utilising separate aisles for loading and unloading. They are highly durable, wash-down compliant and able to be utilized in all warehouse storage climates.
Push-back racking stores multiple pallets deep in individual lanes – however, it is only accessed from a single aisle. For a perishable inventory, push-back is designed two-to-three deep storage and fast turn applications where the full lane of pallets is picked at the same time.
Mobile Pallet racking is another high-density storage system built on mobile carriages that move side-to-side to open aisle space with access to forklifts, whereas another option in automated storage and retrieval systems uses shuttles and cranes to pick from pallets in the system, requiring less vertical height but advantageous in cold storage areas with minimal workforce requirements.
No matter what the circumstances of dealing with perishable goods, there is an industrial storage racks solution for them by talking with a professional installer.
Talk with the team at Monarch Shelving today to discover the best solution for your perishable inventory.
Working within a warehouse can be an extremely hazardous job and many people do not realise those hazards until it is too late.
Whilst many of them may be obvious, some are quite surprising and build up over time. In a busy warehouse where many workers are rushing around to meet their daily quota, these are the top 3 warehouse hazards they need to be aware of at all times.
When you work with heavy equipment every single day within a warehouse environment, it can be very easy to forget just how dangerous this equipment can be.
Forklifts and loaders can still pose a potential hazard for employees and you should make sure that all employees are well aware of those dangers, including being cautious around the operation of forklifts and when they are operating and lifting stock around your pallet racking systems.
Regular training around your warehouse – especially in the case of a layout change – helps to keep your employees safe and operations to be undisturbed.
One of the most forgotten hazards that occurs within a busy warehouse comes in the form of trips and falls.
Although workers should not be working above your industrial storage racks, there can be incidents such as someone fixing or replacing warehouse lighting that will be above the racks and can fall to the floor. Ensuring that cheery picking equipment is used in these instances instead of permitting employees to scale the racking system is providing a safer and more sturdy avenue for people to work at height.
No employee should ever climb your warehouse storage equipment to do their job. Be sure to provide the safest possible equipment for them to work safely at all times.
Reports suggest that two workers a month are seriously injured or die from being crushed by falling stock that is stored incorrectly. This can be from the stock being stored on inadequate racking or items being overloaded on the units.
All of your aisles need to have adequate spacing and warning signs attached, allowing for each employee to realise the risks that are constant when working around pallet racks. Any structural damage to the racks from small to large incidents also needs to be reported and addressed to avoid even greater catastrophes in the workplace.
Falling stock is the number one warehouse killer of unfortunate workers who get seriously injured or worse.
Contact the team at Monarch Shelving today for all of your warehouse racking solutions.
When you are a growing business with booming sales volumes, one of the things that can be a downer is the decline of available space in your warehouse setting – especially around your pallet rack load capacity for stock.
The knock-on effect usually leads to a slow down in business and the ability to take orders, usually down to not wanting to spend more on solutions to accommodate the rise in demand. To avoid overloading your pallet racking system, posing potential damage to your warehouse and safety hazards to your staff, it is essential to take pre-emptive measures as early as possible.
The disastrous effects of overloading industrial storage racks typically are apparent after the problem has gone too far. The safety of your staff is the most important element of running a successful warehouse operation, and it becomes too easy to put that to the back of your thinking when it gets hectic.
Your staff work around bulky, large pallet racking equipment that has the risk of becoming weaker when constantly overloaded. To avoid the potential injuries to staff, evenly distribute your stock throughout the warehouse and look at the potential to extend your racking upwards. Safety inspections by a SEMA-approved professional should also be a regular operation to identify any risks posed in your system.
The second biggest risk is one of your equipment within a busy operating warehouse. Machinery such as forklifts may not be able to handle the excessive weights of what they have to carry.
Your warehouse may incur damage along the way from the effects of tumbling pallet racking systems carrying an exceptionally heavy load. Overloaded pallet racking could result in a fair share of human error and frequent accidents, such as dropping stock, machinery misuse and costs to the business that are more than what you are saving.
When a system is overloaded, your stock will see more and more signs of damage – if not being destroyed completely. More commonly, pallet racking systems in this climate will exceed the manufacturer’s recommended capacity and see the system crumble, sending all stock falling to the warehouse floor and becoming a loss.
Densely packed goods can also incur water damage or mould depending on the conditions they are stored within. To avoid replacing or removing unfit stock as well as the entire pallet racking system, pre-emptive action will avoid the problems and keep your warehouse operating as it should without loss.
If you are looking to upgrade your pallet racking, pallet rack load capacity, or add suitable warehouse storage equipment to improve your operations, contact the team at Monarch Shelving today.
Retailers and distributors prefer third-party logistics companies to store larger inventories within their warehouses. This is key to meeting increasing customer demand, and – with eCommerce growing at ever-expanding rates of popularity – companies are required to appeal to their broader customer bases.
When you run a third-party logistics warehouse, you have a rather unique storage problem. Different clients and potentially limited storage space to greet them. This plays havoc with trying to meet business goals and make a profit.
The importance of effective industrial storage racks within your operation cannot be understated. It is all about being efficient with your space allocation and resourceful with your options. Thoughts around pallet racking and commercial shelving within your business are the best solutions to meeting all expectations with clients and important contracts.
When a warehouse reaches storage capacity, logistics suppliers either have to move to a larger facility or shuffle their layout to make their clients happy during increased storage seasons.
A lot of the time the available floor space is not enough to keep all of the stock for different clients, leading to one having to be disappointed and potentially looking for alternative space. In such situations, there are ways to re-evaluate your current storage and switch things around to make for a more spacious environment to work in.
Working with professional racking installers from Monarch Shelving, you can effectively plan for more stock storage by utilising space up to your ceiling or separating the entire warehouse space and designating certain areas for bigger stock.
These steps towards warehouse storage also make a world of difference to your operations, no matter how big or small they are. A smart and efficient storage solution will not only keep your current inventory organised but also prepare your space for newer products in a much easier way.
Storage systems today are designed with the core principles of safety, efficiency, productivity and optimization whilst also being a time and cost-effective strategy.
Due to the amount of work being done in a multi-client storage warehouse and the weight involved, the organised system ensures that the products are securely stored, safe and well protected. They also improve the accuracy of inventory orders, keeping everything neatly displayed should any of your clients visit the premises.
Having a system that has much more storage potential helps to increase your potential with clients, allowing them to store more products without having to seek additional storage solutions elsewhere.
Contact the team at Monarch Shelving today for all the best solutions in warehouse storage equipment.
Pallet racking systems or pallet rack shelving must be in perfect operating order within a hard-working and busy warehouse environment. Ensuring your worker’s safety and eliminating the risk of associated warehouse accidents is key to reducing product loss, time loss and potential lawsuits from those injured by the company’s negligence.
Raising safety standards within the workplace is key to boosting employee morale as well as saving money in the long term by decreasing remedial repairs required to your pallet racking structure.
Most pallet racking incidents occur from proven categories of forklift damage, overloading of the system, inadequate load clearance or poor installation.
Correct installation, regular inspections and preventative maintenance all play a huge hand in keeping your overall costs to a minimum. Most often, the damage is inflicted by impact from working equipment in the aisles – mostly forklifts and picking trucks. Uneven loading and overloading also are leading causes of damage.
Many insurance companies will make regular inspections a requirement to be carried out by competent pallet racking safety experts, so ensuring these are introduced from the beginning makes good business sense.
Professional installation is something that simply has to happen to prevent a full collapse in time, as well as the regular inspections on the installation. A professional warehouse storage equipment provider will ensure that all fixtures and fittings are done to compliant standards and provide guidance on the system’s operational and weight limitations – which need to be stuck to.
Once the system is installed, a pallet racking safety procedure and safety training programme for immediate reporting and actions around damaged areas of the structure needs to be instilled into your workforce.
After the installation of your warehouse pallet racking system is performed to the correct standard, you need to fit your warehouse with aisle markings, safe working loads signage, strict machinery speed limits and reasonable aisle space – with clear pedestrian space.
Some pallet racking accessories protect your racking system from being struck by forklifts and picking trucks. There are also other accessories to prevent stock items from falling from their shelving space. These can include frame protectors, column guards, rack end protectors, barriers and floor fixings.
Once you have had your system installed and these safety measures put in place, you will require an independent initial inspection from an expert to be carried out. This ensures that all problems are identified before they become costly incidents, and can be immediately rectified.
Contact the team at Monarch Shelving today for all pallet racking, pallet rack shelving, and commercial shelving requirements for your warehouse.
Industrial storage racks are the most common storage systems found in modern warehouses today. When considering the loading capacity of a pallet racking system, it comes down to various factors at play.
Pallet rack capacity is crucial to safety within your warehouse environment. Therefore, it is always essential to ensure that both frames and beams are designed to hold the required weight and avoid a catastrophic system collapse.
When calculating pallet racking capacity, there are several elements to take into consideration. The first element is around the load – or the pallet size, dimensions, contents and pallet type. Height, weight and depth are the keys to making the beams safe in loading, as each must be able to support the weight of your product.
If you were to have two pallet loads weighing 1500 lbs each, your racking system would need to be around 3000 lbs per pair of beams to support that load. Most beam capacities differ with each manufacturer, so it is important to refer to the manufacturer’s load capacity chart when selecting your system.
You will also need to determine the number of beam levels per bay, along with the beam spacing. If your warehouse has multiple bay configurations, you need to ensure that each will be evaluated. Capacity ratings for racking frames are based on a maximum unsupported span, so the further apart the beam spacing is, the less capacity the frame is rated to hold.
Several items impact the capacity ratings for frames and beams, such as the strength of the steel used to fabricate the racking components. Steel thickness will also play into the impact on capacity, and each manufacturer has different section properties that will affect rated capacities.
When having a storage system designed, you need to understand that certain aspects have been considered also – such as slab and soil conditions, seismic requirements and the potential for rack damage. Your racking will need to be compliant with safety codes and practices, and allow for staff training around them regularly.
There are also conditions where your racking may benefit from a vertical system able to stock towards the ceiling of your building, eliminating aisle overhang and combining aisle space for different size products. This helps to maximise your storage without adding considerable risk to your racking system integrity.
For more information about pallet racking, storage systems, and warehouse storage equipment, contact the team at Monarch Shelving today.
It is important to have full confidence in your warehouse storage equipment, especially if you run a hectic paced business. You trust in your system to stand the test of time and secure all of your products in easy to access locations throughout each business day, allowing you to move swiftly and securely around them without risk of trips or the shelving falling apart. There are signs that your commercial shelving may be compromised and in need of replacement shelves.
As your business starts to expand, there is a great air of excitement that your products are gaining so much demand and you are ordering and providing even more to meet it. Your first sign would be that you are getting short on storage to meet the demand, and the stock starts to occupy away from your shelving or pallet racking.
First and foremost, you need a safe working environment – not susceptible to trips and cramped working conditions. If your shelving has no room to fit the product then it is time to find more efficient options for storage.
The words optimum efficiency have to play into your shelving plans, ready to meet growth and stock a wide variety of products as the years and fads come along. Wider and taller shelving is always an option to stock your overfill.
With everyday use, your shelving will no doubt start to become weaker from elements and products stored upon them. Heavy products placed on and off these shelves over years can begin to showcase those wear and tear signs.
It only takes one load too many for that shelving to finally give in and collapse, and this can be a big problem when an employee is injured as a result. Not only that, it is even worse for the stock that gets damaged at the same time.
Keep an eye on dents and bends in your shelving as well as rusty joints and shaky shelves. They are huge warning signs that your system needs urgent replacement. See it as a warning not of what can happen, but what is destined to happen. If they cannot be fixed then it is time to replace them completely.
There are plenty of warning signs in regards to your systems being no longer for the task at hand, and replacing them with a better and more secure system to meet your warehouse or store needs is a much cheaper option than the loss of stock you can experience.
Contact the team at Monarch Shelving today for all your needs on industrial storage racks, commercial shelving solutions and replacement shelves.
Are your current storage requirements needing a drastic overhaul? You may think that storage is not a hard thing to get right, but doing wrong can seriously impact your safety, space and workplace efficiency.
If you are currently wondering what the best solution is for your warehouse operations, there may end up being many different warehouse storage equipment solutions out there – so it helps to have the best idea of what your needs are.
Your choice will come down to the factors of what you are storing, what your available floor space is and what the processes of your workplace are.
The solution for most companies is pallet racking or industrial storage racks. This is multi-levelled shelving that is designed for large warehouses that contain bulk storage.
Pallet racking holds heavy pallets with a focus on vertical storage to provide easy access for forklifts. There is also cantilever racking for storage of long and awkward items along the lines of pipes, rods and timber.
The typical industries that use these shelving solutions are larger warehouses, distribution centres, manufacturing facilities and retail storage warehouses. If your industry falls into one of these sectors then these solutions may be the best product for you.
Commercial shelving is a solution designed for small to medium items, and these can be customisable between lengths and heights and what the shelf material is composed of (ie metal, mesh or chipboard).
This solution has a larger ranch of sectors that it can be ideal towards. This is quite common in retail stores and mechanical workshops, but also spans home garages, shipping containers and manufacturing facilities – as well storage and distribution warehouses.
This storage solution helps to separate smaller and larger items to accentuate space in the business. It also helps those responsible for the pick of these items to streamline their efforts and not end up looking for smaller items between larger ones.
Commercial shelving can be placed along a back wall or even in smaller rooms away from the main floor to help operations remain tight in the warehouse.
How is your current industrial storage setup looking and what is standing out as the problem you have? Is it hard to find items or are you currently cluttered?
The best way to know the solution is to have an assessment of your requirements with a professional from Monarch Shelving. Not only do we know how to identify how your storage can be improved – but we can also design bespoke systems for several specialist stock types.
Contact our team today for the best in industrial storage solutions.
What is a pallet rack and what does it do? Pallet racking is a solution in organised vertical storage, saving you space in your warehouse and used for many different reasons.
Racking is used in many different types of environments, such as grocers, manufacturing, distribution, retail and many more. Due to having only so much room within a warehouse, to understand the correct amount of pallet racking you will require you will need to calculate how much room and how many pallets you are intending to store. This requires a specialist in pallet racking systems to be on hand to avoid you making any mistakes in your estimation.
A pallet rack system is quite simply a unit or bay of racking, and there are many types of racking to consider.
It can be teardrop, hook and slot, paltier, structural and many others with all specialists having different types. Choosing the right pallet rack frames is all about knowing your space measurements, starting with your ceiling heights. Because the frames dictate how high you can store your product, this is the first step to choosing the right kind of system.
It is called pallet racking for a reason and, usually, your products are arranged and stored on pallets – which then get stored on pallet racking.
Frame capacity can be tricky and the same questions need to be asked of your beams also. The larger the beam, the likelihood of sagging increases if you don’t have equal weight distribution. Evenly distributed loads are required and, should capacities not be met, the system has the potential to fail.
The taller the beam face, the higher the capacity the beam can support. Pallet racking systems can be designed with specific lengths with various beam sizes to support a variety of capacities.
Before selecting a pallet racking system, there are some additional considerations to face. The first is what your pallet racking budget is – buying a used racking system could be a huge risk if you do it just to save some money on your budget.
Also, what you are looking to store is a vital key – as it may stand to change over time. Certain areas such as the dimensions of your stock, the weight and if they require any specific requirements for storage, such as food or medical supplies would.
If you have any questions like, what is a pallet rack, what do they do, or if you would like to know anything regarding warehouse storage equipment, contact the team at Monarch Shelving today.
If you currently have a pallet racking system and are looking to provide a boost to your business operations through some improvements, some products will help to maximise your warehouse efficiency, organisation and density for storage.
For many businesses, the start of Spring sees a hike in busy activity and some products tend to get larger due to the upcoming holiday season of summer on the horizon.
This is where your pallet racking can suddenly become overloaded with a mixture of various sized products struggling to find the right amount of space, leaving some items hanging over your aisle entrances and exits.
By switching smaller stock away from your pallet racking and into a section filled with commercial shelving Manchester, you can make good use of the excess space for the larger bulk items whilst smaller pick items are conveniently stored in a separate section for easy picking.
Safety barriers are an important addition to your warehouse operations at any time of the year, but during the busiest periods, they are key to preventing a lot more accidents and injuries from occurring during the seasonal rush.
Training when it comes to elevated safety during the busy period and ensuring that all staff know of extra security and safety measures when working in the warehouse always needs a seasonal refresher, not just for new starters but also for experienced workers.
Extra warehouse space and organization can be achieved through the implementation of mezzanine flooring, especially if you require a lot more room and don’t want to shift your entire operation into a bigger complex.
Having an expert installer measure your warehouse dimensions and requirements ensures that no mistakes are made and every avenue to accentuate your space is taken into account.
Ensuring that your warehouse pallet racking system is operating safely is vitally important, and requires regular safety inspections – not just after an incident has taken place.
Under current legislation, inspections of racking systems should be undertaken by a technically competent individual every 12 months to ascertain if any risks are present and need fixing or replacing. This type of inspection not only assesses where the identifiable damage is, but where potential future hazards will present themselves.
Contact the team at Monarch Shelving today to ensure that all avenues with regard to your warehouse efficiency and operation improvements are done by professionals and with strict guidelines for safety and practicality.
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Lancashire, United KingdomOL1 4AB
Tel: 0161 627 3444 or 0161 622 0022
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