The lift truck has become a crucial piece of machinery that can raise and move things and heavy supplies with both speed and efficiency. The way a company uses this tool could considerably affect its productivity.
Free stacking pallets is the most popular storage technique. Using this storage system is both economical and easy for your lift truck. Free Stacking Pallets is positioning one pallet over another to create a stack of goods. This is a stable storage technique and is recommended when dealing with huge amounts of the same goods, or numerous pallets of the same height and dimensions. The disadvantage of this specific system is that it only enables access to the things placed last, so it does not enable a First In First Out system.
Pallet Racking is a method that involves the stable storage of different sized pallets. Any pallet can be accessed at any time, that allows a First In First Out or Last In First Out technique. It enables the rack to change shape and grow depending upon daily needs. This particular system requires aisles which are adequately wide to allow a lift truck to maneuver easily and to freely access the racks. The disadvantage is that this technique means less pallets could be handled within the environment. This may not make a difference if there is adequate space available.
Like Pallet Racking, the technique known as Narrow Aisle Racking allows a Last In First Out or First In First Out method. It differs in that a special narrow forklift is utilized. This means that smaller spaces are required between the aisles of pallets than in the Pallet Racking method. The advantage is that much more goods could be kept in the same area. The disadvantage is that you would have to transition to a new truck if you already own a regular lift truck. The expenditure of acquiring special machines may be a deterrent to implementing this specific technique of storage.
Using your lift truck to its fullest potential is important as it pays to analyze your retrieval costs and storage costs of pallets. Then you can find out whether there are more efficient means to use your lift truck in order to accelerate the process or to increase the usable area of your units. Greater effectiveness equals greater productivity.