The forklift has become a crucial piece of equipment that could lift and move things and heavy materials with both speed and efficiency. The way a business utilizes this machine could significantly affect its profitability.
Free stacking pallets is the most popular storage technique. Using this storage technique is both easy and economical for your forklift. Free Stacking Pallets is placing one pallet over another to create a stack of products. This is a stable storage method and is suggested when handling many pallets of the same dimensions and height or huge amounts of the similar goods. The disadvantage of this method is that it just enables access to the objects put last, so it does not allow a First In First Out system.
Pallet Racking is a system 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 method. It enables the rack to change shape and grow depending upon every day requirements. This specific system needs aisles that are wide enough to enable a forklift to maneuver easily and to freely access the racks. The downside is that this particular method means fewer pallets could be handled in the environment. This might not make a difference if there is sufficient space available.
Like Pallet Racking, the technique called Narrow Aisle Racking enables a Last In First Out or First In First Out method. It varies in that a special narrow lift truck is used. This means that smaller areas are required between the aisles of pallets than in the Pallet Racking method. The benefit is that more goods can be kept in the same area. The downside is that you will have to transition to a new truck if you already own a standard lift truck. The cost of obtaining special machinery may be a deterrent to adopting this specific method of storage.
It is important to use your lift truck to its full capability. It pays to consider your time expenditure in storage and retrieval of pallets. Afterward you could find out whether there are more effective ways to utilize your forklift in order to increase the usable space of your units or to speed up the process. Greater efficiency means bigger profitability.