The lift truck has become a vital piece of machine that could lift and move products and heavy supplies with both efficiency and speed. The way a company utilizes this machine can significantly affect its profitability.
A common storage method is Free Stacking Pallets. This is a way to use your lift truck that is economical and easy. Free Stacking Pallets involves placing one pallet on top of another to create a stack of goods. This is a stable storage technique and is suggested when handling many pallets of the same height and dimensions or large amounts of the same goods. The drawback of this method is that it only allows access to the things placed last, so it does not allow a First In First Out system.
Pallet Racking is a system which involves the stable storage of various sized pallets. Any pallet could be accessed at any time, that allows a First In First Out or Last In First Out method. It allows the rack to grow and change shape depending upon every day needs. This 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 system means less pallets can be handled in the environment. This might not make a difference if there is enough space available.
Narrow aisle racking is similar to pallet racking in that it allows for a Last In First Out or First In First Out technique. The difference in the method is how the special narrow lift truck is used. This means that smaller spaces are necessary between the aisles of pallets than in the Pallet Racking way. The benefit is that much more product could be stored in the same area. The disadvantage is that you would have to transition to a new truck if you already own a standard lift truck. The expenditure of obtaining special machinery might be a deterrent to implementing this particular system of storage.
Utilizing your forklift to its fullest potential is important because it pays to consider your storage costs and retrieval costs of pallets. After that you can determine whether there are more effective ways to use your lift truck to accelerate the process or to increase the usable space of your units. Greater efficiency equals bigger profitability.