The lift truck is a vital machinery to help workers lift and transport heavy weight supplies and products with speed and efficiency without straining their bodies. The way a company makes use of this tool can considerably affect its profitability.
Free stacking pallets is the most common storage system. Utilizing this storage method is both easy and economical for your lift truck. Free Stacking Pallets involves placing one pallet on top of another to create a stack of goods. This is a stable storage method and is recommended when handling huge amounts of similar goods, or many pallets of similar height and dimensions. The disadvantage of this particular system is that it just enables access to the objects placed last, so it does not enable a First In First Out system.
It is essential to have a pallet racking technique which involves the stable storage of different sized pallets. Using a Last In First Out or First In First Out method, would enable for easy access of any pallet. It permits the rack to grow and change shape depending upon daily needs. This technique requires aisles that are wide enough to enable a lift truck to freely access the racks and easily maneuver. The downside is that this technique means fewer pallets can be handled in the environment. This might not matter if there is sufficient space available.
Narrow aisle racking is like pallet racking in that it allows for a Last In First Out or First In First Out system. The difference in the system is how the special narrow forklift is used. This means that smaller spaces are necessary between the aisles of pallets than in the Pallet Racking method. The advantage is that much more goods 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 regular lift truck. The expenditure of obtaining special machinery may be a deterrent to adopting this system of storage.
Using your forklift to its fullest capability is important as it pays to analyze your retrieval costs and storage costs of pallets. Then you could determine whether there are more effective means to use your forklift to increase the usable space of your units or to speed up the process. Greater effectiveness equals greater profitability.