Since overloading is a common source of pallet rack collapses, (in fact misapplication, including capacity issues, is the top cause) it’s important to understand how much weight your rack – not just your beams – can bear.
Pallet Frames and Overall Capacities
November 20, 2008
by Scott Stone
Tags: Material Handling, Pallet Rack, rack capacity, safe rack loading
Posted in Pallet & Warehouse Racks|
When it Comes to Order Picking, Don’t Walk the Walk
November 3, 2008
by Scott Stone
Three areas – picking, packing and returns – incur anywhere from 60% to 80% of labor costs in your typical distribution operation. 60% of the average pickers’ time is spent walking. Not picking, not packing, not checking for quality and accuracy – walking. This is an activity that cannot add value to your operation or to your customers, so you should strive to eliminate it whenever possible. Not only does it waste time, it makes people tired, and tends to cause a loss in focus and can increase error rates.
Tags: order fulfillment, labor, product slotting, carton flow racks, ergonomics
Posted in Order Picking & Fulfillment|
How to Intermingle New & Used Pallet Rack Components
October 3, 2008
by Scott Stone
When you are running an operation with lots of racking, it isn’t uncommon to have to replace an occasional upright or beam, or to add new bays onto an existing row. Sometimes you cannot avoid it, as the rack was purchased years ago, by someone else, or from a source you can’t even locate. It might be that you bought used rack and need to fill some gaps in, or it may be perfectly good, 10-year old rack that just needs some damaged components replaced.
This is done all the time, and although it isn’t an optimum situation for rack stability and safety, you can minimize the issues by following the following guidelines:
Tags: warehouse safety, storage, industrial accident prevention, beams, uprights, warehousing, Material Handling, Pallet Rack
Posted in Pallet & Warehouse Racks|
10 Questions: Vertical Reciprocating Conveyor Specification
September 23, 2008
by Scott Stone
A few months ago, we posted a Guide to Vertical Reciprocating Conveyors (you might find it useful if you’re looking at any application that moves a load up and down at least one level integrated with a shaft, mezzanine or other area). That guide includes the following questions, should be helpful as you move ahead with your project.
Tags: Automation, warehousing, Material Handling, vertical lifts, vrc, mezzanine lifts
Posted in Lifting & Lift Systems|
More Pallet Rack Safety Tips
September 9, 2008
by Scott Stone
Safety in warehouses tends to be greatly about the interactions between forklifts, pallet racks, people and stored products. This list of rack safety tips is part of our ongoing efforts to help warehouses operate safely and efficiently.
Tags: Material Handling, Pallet Rack, warehouse safety, storage, industrial accident prevention
Posted in Pallet & Warehouse Racks|
Wire Pallet Rack Deck Capacities: What You Need to Know
August 17, 2008
by Scott Stone
Craig Chamberlain has an article over at the MHEDA Edge website that you need to read if you use pallet rack wire decking.
Here’s the money quote:
“Decking can, and often does, directly bear the total weight of the application’s load and transfers that load to the beams of the pallet rack. Regardless of the weight-bearing capacity of the rack’s beams, an improperly overrated deck can and will jeopardize the load-bearing capacity of the entire system and result in a failure.”
Tags: Material Handling, Pallet Rack, OSHA, warehouse safety, facilities maintenance, wire rack decking
Posted in Pallet & Warehouse Racks|
Palletizer Perspectives: Is Palletizing Suitable for My Operation?
August 4, 2008
by Scott Stone
With the growing popularity of automating the palletizing function, we arranged an interview with vonGAL, a leading manufacturer who has the largest installed base of palletizers in the country. Bobby Edmond is vonGAL’s Director of Applications, and has been in the business for 25 years. He has seen applications in a wide range of industries, and in companies large and small. I asked him if he would take time to share his thoughts, and answer a few questions of interest to those that might be considering palletizing for the first time.
Tags: shipping, order fulfillment, Palletizers, palletizing, Factory Automation, warehousing, Material Handling
Posted in Automation, Labor & Efficiency|
Options for Mobile Weighing Technologies in the Warehouse
July 11, 2008
by Scott Stone
In dynamic distribution environments, accurate, fast weighing, counting, and dimensioning systems are more important than ever. This is particularly true in 3PLs and other operations where needs often change. Getting it right, and getting it quickly has become increasingly more important. One way is to utilize the newer mobile weighing systems on the market today.
Tags: warehousing, Material Handling, scales, industrial weighing systems, inventory accuracy
Posted in Warehousing & Distribution|
How to Minimize Forklift Impacts on Pallet Racks
July 3, 2008
by Scott Stone
Pallet racks take a beating over time. They get loaded with exceptionally heavy pallets, by exceptionally powerful lift trucks over and over throughout the course of years. Chances are that if you have pallet rack in your warehouse, it’ll get hit at some point. When it does, inspecting (and generally replacing) it is your best course of action. But what about avoiding that hit, or its dangerous aftermaths in the first place?
Tags: Material Handling, Pallet Rack, OSHA, warehouse safety, facilities maintenance
Posted in Pallet & Warehouse Racks|
Palletizers: Ergonomics and Justification
June 30, 2008
by Scott Stone
As interest continues to grow in automated palletizing, let’s take a brief look at a few of the issues surrounding these applications.
Over the next couple of months, I’ll be providing a handful of blog postings relative to palletizers. We will begin with what is driving the growth in the use of these products, then a look at basic systems, cost estimates, what you can expect from a properly applied palletizer system, and then share specifics from a couple of actual implementations in distribution centers. If you are experienced in palletizer systems, you will likely be familiar with much of what is covered here. If you are new to palletizing, or considering your first system, hopefully, this information will help you understand what the issues are and how you can navigate them.
Tags: shipping, order fulfillment, Palletizers, palletizing, ergonomics, Factory Automation, warehousing, Material Handling
Posted in Automation, Labor & Efficiency|