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The Final Frontier – Using Space Efficiently

August 16, 2018

shelf supported mezzanine

In a recent article released by the Wall Street Journal, warehouse space was showcased as being at its tightest since 2000. While this should come as no surprise that this issue of space is consistently growing, the rate at which warehouse vacancy is dwindling is far outpacing the increase in new construction.  In the second quarter of 2018 alone, industrial real estate availability fell to 7.2%. This creates in a unique predicament for those thriving and looking towards expansion, but also provides opportunities for those who can maximize their available footprint.

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Harnessing Automation to Improve 3PL Performance

April 27, 2017

Warehouse conveyor in 3PL

As your 3PL grows and attracts more clients, products, and infrastructure, your product movement and storage capacity won’t be able to keep up with the increased volume. Growth is a great problem to have, but it’s still a problem.

Intelligent warehouse automation is an effective way to create better flow, enhance efficiency, ramp up throughput, reduce errors and improve your processes.  Introducing automated systems into your current warehouse environment can produce drastic reductions in time spent on certain day-to-day activities.

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Key Ways to Maximize Space in Your 3PL

February 28, 2017

Uncovering space in your 3PL can reap multiple rewards

In a recent report of current industrial and logistics trends released by the CBRE, the prevailing theme among U.S. Tenants and Landlords is that of shrinking available space. While this should come as no surprise to those within the logistics community, the rate at which warehouse vacancy is dwindling is far outpacing the increase in new construction (new supply trails leasing demand by 1.5 to 1). This puts 3PLs in a predicament, but also provides opportunities for those who can maximize their available footprint.

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The Value & Versatility of Rivet Shelving

September 1, 2015

Rivet Shelving

Rivet shelving is one of the most versatile forms of industrial shelving available. With individual shelf capacities up to 1,400 pounds, it rivals the load capacity of heavy wide span or pallet rack but is designed for carton and case storage. It assembles quickly due to its tear-drop and pin connectors and is extremely sturdy whether using a single-rivet or double-rivet design. It’s also available in an amazing array of sizes and layouts.

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High Density Pallet Storage Racks: Comparing Pushback, Drive-In, and Flow Rail

December 16, 2014

pallet flow rack system in a storage area

When comparing different methods of storing and accessing pallet loads on rack, the choices can be a little mind boggling. Do I go with Push-Back Rack using gravity feed to deliver loads to the front edge? What about the loss of vertical space? What if something gets hung up? How about Drive-In Rack? Do I trust my forklift drivers to maneuver carefully enough? What would a rack collapse cost me? Does horizontal flow rail work for me? Can I deliver goods fast enough?

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Innovations in High Density Storage

June 13, 2014

SpeedCell Dynamic High Density Storage

Ever find yourself wondering how you can get more out of your pallet rack? Do you have goods that take up very little space, but your pick operations don’t call for entire pallets full of the product? Then you might need to look at ways to achieve more density in your storage, and we’ve recently found a gem of a product that can help you out. It’s called Dynamic High Density Storage and it’s made by SpeedCell.

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How Much Money does Shipping Rivet Shelves Without Decks Save?

December 18, 2009

rivet shelving system

We sell loads of shelving all over the country, and one of the persistent issues is the cost of shipping. In particular, that’s an issue for industrial rivet shelving, which is the most economical type of shelving with the highest capacity. It is easily the most popular industrial shelf type going. For many customers, shipping an all inclusive shelving system is the easiest, most convenient thing — we do it all the time.

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How to Intermingle New & Used Pallet Rack Components

October 3, 2008

warehouse manager making notes

rack connection

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:

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More Pallet Rack Safety Tips

September 9, 2008

rack-aisle.jpgJust some tips we’ve picked up along the way when it comes to keeping pallet racks safe:

  • The majority of pallet rack structural failures result from just three sources – know them, and most of the rest takes care of itself. Those include (1) impacts from a lift truck collision; (2) Misuse and overloading (3) Lack of comprehension that racks can be dangerous, and the lack of a safety oriented mindset. Really, the focus is on #3 gets you to #1 and #2. Operations with a safety mindset will also understand that impacts are deadly, and they know how to safely load their racks.
  • Check out “When Racks Collide” for more information on protecting your racks.
  • Know how your rack will be used when you spec it. “The two main rack safety points are the proper initial design of the structure so it doesn’t collapse, and proper training of personnel to ensure a clear understanding of the structure’s operational characteristics,” said Rack Manufacturer’s Institute (RMI) President John Nosfinger in a 2008 Modern Materials Handling article. If you inherited the pallet rack in your operation from someone else, find out the details of the rack system and its design. File that so that anyone can access it, and enforce your capacity ratings so that your racks will not be overloaded or mis-loaded.

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Comparing Pallet Rack Guards: Flexible Netting vs. Wire Mesh Panels

May 19, 2008

men working in a warehouse rack aisle

Unguarded rack is dangerous if there are people working in the aisles below. Safety managers know this, insurance companies know it, and if you have rack in your facility, you probably know it too. You have probably seen pallets break. You’ve seen drivers make mistakes when loading & unloading. We’ve seen things fall. If you’ve been in the business any length of time, you may have walked into your warehouse in the morning to find a case of something from the fourth level split open on the floor.

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