The lift truck has become a vital piece of machine able to raise and transport products and heavy materials with both speed and efficiency. How a company makes use of this tool could considerably affect its productivity.
A common storage technique is Free Stacking Pallets. This is a way to use your forklift which is both economical and easy. Free Stacking Pallets is placing one pallet on top of another to make a stack of products. This is a stable storage method and is recommended when dealing with numerous pallets of the same dimensions and height or large amounts of the same product. The disadvantage of this specific technique is that it only allows access to the objects placed last, so it does not enable a First In First Out system.
Pallet Racking is a technique that 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 system. It permits the rack to change shape and grow depending upon every day needs. This specific method requires aisles that are wide enough to allow a lift truck to maneuver easily and to freely access the racks. The disadvantage is that this system means fewer pallets could be handled in the environment. This may not make a difference if there is adequate space available.
Similar to Pallet Racking, the technique referred to as Narrow Aisle Racking allows a Last In First Out or First In First Out system. It varies in that a 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 more goods could be kept in the same area. The disadvantage is that you will have to transition to a different kind of truck if you already own a standard lift truck. The cost of obtaining special equipment might be a deterrent to implementing this particular method of storage.
It is important to utilize your forklift truck to its full potential. It pays to analyze your time costs in storage and retrieval of pallets. After that you can find out whether there are more effective ways to use your forklift to increase the usable area of your units or to accelerate the process. Greater effectiveness equals bigger productivity.