Organisation is key to success, and nowhere is this truer than at the warehouse. At first glance, the warehouse interior may not seem any different from the interior of houses or offices in terms of the necessity for storage solutions, but this is actually it; shelving that would be perfect with the office or home storage needs isn’t the suitable option for the warehouse where sturdiness is a must.
Depending on the merchandise, the warehouse can be full of heavy items, so there’s always the need for maximising the storage capacity to make the environment functional and safe. This can be done with the various storage shelving units designed to keep your workplace efficient. You can choose from the versatile steel, rivet, and wire shelving, as well as pallet and cantilever racking.
Prior to the purchase, however, it’s important to give consider the layout, how much of space available you have, how much you can use up for the storage shelving units, and based on how easy it is to store and retrieve boxes of items, whether it’s handling with vehicles or manual, how much of the area you require for traffic.
A Word on the Different Types of Shelving Units
- Steel Shelving Units
When you want to get shelving that can be customised, look no further than steel units. Apart from allowing adjustability, they can be used with accessories to optimise their flexibility, as is the case with the addition of modular drawers, and built-in dividers, so you can count on more options other than the standard combinations to suit your particular requirements.
They are usually the recommended option for high-density applications because of the ease they provide to install the shelves right next to each other. Though their installation isn’t any complicated, you’d still have to rely on certain tools that you otherwise wouldn’t with the rest of the shelving options, which is what some find to be a drawback.
- Rivet Shelving Units
Though not as aesthetically appealing as steel, these units are still versatile, sturdy, and far easier to assemble without the necessity to use hardware. Available in two styles, single and double, the rivet storage shelving units have an open construction and offer storage for the heavy-duty, high-density applications with free access from the sides. The drawback of this solution is the lack of customisation that steel units provide.
- Wire Shelving Units
Considered the most aesthetic units because of their clean, open construction design enabling hygienic storage as it’s piece of cake to clean it. This is why this option is also advisable when you want to prevent accidents, like fire from spreading, as the open wire design doesn’t obstruct it from being put out fast. Due to the possibility to mount them on casters, they can be turned into mobile units which makes them all the more useful.
Thanks to the specific design, they are perfect for straight as much as for corner applications, and though not as many as the steel shelving units, or the size variation as the rivet shelving, they still offer some customisation, like wall mounting for example. The reason some don’t opt for these units has to do with their price as opposed to the other two.
When choosing from these storage shelving units, it’s good to choose to buy from professionals who are willing to offer you the solution specific for your warehouse needs, meaning provide you with units in any height and with as many shelves as you require. In case you want to reap the benefits of more access, you should buy mechanised or units on wheels for mobility.
A Word on Racking
Often used interchangeably, the term racks isn’t to be confused with the term shelves. While the shelves serve for goods that can be picked by hand or latest automated drone systems, the racks, which also happen to be larger, serve for storing of goods that are designed for vehicle access, such as forklifts and cherry pickers.
- Pallet Racking
The most common type of racking, pallets are created for heavy loads, with a particular focus on quick loading and unloading with vehicles, specifically forklifts. The design is meant to be space-savvy, using the minimum amount of space, something that’s seen with the drive-in pallet racking systems. This is particularly great with storing piles of homogenous products.
Furthermore, there are also the double access systems, consisting of continuous racking lanes, and one loading and retrieving aisle. Operating them is done with reach trucks. Let’s not forget the drive-in racking either, suitable for sufficient volume of products, that don’t require to be accessed immediately, working on the system of first-in last-out.
- Cantilever Racking
When it comes to those long, bulky items that no other shelving solution can handle, you can count on cantilever racks. Ideal for storing long pipes, tubes, lumber, windows, doors, plasterboard, this is the storage solution that’s both practical and economical no matter how big or small the items may be.
