A Guide to The Installation of Drive in Racking in Warehouses

Storage is the backbone of many businesses in the world. Without proper storage facilities, such businesses can go hay-wire and suffer huge losses too. The concept of installing pallet racking in warehouses is to store products of very high density in an organized manner. The best solution to this is the drive-in pallet racks. This is specially designed for the storage of a large number of goods. The intention is to utilize the warehouse space effectively so that the users can achieve the maximum from the storage capacity.

How does it work?

The drive in racking is a system where the pallets are stored and are driven into the rack system. This is done with the help of forklift operators and they are loaded into the horizontal rails. The drivers remove these pallets from the point from where they are loaded. This is a system which is placed typically against a wall or it is closed from the other end. There are different types of drive in racking system. They are:

1. Single entry racks are the ones that involve only those racks that have access to the forklift but only to one side.
2. Double entry racks are those racks where it is possible for the forklifts to access both the sides of the racking structure. There is a row of racks that are placed at the centre of the structure. This is held in place by the large beam.

When can this system be used?

• This system of drive in racking can be used if there are products that need cold or freezer type of storage.
• If there are many products of similar nature and space is limited space, then this system is the ideal one for storage.
• This is great if the products are fragile and cannot be stored in black stacks.

What are the advantages?

• Safe loading – The drive in racking is the system that is required to protect the products as well as the racks. The forklifts are essential for this system keeping in mind the safety when the products are loaded. The operators slowly enter the system and handle it carefully avoiding hitting the upright frames.
• Safe unloading – This is almost similar to safe loading. The drive in the system of racks is quite deep, so the forklift operators must be extra careful when they reverse out of the system. It is a fact that speed is important, but the operators give more priority to safety. If the upright frame collides with the underneath system, then it will be very unsafe.
• Maintenance – The forklift operator drive inside the system, so it is essential that the drive in racking remains in a stable condition. It actually requires very little maintenance, but it is also very important to go for regular checkups. It is recommended to verify and confirm if there is any damage to the system. The checking is done of the damaged frames, the loose anchors as well as the pallet rails.

The use of the drive in racks is mostly required in the manufacturing of the food and beverage industries. This is a system that is dense and requires very less aisle space. It is energy efficient and helps in maximizing the space. These racking systems have lanes for the forklift access. This has an unlimited depth. Since the design is a dense system, it uses more space in the warehouse. The construction is made out of side rails unlike the typical ones with cross beams.