Flexible warehousing is a hot topic in the warehousing industry today. More and more companies need to store high-turnover inventory for short periods of time. Add that to the fact that companies are trying to do more — more production and more product output — with less space, and flexible warehousing becomes a necessity to the success and profitability of your facility. That’s where flow racks for your warehouse come into play.
With this in mind, Geolean USA has taken a particular interest in the warehouse segment, specifically in the areas of e-commerce and distribution. Consider this article part one of a mini-series to introduce concepts for consideration in 3 specific areas:
- The flow of materials in the warehouse.
- The packaging or value-add processing of materials in the warehouse.
- The delivery of materials to and from the warehouse.
A productive warehouse is about efficient handling and space utilization. If you can reduce handling and create additional storage with the space you have available today, you can increase your profitability without a massive, costly warehouse renovation or expansion.
Flow Racks: A Low-Cost Option to Create Flow and Save Space in Your Warehouse Around your Existing Pallet Racking.
This is where modular flow racks come in (and part 1 in our mini-series). When you can adapt your warehouse as required in order to efficiently receive, store, and process materials, you can meet your customers’ demands faster. Modular flow racks should be part of your flexible warehousing strategy, enabling you to reduce handling and create additional storage with the space you have available today.
How Can Modular Flow Racks Help You Better Utilize Existing Space?
Well, let’s think about what your warehouse looks like today. Does it look something like the image below? Boxes and pallets on the floor, shrink-wrapped pallets on the shelves, and parts and products that are difficult to find or reach?
Do you experience any of the following concerns in your pallet racking space?
- You’re running out of storage space
- You find that your team is often overhandling product
- You have trouble maintaining first-in-first-out or lot control
- Ergonomics and safety are secondary concerns. Your team thinks about them, “if they have time.”
If these are concerns you face regularly in your warehouse, modular flow racks can help. Just take a look at the image above, and compare it with the image below.
This is the same exact warehouse. This company knew they needed help, and asked Geolean to design a modular solution that would improve their space utilization, and help them handle product more efficiently. Here’s what they had to say about the results:
“Geolean helped us achieve 170 additional pick faces within our existing pallet racking. The additional space allowed us to support new production and avoid a costly warehouse expansion.”
Incorporating Flow Racks with Pallet Racking
To help the above company, we implemented a modular system that reduced wasted space, made FIFO a priority, and improved ergonomics and safety. Flow racks are a great solution for pallet racking spaces, as they can be easily installed and customized to accommodate a variety of materials in a way that’s safe and efficient. Modular flow rack systems include:
- Assorted roller-bed options for pallet racking, so all your product fits on racks and flows smoothly to the front of the rack.
- Capabilities to flow heavy materials.
- Modular solutions that are easily changed and reconfigured as your warehouse needs shift.
The flow rack pallet racking system we designed for the above client offers all of these features — accommodating heavy materials, flowing product quickly, and ensuring product is efficiently handled with proper ergonomics and safety considerations.
Solutions can be installed by our professional team, or built by you
Beyond solving the storage space and overhandling concerns of your warehouse, modular flow rack systems offer the additional benefit of being easy to build, install, and reconfigure. All of Geolean’s modular flow rack systems can be built by your team using a few basic tools, or our team of experts can come in and get your system set up for you.
Either way, once your modular flow rack system is installed, it’s easy to add to and reconfigure to suit your warehouse’s constantly changing needs. As we mentioned at the beginning of this blog, flexible warehousing is a hot topic today in the industry. Your warehouse has to adapt to different needs often. Modular flow racks incorporated with your pallet racking system offer the flexibility you need to improve the efficiency of your product handling, and to maximize the existing space within your warehouse.
Have more questions about flow racks in the warehouse? Wondering how to implement flow racks in your pallet racking? Talk to the Geolean team. We’re happy to answer any questions you might have, and help you determine how flow racks could best benefit your warehouse.
Geolean Warehouse Solutions Mini-Series
Flow Racks in the Warehouse – Part 1
Efficiency With Custom Workstations – Part 2
Custom Delivery Carts in the Warehouse – Part 3
