Pallet racks
Pallet racks are also known as compartment racks. This type of rack supports one or more loading units per compartment between two uprights, or one or more pallet spaces per compartment. Compartment racks are versatile, making them suitable for storing many different types of products and easy to organize according to your preferences. The big advantage of pallet racking is that the pallets and items are directly accessible to the order picker and can be quickly removed from the shelf by hand or with a forklift.
High-bay systems
High-bay systems are often used for narrow aisles in order to make better use of the floor space by increasing the height. High-bay racks are often used for loose, mostly palletized items.
Shelf racks
Shelf racking, also known as archive racking, is perhaps the best-known storage system. One or more products are stored on sheet steel or wooden shelves on multiple levels. Shelf racking can be used to store both small, light products and large, heavy products. As with pallet racking, orders can be picked immediately.
Wide-span shelving
Wide-span shelving, or wide-bay shelving, is suitable for storing medium-sized and large products that can be picked by hand. Wide-span shelving is a hybrid of shelf and pallet racking. Plates are placed between the pillars, creating many different levels. This type of racking is well suited for large and/or heavy products or packaging.
Cantilever racking
Cantilever racking is also known as long goods racking and is mainly used for storing long and heavy goods such as planks, pipes, plates, and construction parts. With cantilever racking, too, the goods can be picked directly from the shelves.
Mobile racks
Mobile racks are assembled compartment and pallet racks or cantilever racks, with the difference that they are not fixed in place, but can be moved between the racks. Using rails, the racks can be placed exactly where a rack aisle is needed at that moment. This principle saves nine out of ten aisles because the racks are placed next to each other when they are not needed by the order picker.
Mezzanines
A mezzanine is a self-supporting, walkable, and sometimes even drive-up steel structure. It is also called a balcony because it provides extra loading space, both on the upper floor and below it. An example of a mezzanine is an order picking platform: under the balcony, the goods are stored on the floor or on shelving racks, and above it, the orders are picked and packed.
Drive-in and drive-through racks
In drive-in and drive-through racks, multiple units are stored one behind the other in the depths of the racks on two continuous beams. Drive-in racking is a convenient way to store large quantities of pallets containing the same items. With drive-in racking, the racking can only be accessed from one side, which means that the goods that are placed in the racking last must be removed first. This is done according to the "LIFO method": last in, first out. With drive-through racks, the goods are loaded on one side and unloaded on the other. This is the "FIFO method": first in, first out. The advantage of drive-through racks is that the goods do not become obsolete and that someone can work on both sides of the rack: one person places the goods on the shelves and someone else removes them from the other side.
Roll-through racks
Roll-through racks are a very compact form of storage and ensure extremely short order picking routes, requiring fewer actions to collect and ship an order. Roll-through racks are similar to shelving racks, but instead of a solid plate, the products are placed on rollers. The FIFO method is also used with flow racks, whereby the products that are placed in the rack first are also the first to be removed. The roller conveyors ensure that the stored goods move automatically, for example to the order picker.
Paternoster systems
The underlying idea behind paternosters is also that the products come to the person instead of the other way around. A paternoster has rotating shelves and ensures shorter picking times, especially when it comes to batches. Working with paternosters can save a lot of space in the warehouse: there is no need for space between the different shelves because there is no need for an order picker to walk between them.
Bunkers
The storage of hazardous goods, such as ADR goods, must be in bunkers. The name says it all: bunkers are sturdy buildings with fire-resistant doors. In the unlikely event that something happens to the hazardous substances, the damage will be limited to the bunker and will not spread to other buildings or warehouses.
Other storage systems
In addition to the above storage systems, there are many other different racks and systems. For clothing, for example, there are hanging clothing racks, and warehouses are increasingly using automated systems. The racks discussed above obviously take up a lot of floor space. This floor space is also often seen as a storage system: this is where the heaviest products are often placed.
Storage at HST Group
If you want to use warehousing or e-fulfillment, HST Group is the right place for you. HST Group can store all types and sizes of products: from small, light products to large, heavy materials. If you want to store goods and/or have questions about the storage of goods, please contact us or request a free, no-obligation quote!