Know Your Products.
You or your staff probably don’t think about this all too much, you just pick a pallet up and put it into a rack, simple! Right?? Well you could be doing something very dangerous by overloading your racks. Each racking system has a weight capacity that needs to be adhered to. Most commonly its broken down into a ‘per pallet’ weight load, which is then simple to understand.
So how do you choose the right pallet racking for your warehouse? When choosing a pallet racking system it is important to be aware that some systems are designed to take 5000kg per level, but other may only have the capability to take 500kg per level. That’s why you should have a general idea of how much your pallets weigh and how much weight the shelves in your new system will need to hold before you choose a racking system.
Measure Heights.
OK, so you need to store some pallets. Great! How much does it weigh and how high is it? These are the two most important factors because the racking system will be designed around this.
- Pallet height
- Roof height
- Forklift reach height
- Height to first beam level
- Rack height
- Clearance height
- Height of the beams
- Height of the levels
It’s all very important to know your heights!
Hire A Professional.
“She’ll be right” is code for:
“I don’t know anything about pallet racking, and I am about to make a dumb decision”.
If you ever hear this term regarding pallet racking, it means that the person saying it does not know what they are talking about. STOP immediately and call a professional.
Always talk to the manufacturer about installation, weight loads, fixing, and repairing. Doing it yourself or getting a handyman/maintenance person to do it is not right and can lead to a dangerous situation.
Buy From A Certified Manufacturer.
Don’t think that you can just get your rack certified to the latest standards AS 4084 2012. Often people buy racks from an importer or 2nd hand and end up getting stung with a huge range of issues. Mainly the racks not conforming. If that is the case you could be up for having to replace the whole racking system, simply because it doesn’t conform.
Choose Quality, Australian-Made Racks.
C’mon we all do it. We buy knock off watches and handbags when we travel to Bali or China. Guilty! We all know that they are going to stop working or break the same day as we land back in Australia, but hey! It’s a bit of fun.
That same principle applies to pallet racking. If you buy the cheap stuff from overseas and you are going to end up with it falling down because it’s poor quality. No doubt about it. The steel is a lesser quality, they are not designed to the Australian standards, they don’t take as much weight, they rust.
So why would your risk storing all your precious product on racks that you know are going to fail?
Get a System That Works For You, Not Someone Else.
Don’t buy your shelves ‘off the shelf’. Did your parents ever tell you as a child “You are special”? Well, I am here to tell you… you are special!
I guarantee that your product is different from any other business. Your operating procedure is different from any other business. What your neighbour has will not work for you. Get a system that works for you, not someone else. Talk to a pallet racking manufacturer to get what will work for your business.
Choose An Established Manufacturer.
If you are setting up your warehouse, you are obviously putting a lot of your effort into setting up a business that you care for and want to succeed. So you need other businesses that will help and support you through it all. That’s why you need an established company with a great reputation. Choose a company that you can trust, who will still be around when you decide to expand in the future.
2nd Hand Racks – Don’t Take The Risk!!
I know you are going to search online for 2nd hand racks, I cannot stop you. But let me tell you it may look cheaper, but;
- The racks may not comply with the standards
- You will have to organise freight
- You will have to pay for install
- You will have to get them certified
- That racking company may not exist anymore
- It may actually not be that cheap compared to a real quote
Stick To The Standards.
If you don’t know what the standards are, ask someone who knows! Choose a pallet racking manufacturer that knows and sticks to Australian Standards for steel storage racking AS4084: 2012. If WH&S come knocking they will know the standards and you will be forced into getting all your racks up to the latest standard.