Differentiating Material Handling Loads
When your business handles and stores goods, how would you describe their physical characteristics? Are they packaged up in cartons, drums, totes, or cases? Are they shipped individually, or en masse strapped to a pallet? Are they small enough to carry by hand, or so large that you need a forklift to move them around?
The way that materials are packaged, bundled up, and transported can be referred to as that material’s format – or just as commonly, “load”. A material load might be by the pallet, by the roll, in a bundle of cartons, individually as large sheets, free-flowing by the ton, and even in bulk by the gallon. Since materials are handled in so many different manners, it’s imperative that racking solutions are appropriately paired with the load type to be stored.
More often than not, racking systems not properly matched to their loads result in a number of undesirable conditions, including inefficient space utilization, material damage and losses, and even safety hazards. To help combat such issues, read on to understand the key load type criteria involved in ideal racking selection.
Load Types
In practice, there are any number of ways to describe a material load, but only a few are useful for the purpose of understanding compatible racking solutions. Here we’ll offer four categories of load types along with their most common options. These types are generally useful for reaching a quick conclusion on the best way to handle, store, and inventory such materials, which will allow us to narrow down a preferred racking type straight away.
- Shape – this load type describes the most common profile shapes that loads can take.
- Rectangular
- Cylindrical
- Sheet
- Non-uniform
- Loose
- Packaging – a load’s packaging is important for understanding if an object can come into direct contact with the racking system, and if it requires secondary containers to keep together.
- Packaged goods
- Unpackaged goods
- Unit – a load’s unit type describes if the overall package is intended for consumption as a single object, or if it’s to be broken down into multiple sub-items for individual use. Example: a wire reel sold either by the reel or parsed out by the foot.
- Single
- Multiple
- Variable (could be stored for sale either intact or broken down)
- Lot – an item’s lot type indicates if it’s meant to be handled as a single unit or as a part of a larger series of units that are all moved together. Example: a group of (12) pallets that make up one order and should be shipped together is a group lot.
- Individual
- Group Lot
- Inventory Management – items that have an expiration date are typically stored in a FIFO (first in, first out) inventory management scheme, whereas items that do not expire and are sold on a commodity pricing basis are more often stored in a LIFO (last in, first out) scheme.
- LIFO
- FIFO
- Any
Racking Types
With the above five most common load categories explained, let’s next review racking styles and their associated ideal load types. It’s worth noting that our ideal selections are not the only match-ups possible – with a little planning and consideration, some racking types may be preferred for loads outside of these boundaries as a better fit for your business. And as with most things in industrial distribution, application-specific nuances may influence the ideal racking type desired differently than what we’ve listed out below, so it’s best to always check with an experienced material handling consultant before committing to a selection.
RACKING TYPE
IDEAL LOAD TYPES
Unit Shelving
As the most basic storage solution used in material handling businesses, simple shelving stores individual boxes, cartons, and all sorts of packaged or loose items.
Shape: Rectangular
Packaging: Packaged
Unit: Single
Lot: Individual
Inventory: Any
Bin Shelving
Higher volume, small objects are best stored in bins, keeping things organized and making inventory management much easier. Bin shelving securely holds bins in a very space-efficient manner.
Shape: Loose
Packaging: Unpackaged
Unit: Multiple
Lot: Individual
Inventory: Any
Selective Racking
Moving towards larger load types, selective racking most commonly stores skidded-bottom containers using high elevation, high density structures.
Shape: Rectangular
Packaging: Packaged
Unit: Variable
Lot: Individual
Inventory: Any
Pushback Racking
By adding rolling carts to selective racking’s structural frame design, pushback racking offers increased storage density and lane depth.
Shape: Rectangular
Packaging: Packaged
Unit: Single
Lot: Group Lot
Inventory: LIFO
Drive-In / -Thru Racking
Selective racking configured with deep lanes that a forklift can physically drive into is known as drive-in or drive-thru racking, offering very high space efficiency for the cost. Drive-In styles offer LIFO inventory management, whereas Drive-Thru offers FIFO and LIFO methods.
Shape: Rectangular
Packaging: Packaged
Unit: Single
Lot: Group Lot
Inventory: Any
Flow Racking
Racking equipped with roller or slider surfaces are known as flow racking and gravity racking. These designs allow items to be placed on one side of the racking, and the item will move itself to the opposite end by its own weight over the roller surface.
Shape: Rectangular
Packaging: Packaged
Unit: Single
Lot: Individual
Inventory: FIFO
Mobile Racking
Mobile racking combines selective racking’s structural frame design with the ability to move entire frame sections by mechanical power. This racking style maximizes space efficiency by only opening up for forklift access to the positions needed.
Shape: Rectangular
Packaging: Packaged
Unit: Single
Lot: Group Lot
Inventory: Any
Automated Racking
Replacing human labor with mechanical and robotic systems, automated racking solutions are the premiere offering for high volume, high velocity material handling.
Shape: Rectangular
Packaging: Packaged
Unit: Single
Lot: Group Lot
Inventory: Any
Cantilever Racking
This design relies on a strong center pillar structure to suspend or cantilever materials away without any additional members obstructing access on the loading face.
Shape: Loose
Packaging: Unpackaged
Unit: Variable
Lot: Individual
Inventory: Any
Sheet Racking
Sheet racking is quite similar to selective racking, except for minor differences in bay dimensions, weight capacity, and density as most appropriate to storing flat materials.
Shape: Sheet
Packaging: Unpackaged
Unit: Variable
Lot: Individual
Inventory: Any
Roll Racking (Carpet, Coil, Tires)
Many commodity goods are shipped in rolls, intended to be supported from their center spindle instead of setting down flat. This protects the roll from settling and flattening damage.
Shape: Cylindrical
Packaging: Unpackaged
Unit: Variable
Lot: Individual
Inventory: Any
Reel Racking
Similar to roll racking, reel racking is typically designed for longer term storage of reel-wound goods, with the intent of unwinding portions of material from each reel instead of frequently picking and replacing entire reels.
Shape: Cylindrical
Packaging: Unpackaged
Unit: Variable
Lot: Individual
Inventory: Any
Lean-To (or A-Frame) Racking
Some goods are ideally stored using A-Frame racking, standing on end and inclined back slightly which allows for clear visibility and quick picking.
Shape: Loose
Packaging: Unpackaged
Unit: Single
Lot: Individual
Inventory: Any
Custom Racking
Custom applications require custom racking, which can be tailored to even your most exotic load type.
Shape: Non-Uniform
Packaging: Unpackaged
Unit: Variable
Lot: Individual
Inventory: Any
We hope that this discussion has been helpful for your commercial material handling needs. Fairchild Equipment is the Upper Midwest’s premier Material Handling Equipment and Service resource, with headquarters in Green Bay, Wisconsin, and numerous locations in 5 states ready 24/7 to serve your needs. For more information or to discuss which Warehouse Optimization solution might be best for you, send us a message, or give us a call at (844) 432-4724.
