When it comes to warehouse projects, traditional storage racking can take a backseat to the more complex material handling equipment required to run a facility—especially at a time when robotics and automation seem to get all the headlines. But experts caution that managers should be careful not to overlook this warehouse staple, even in an increasingly automated environment.
“The racking systems are the backbone of the warehouse,” explains Greg Michel, a national accounts manager with racking supplier Storage Solutions. “Everything is built around [the racking]. Automation changes the way we look at it … but we still strongly believe the racking structure is the backbone.”
Regular evaluation and maintenance are vital to keeping a storage rack system up to par—and when a replacement or upgrade is required, due diligence is a must. To that end, Michel and others say warehouse managers should follow three general guidelines when evaluating a facility’s storage needs.
UNDERSTAND WHAT DRIVES RACK REPLACEMENT
Michel says the most common reasons for replacing a rack system include damage, a change in product mix, and updates to local building codes. Staying on top of those issues is key to maintaining a safe and effective system.
“Damage can be a big factor,” he says, noting that the extent of damage or wear-and-tear on a system will likely dictate how much of that system needs to be replaced. Most damage occurs when forklifts or other pieces of equipment strike the racks, causing scrapes, dents, and breakage that can weaken the system. Although the damage may prove to be irreparable, in many cases, the problem can be fixed by replacing just a portion of the system—maybe some of the uprights and a beam. Michel says managers should consult with their racking supplier when damage occurs.
The same is true of building code updates.
“Local [building] codes continue to change, so sometimes it may make sense to upgrade a system when that happens—specifically in seismic areas, where you may need to look at a beefier system. That drives much of [the need for change],” Michel says. “Also, as SKU [stock-keeping unit] mixes change, you may need a denser storage system—or a less-dense system, depending on the change.”
Ryan Wachsmuth, Southeast regional sales manager for rack manufacturer Steel King, agrees, adding that managers should pay close attention to changes in the weight of shipments entering and leaving the warehouse.
“The product might change and now you’re shipping 3,000-pound loads instead of 2,000-pound loads. When you make that jump, the capacity of the upright beams [in the rack system] may be in jeopardy [because those beams] may not be able to accommodate that increase in weight,” he says. “That increased weight can wreak havoc on your system.”
DO YOUR HOMEWORK
Once you’ve determined that a system—or portion of a system—needs replacing, the next step is to determine the brand of racking you’re dealing with. It may sound simple, but Wachsmuth says it’s not always crystal clear whose product is installed at a facility—sometimes markings aren’t clear or the maker of the product is no longer in business. That can be a problem with partial replacements because mixing and matching pieces from different manufacturers is widely considered taboo.
“Intermixing rack manufacturers is not a good practice. So the first thing you should do is find out whose racking you are adding to or replacing. That’s critical,” he says, explaining that intermixing can cause structural problems that compromise the system’s integrity and, in worst-case scenarios, lead to a rack collapse. “Obviously this takes opportunities off our plate, but that’s OK. We’d rather know that we can come in the next day and know that it’s business as usual.”
Many products can be identified by tags or labels, and some companies emboss their names on certain pieces or parts of the racking. Rack colors and structural patterns can offer clues as well. When in doubt, Wachsmuth advises taking pictures of the racking and sending them to a trusted vendor to help figure it out.
“A lot of times, a dealer will send me a photo and ask whose racking it is. That’s a great first step,” he says. “If you have a good contact with a manufacturer, send them a photo. They [might notice specific] details [that can help them determine] whose racking it is. Photos are a great way to begin that conversation.”
Another part of the homework assignment is to conduct some in-person investigation—perhaps venturing out of the office to learn more about the different types of storage racking available and to see what’s new.
“Go to trade shows; take some time out of your week and see what’s out there,” Wachsmuth advises, adding that this can often lead to productivity-enhancing solutions for your warehouse. For instance, a company that has been using selective pallet racking—a standard solution that stores pallets one-deep—may find that a higher-density solution—such as pushback, drive-in, or pallet flow racking—could provide a more efficient and fluid way of storing and moving products.
And sometimes those conversations lead to custom solutions.
“You can go to a website such as ours and see what we do, but if you bring ideas to the table, you’d be surprised by [the number of possible solutions],” Wachsmuth adds. “So get out there and see what’s available.”
And once you’ve found a supplier you like, he notes, ask them to take you to see some recent projects. There’s no substitute for seeing the product in action, Wachsmuth says.
DON’T FORGET THE LABELS
When adding racking, replacing a system, or configuring racking in a new warehouse, managers also need to think about barcode labels, which are often affixed to the racks to help track and identify products for storage, picking, and inventory management purposes. Leaders at barcode label manufacturer ID Label say this portion of a project is often overlooked in the early stages.
“We definitely have to [provide a lot of education] about this type of thing—even for customers that regularly do these projects,” says John Roggeveen, senior business development manager at ID Label.
He explains that much of the planning and budgeting—especially with large storage rack implementations—is focused on the racking itself.
“They bank on that being approved before they think of labeling, which becomes kind of an afterthought,” he says. “But when all the rack is up and they’re trying to bring product in and they don’t have the labeling—well, you can spend millions on the facilities, but if the labels aren’t in place, you can’t operate.”
He says it’s important to budget for the time and labor needed to apply all those labels—and in some cases, remove old labels on existing racks to prepare for new ones.
“Many facilities operate seven days a week, 24 hours a day, so finding the time and the [opportunity] to restrict access to picking areas [so the prep work can be completed], for example, [can be challenging],” Roggeveen says, adding that label vendors often provide the labor for such projects. “Our crews sometimes work the third shift [to avoid] impacting operations.”
No matter what the project, Roggeveen and his colleagues advise warehouse and project managers to involve their partners as early as possible in the process because “we are all here to make sure you succeed.”
