Designing Pallet Flow Rack for Dozens of Pallet Shapes & Sizes | Mallard How-To

Spoiler Alert – the Universal Solution is Not Pallet Flow Rack but Donor Pallets

It’s no joke that the warehousing industry is getting hit hard. Between supply chain delays, inventory and labor shortages, and strong demand, it’s a trifecta of serious challenges. The last thing we want to do is add to our customer’s woes; however, when we know that what the customer needs is not necessarily what they will get with their pallet flow rack design, we are determined to find a better solution. This is an interesting project with a very workable implementation — take a look.

Customer Challenges:

Storing raw materials

• Moderate turn rates
• Lots of SKUs
• Varying quantities of each SKU

Warehouse space concerns

• Tight footprint
• Ceiling height

Current Warehouse Operation:

Materials are stored in static selective racking and floor stacked. It is an inefficient system, particularly given the large number of SKUs and space concerns. Pallet flow rack is an excellent option for maximizing space, creating storage density, improving pick rates, and reducing associated labor costs. The obvious question, however, is what type of flow lane?

Pallet Flow Design – The Search for a Universal Lane Design

Typically, a single-lane design can accommodate our customer’s needs even if pallets have slight variations in weight or style. For this project, the customer supplied 48 pallets for us to test in the system. The pallets included 24 pallet variations along with weight variations from 1800-3000 lbs. Additionally, the pallet contents of super sacks can vary from 32” – 74” high.

The one thing all the pallets had in common was that they were all wood. They were in varying conditions, however, with some pallets too damaged to test in the system.

What we determined after the initial test was that a universal system was not an option. As you can see in this sample image, the pallets cannot be loaded into the system in a consistent manner. The yellow arrows indicate the direction of flow based on the pallet design.

The “easy” way (a.k.a. – right way)  – bottom boards run parallel to flow direction.

The “hard” way (a.k.a.  – wrong way)  – bottom boards run perpendicular to flow direction.

At best, we could offer a system of different lane configurations; however, that would complicate the design and installation of the system, increase the overall cost and create a headache to control in the warehouse. But there was still one Universal solution to come…

Pallet Flow Solution – Universal Donor Pallets 

Ok, stick with us here. The initial response may be, “No way — too complicated, too expensive, and there’s no space for them,” but donor pallets can be a far more cost-effective solution, especially for a complex situation like this. Here are the facts:

1. The original pallet flow rack design can change from multiple lane designs to a consistent wheeled solution that reduces the system’s cost.
2. The warehouse team doesn’t have to track how individual pallets need to be loaded into the lane. That translates to faster, more successful loading and better system use.
3. The pallet flow system is highly condensed storage leaving enough space to store the donor pallet supply.
4. The donor pallets stabilize the super-sack contents, eliminating point loads, overhang, and pallet warping issues typical with super-sack storage.

The donor pallets eliminate the pallet flow rack design challenges and reduce the cost of purchasing, installing, and using the system. That’s a win, win,… win, win in our book. 

The final system design will include:

• Wheeled pallet flow – 2.9” diameter wheels
• Single / Double / Single – outer rails inline on 3” centers & center rail staggered 2” centers
• Magnum wheel pallet flow in the load zone
• I.E. wheels in the rest of the lane
• Drop-in speed controllers
• Bolt-on ramp stops
• Entry guides

The hybrid lane design using both Magnum wheel and M-150 wheels is a great way to save some money and yet build a robust and durable system. Magnum wheels are the industry’s most durable pallet flow wheel and are better suited for repeated abuse from pallet loading impact. They blend seamlessly into the lane, where the slightly less beefy M-150 wheels take over for the remainder of the journey.  

A few accessories help improve the efficiency of the system and the safety of the operation. Entry guides are a simple way to help the forklift operators visually locate the pallet in the center of the lane. Drop-in speed controllers ensure pallets flow at a safe speed and remain centered in the lane. Lastly, bolt-on ramp stops secure the pallet at the end of the lane until extracted by the forklift.

How can our gravity flow rack experts help you today? While most customers’ warehouse challenges aren’t quite this complicated, we always welcome the chance to find a great solution. Give our team a call, and let’s put the power of gravity to work for you and your team.