Drive-in Racking System For Specific Pallet Types

Industrial Warehouse Heavy Duty LIFO Drive-in Pallet Racking System

Drive in pallet racking system a high-density storage system in which storage space serves as working aisles for forklifts at the same time. In the system, rails support pallets and the length of the rails determines how many pallets deep the system will be (typically 2 – 10 pallets).

As its name implies, in the system of drive in pallet racks, forklifts have to drive into the interior system to access pallets. The aisles for forklifts to go through are the storage space for cargoes at the same time. Pallets are placed on supported rails at the depth direction successively. It is a FILO (first in, last out) type.

Features and Advantages of Drive in Pallet Racking System:

• High Density Storage, saving space and costs

• Low stock rotation

• Limited aisles, resulting in more efficient use of space

• Cant-leg or set-back leg designs can help defend against forklift damage

• Utilizes density over selectivity

• Custom-designed for your pallets & forklifts

• Cost-effective storage strategy

• Can be integrated with push back pallet racks to form a combination system

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Safety Guidelines for Drive in Pallet Racking System:

As a high-density rack system, drive-in rack system frees up more space for storage by means of removing independent working aisles. Lanes are used for travel and access aisles as well as storage space. Forklifts have to enter the structure to store or retrieval goods, so it’s extremely significant to carry on correct and safe practices in drive-in rack systems. Specially, we should attach great importance to the following points:

► Use Proper Pallet

Inspect the pallet before put into use. Make sure the size of pallet fit for the structure, which is not too narrow or too wide so as to be placed on rails exactly. Do not use damaged pallets to avoid the dropping of cargoes.

► Use Appropriate Forklift

Only forklifts with right dimension can drive into the structure, otherwise collision happens easily. The clearances between forklifts and columns, rails and base plates should cater to the working needs of forklifts.

► Drive Straightly Along Rails

Forklifts should drive straightly in the middle of lanes to ensure pallets center loaded on rails. Enter the structure in a perpendicular direction and keep the orientation when moving forward.

► Transport Pallets Without Touching Rails

When transporting pallets in the system, keep the bottom pallet boards at least 2.5 to 5cm above the rails. Dragging or pushing pallets on rails is strictly prohibited because it will impose excessive stress on racks and cause damage, increasing the risk of collapse.

► Place Pallets Slowly

When it is time to put pallets on rails, lay them down slowly in the right storage position. Dropping pallets suddenly is dangerous and may cause damage to racks, pallets or even cargoes.

► Back Out Carefully

When backing out of the rack system, be careful of the condition of external aisles. It’s better to blow forklift horn to alert potential vehicles or personnel in aisles so that they have time to leave enough space for you to drive out.

► Slow Down Your Speed

Once driving into the structure, slow down your speed and keep driving slowly in a constant speed; because drive-in rack is designed for high-density storage, it is easy to have collisions with uprights if drive speedily or speed up in the system.

► Reinforce Entrance Columns

Entrance columns are most likely to be hit by forklifts, so it is critical to provide extra protection for entrance columns to minimize the risk of a failure. We can anchor upright protectors in front of entrance columns, use base plates to offer stronger support, or replace the common entrance columns with more robust columns.

► Transform Drive-in Rack into Drive-through Rack

If the drive-in rack system is designed of ten-pallets deep or more, it is suggestive to change it into drive-through rack which is dual-entry, reducing the distance forklifts need to travel for storage and retrieval so as to lower the risk of impact.

► Make Inspection Regularly

Different from other rack systems, drive-in rack requires forklifts to navigate within the structure in which collision is more likely to arise. Therefore, regular inspection is especially important for the system to guarantee that damaged racks are not used for storage and instantly make correct repairs or reconfiguration under the guideline of professional engineers.