Pallet Racks: Seeing installation differently?

Pallet racks: those storage structures that everyone has seen before, without observing them!

Even fewer people ask how these structures were assembled.

If you’ve been through a project where these structures had to be placed in your warehouse, you probably remember that the construction took up floor space and felt like a nuisance until it was completed. Although the goal was to give you access to more storage capacity.

This installation site just added to your day-to-day challenges.

Constraints and obstacles that have necessarily been passed on to the site manager:

• The smallest possible floor space was allocated.
• Disruptions to the tempo of your loading docks were minimized, even if it meant keeping the crews setting up the pallet racks waiting.
• The forklift operators allocated to the installation prioritized your internal operations before focusing on the project.
• Whether it was removing waste, bringing material to the job site, moving pallets of work-in-progress or finished material, you felt your employees were better used not working on the job site.

Thus, the installation foreman is used to getting by in the space he has available, without asking for more.

The flip side of the coin, which is not often considered, is that this lack of space and the "don’t want to inconvenience the client" mentality translate into an increased risk of injury to your employees and to the subcontractor’s workers installing the pallet racks.

Pallet rack installers have become accustomed to building stacks of material that must be constantly moved as the rows are built. Any manipulation represents a risk: risk of the straps holding the material breaking, risk of damaging the material before it is even installed, not to mention the risk of crushing the workers who have to move around the material stacks!

Careful attention must be paid during these operations to ensure that they are safe for the client’s building, employees and equipment, which places an additional burden on the installers’ shoulders. Solutions include the development of a clear plan for the total work space required to assemble the storage structures, prior to the project, and detailed planning for material deliveries, where possible. These additional steps should be discussed at the start of the project, as they require more coordination between you and your storage system provider.

Structurack can help you with this process, ensuring that your project will proceed without unforeseen disruptions while minimizing the risk of accidents!

Don’t stop your supply chain, optimize it with Structurack!

Please do not hesitate to contact your representative if you have any questions.