Greater productivity in store: How dynamic storage can unlock warehouse efficiency

How can dynamic pallet storage systems help warehouse managers do more with the floor-space available while reducing vehicle movements and driving safety gains?

If it ain’t’ broke, don’t fix it, right? That’s the approach that many businesses have taken to the way they manage storage in their facilities, using a static racking approach whereby any given pallet placed in a stock-keeping unit (SKU) will remain there until it’s time to retrieve it and send it onwards.

While this approach undoubtedly offers maximum simplicity, and can be the obvious choice in instances where storage space is plentiful and the throughput of pallets is relatively low, more efficient options are available. Enter, dynamic storage.

What is dynamic storage?

The key difference between static and dynamic pallet storage is that dynamic systems feature mechanisms that allow the pallets to move forwards, backwards or both within the rack, making it possible to access multiple pallets from the same racking bay.

Systems can be designed so that pallets are placed into the rack at one end and retrieved from another – a ‘first in, first out (FIFO)’ arrangement. This is ideal for goods with a shorter shelf life.

Or racks can be arranged so that pallets are added and retrieved from the same point, moving backwards and forwards depending on how many pallets are in that lane at any given time. This is a ‘last in, first out (LIFO)’ arrangement, best suited for longer-lasting products and perfect for cold-storage.

In most cases, these systems are purely mechanical and use gravity to move pallets along the lanes, requiring no energy supplies or control systems.

How can dynamic storage boost efficiency?

Arguably the headline benefit of dynamic storage is its space-saving potential.

Traditionally, with adjustable pallet racking (APR) storage, every individual pallet location needs to be positioned on an aisle that is wide enough for forklift access. But, with dynamic storage, lanes of pallets multiple units deep can be accessed from a single aisle in the case of LIFO systems and two aisles in the case of FIFO racking.

For smaller items, the benefits of this approach are easy to understand – imagine how much larger a supermarket would need to be if products could only be stacked one-item-deep on shelves, and how much further you’d therefore need to walk to fill your basket. Dynamic storage solutions unlock exactly the same space savings and distance-travelled reductions when it comes to pallet storage.

The gains available even by using the smallest dynamic storage lanes – i.e. storing pallets three-deep between aisles instead of two – are significant. For a typical rack three pallets high, this can cut space requirement by 46% for FIFO and 21% for LIFO. However, the deeper the lanes of pallets used the greater the savings. This means an increase in storage capacity without needing to move to larger premises, or freeing up valuable floor space for other purposes.

This also enables operators to increase their handling capacity due to the fast availability of pallets at the unloading face, and reduced travel distances.

As pallets are removed from the lanes, all remaining pallets are indexed towards the unloading face together making space for another pallet to be loaded or unloaded in under a minute.

This provides future-proofing of pallet throughput compared to other technologies like shuttle systems that would require additional shuttles costing £20-30k each. A further benefit is that forklift operators do not have to move shuttles around to gain access to pallets required.

Adapting to changing demands

Another great strength of dynamic storage is that it gives operators more options and more flexibility when it comes to creating separate goods-receiving or dispatch storage areas. Operators may choose to implement this for high-turnover items, and it’s something that is becoming increasingly common as the trend towards 24-hour logistics continues.

In addition to taking up less space, a FIFO dynamic storage solution also separates replenishment and picking zones, making forklift traffic easier to manage and potentially safer.

High levels of safety are also assured by the features that today’s dynamic storage solutions offer. For example, Interroll’s system features magnetic speed controllers that ensure constant pallet speeds through lanes, and timed pallet separators for safe and efficient pallet removal and replacement.

Towards automation

As well as offering benefits over static storage in traditional pallet racking applications, Interroll dynamic storage and removal solutions are also compatible with a wider range of pallet-handing automation solutions that deploy pallet conveyors and stacker cranes.

Working in combination, these solutions can create fully-automated, multi-level delivery and dispatch points, further reducing forklift traffic and maximising efficiency.

So, wherever you are on your journey towards optimising your pallet handling process, dynamic storage can help you move in the right direction.

The post Greater productivity in store: How dynamic storage can unlock warehouse efficiency first appeared on Warehouse & Logistics News.