If you could turn back time, we assume there’d be a few mistakes you’d like to undo (that hairstyle in your teens being one of them). Time travel may not be an option in this millennium, but experience and lessons learnt are the next best thing to avoid making mistakes in the first place.
In the context of this blog, we are talking about pallet racking – our bread and butter. Mistakes can be costly or dangerous when it comes to the safety and efficiency of your warehouse. That is why we want to help you, by providing you with the foresight you need to make the best decisions when it comes to purchasing, using and maintaining your pallet racking systems.
Here are the most common mistakes we have witnessed over the years here at Global Industrial.
5 Common Pallet Racking Mistakes
1. Incompatibility
One of the most common mistakes we see is the purchase of racking that is not compatible with the business’s products, warehouse space, vehicles and existing pallets. When you are purchasing your racking, you need to consider: the materials you will be storing, size of the space available for racking, the type of forklift you are using.
When you purchase your racking, come to the table prepared with all the specifications to avoid any mishaps.
2. Buying cheap or faulty used Pallet Racking
The correct pallet racking system will enable you to safely store and manage your materials on pallets, so it pays to get it right. Get it wrong, and things can get awry pretty quickly and incur unnecessary costs down the road to replace faulty racking or fix damage to inventory. While some suppliers of second-hand pallet racking are reputable, offering quality used racking systems, not all can be trusted.
As with most things, if it is very cheap, it’s likely too good to be true. So if you have any concerns about its quality, make sure the supplier can provide you with a guarantee. Or better yet, purchase your racking from a reputable second-hand racking supplier, as being stingy can cost you in the long run.
3. No Pallet Racking protection in place
It is common to see damage due to a lack of racking protection, misloading or from vehicles such as forklifts hitting the racking frames or shelves. So we strongly recommend adding protection by way of end wrap barriers, post protection and load signs to avoid misuse and overloading.
Pallet racking systems are a business asset, so just as you take out insurance on your property, it makes sense to put measures in place to protect your racking.
4. Not planning for future expansion
As the adage goes: fail to plan, and you plan to fail. So if you plan on growing your business, it’s well worth planning for the expansion of your racking system too. It is also often more cost and time-efficient to purchase extra racking to provide flexibility and to ensure all your racking is compatible with each other.
If you’re not sure how much racking you need, it’s a good idea to have a warehouse storage supplier complete a survey of your space to figure out your requirements.
5. Lack of proactive maintenance and repairs
A mistake that is often overlooked is the maintenance and repairs of pallet racking systems. Racking is subject to wear and tear such as collisions with vehicles and overloading, and if not looked after as the damage occurs, can result in irreparable damage or safety issues.
Don’t risk compromising the safety of your workers and your inventory by being ignorant. When you notice damage, make a concerted effort to repair it or get in touch with the supplier to assist in repairing it.
It is also stipulated under the Health & Safety at Work Act 1974 that racking must be maintained, with inspections required on an annual basis to make sure you satisfy the rules in place under the Act.
Make sure to keep the above in mind when purchasing and maintaining your pallet racking systems, and if you have any concerns, get in touch with an expert in warehouse storage.
Get your pallet racking system right with Global Industrial
We have experience in advising customers on the best solution for their pallet racking needs. So if you need some help to decide on what pallet racking is best for your business, we’re happy to help! Get in touch today to chat with our team, located in Perth, Melbourne, Brisbane and Sydney.
