DesigningOptimization:CreativeSolutionsinPalletStorageRack

ByPatrickThibault

Theopportunityofimprovedspaceutilization

Nowhereintodaysmoderndistributioncentersistheconceptofspaceutilization
improvementgivenamorefertilefield,thanintheoldestandlargestconsumer
ofwarehousespace;palletloadstorage.

Thefootprintdevotedtosuchstorageincludesboththephysicalareathathouses
thepalletizedinventoryandallaccess/perimeteraisles.Thecombinationcan
typicallyreach50%to80%ofthewarehousestotalavailablefloorspace.Inthe
facilitieswherepalletstoragerackingisinstalledastheprimarymeansofstorage,
theopportunitiestouseavailablespacemoreeffectivelyexpandssignificantly
intotherealmoftruecubespaceutilizationofabuildinglength,widthand
height!

Thefirststepindesigninganeffectiveandsuperiorpalletstoragesystemisto
optimallycombinethecritical(butoftenopposing)functionsofstoragedensity
andproductselectivity.Thefactorstobeconsideredforabalancedstorage
systeminclude:thetotalnumberofSKUswhicharepalletized,thenumber
whichhavethresholdinventoryquantitiesofmorethanonepalletloadandupto
ormorethan20palletloads,rotationofstock(F.I.F.O.)requirements,andthe
methodsbywhichproductselectionandreplenishmentwilloccur.Highdensity
storageenhancesspaceutilization,butminimizesindividualSKUpalletload
access.Directfaceaccess(selectivity)toallindividualpalletstypicallyrequires
moreaislefloorspacethanhighdensitystoragearrays.

Theimportanceofforkliftstoracksystemdesign

Formanyoperations,acombinationofhighlydensepalletstorage(floorbulk,
drivein&palletflowracks)andsingledeepselectiverack,providesthebest
solutionforaccommodatinglargeanddiverseSKUbasesthathaveawiderange
ofinstockpalletloadsperSKU.Forotheroperations,thestoragesystems
designisdrivenbyspacefactors;suchasusingthemaximumavailablestorage
heightofthebuilding,combinedwiththeleastamountofaislesquarefootage.
Thisalternativerequiresspecializedforkliftsthatextendhigherandrequire
smalleraislewidthsthanconventionalforklifts.Inthisapplicationitisalso
commontouselessfloorbulkstorageduetotheheightlimitationsof
conventionalcounterbalancedforkliftsortheneedforindividualpalletload
access(selectivity),regardlessofanyindividualSKUspalletcount.

Thetypicalracklayoutwillfallintooneofthesethreeconfigurations:Standard
Aisle(10+wide),NarrowAisle(89wide)andVeryNarrowAisle(VNA7orless).
Theseaislewidthclassificationsaremoreaboutthetype,featuresand
capabilitiesoftheforkliftsusedtoaccesspalletlocations.StandardAislerack
layoutstypicallyutilizerightanglestacking,counterbalancedforklifts,suchas3
or4wheelsitdownforkliftsand3wheelstanduptrucks.NarrowAisleforklifts
arealsorightanglestackingforklifts,butusefrontendoutriggersforstability,
whichmakestheoverallcombinedlengthofforkliftandpalletloadlessthanfor
thestandardaisleforklifts.TheVNAracklayoutemploysswing(orpivoting)
forkliftmasttechnology,whichnegateshavingtoturntheentireforkliftataright
angletotherackduringpalletputaway&retrieval.

Palletloadforkliftscanbeeithermanup(wheretheoperatorcompartment
elevateswiththepalletforkassembly)ormandown(operatoratgroundlevel).
TheseVNAtrucksalsomaybeequippedwithguidancesystemsthatusesafloor
embeddedwiresystemwhichallowsforincreasedtravelspeeds,reduced
steeringdemandsandenhancedsafety.Inwarehouseforklifttechnology,a
decreaseinaislesizeisaccompaniedbyanincreaseinforkliftinvestment.The
addedadvantageingoingnarrowistoalsogohigher;thecombinedresult
yieldingasignificantincreaseinspaceutilization(smallerstoragefootprintor
addedstorageinasimilarsizefootprint,ascomparedtowideraisleapplications).

Currentchallenges&challengingoldconventions

Thechallengeofprovidingthebestavailableracklayoutsolutionistomaximize
thenumberofusablestoragelocationsgiventheparametersofpalletload
dimensions,requiredminimumforkliftaislewidthsfortheparticular
forklift/palletload,roofsupportcolumnlocations,heightrestrictions(buildingor
forklift),physicalobstructions(buildingstabilitybracing,overheadlighting/piping,
floorgrating/accessplates,etc.),building/firecoderegulations,andcost.

Ifthebuildingforwhichthestoragesystemistobedesignedhasnotyetbeen
selectedorbuilt,theracklayoutmayimpacttheselectionordesignofafuture
facility,sincecertainroofsupportcolumnplacementscancompromiseeventhe
mostcreativepalletracklayoutdesign.However,thisismoretheexceptionthan
therule,andusuallythetaskistofindthebestavailablelayoutforthecurrent
conditionparameters.Indeed,severalalternativelayoutsmayberequiredin
ordertoascertaintheoptimalcostbenefitratioofthevariousforklift/storage
locationcombinations.

Thekeyfactorindesigningracklayoutsisinknowingthatpalletloaddimensions,
alongwithforkliftaislerequirements,areoftenfarmoreimportant
considerationsthantheroofsupportcolumnlocations.Conventionalwisdomhas
longsoughttofirstisolatethesekeybuildingstructuresbylocatingtheminthe
fluspacebetweentwoconnectedrowsofracksandthenadjustaislewidths,and
intermediatepalletrackrows,accordingly.Theintentsuggeststoprotectthe
columnswiththerackandtonotblockanyusablepalletstoragelocations.

Unfortunately,thismethodcanbethegreatestdeterrenttoincreasedspace
utilizationinracksystemdesign!Thefirstproblemisthatitdisregardsthebest
practicetoalwaysmaintainminimal,uniformaislewidthsthroughoutthe
warehouse.Thebenefitsofdoingsoare:betterspaceefficiency,improvedforklift
operatorproductivityanddecreasedrackdamage(asoperatorslearntoperform
consistent,repetitiveforkliftmaneuversinaislesofstandardwidths).Atissue,is
thatthismethodsupportsapopularmythinrackdesignthattopurposely
obstructpalletstoragelocationsisabadthing.Contrarily,bymaintaining
minimumaislewidthsandforgoingoldconventionsaboutlocatingroofsupport
columnslocatedonlyinconnectedrackrowfluspaces,itispossibletoexact
additionalrowsofrackfromtheavailablewarehousespace,providinganetgain
inpalletlocationsthatcanbemanytimesmorethanthenumberofthosepallet
locationsthatwereobstructedinthemorecreativedesignalternative.

Racklayoutdesign,eveninthelargestofbigboxwarehouses,istrulyagameof
inches.Whileitremainsimportanttonotexposeroofsupportcolumnstothe
potentialforforkliftimpactdamage,manycreativeracksystemdesignsuse
buildingcolumnlinesasborders.Thedetaileddesignworkmustconsiderany
interferencewithrackandcolumns,buttheprimarygoalremainstooptimize
storagelocationswithouthavingroofsupportcolumnsinforkliftaislesthat
maintainstandard(minimal)widths.Thatdone,theonlyvariablethatremains,is
thepalletrackitself.

Findingtheoptimalracklayout;acreativeprocess

Whileitistruethatmanyracksystemlayoutswillfollowtheroofsupportcolumn
patterninapreciseandworkablemanner,itisalsotruethatmanytimesthe
applicationdemandsareseeminglyincompatiblewiththebuildingspecs.Inthese
situations,anexperiencedprofessionalneedstoapplyappropriatedesign
methods,inanefforttodeviseareasonablesolution.

Theprocessbeginsbyverifyingallpertinentdetailsofthebuilding,palletloads,
potentialforkliftsandexpecteduseofanybulkstorage.Thefocushereisnot
isolatedspecificationsalone,butanyranges,deviationsorrevisionsthatshould
alsobeincorporated.Agoodexampleisthatofforkliftaisles.Althoughtheyare
tobeuniforminwidth,theytypicallyaremadefixedwithinarangeof+5%to
7%oftheirprescribednorm.Batteryboxsizesandattachments,aswellas
front/rearpalletloadoverhang,canimpacttheaislewidthrequirement.The
nextstepintheprocessistoapplyapreferredpatternofrack/aislestoasmall
sectionofthewarehouse(2columnbays,atminimum,startingoneormore
buildingbaysfromaparallelrunningwall).Theinformationgatheredhereis
crucial.Ifthistestfails,inthatoneofthe3columnlinesisexposed(endingupin
anaisle),thenthesametestshouldbererunusingdifferentstartingpositions(at
least4fromtheoriginaltestsstartpoint).Resultsfromthistestwilldetermineif
moreadvancedmethodsarerequired.

Theadvancedmethodsthatfollow,necessarytofindtheoptimalracklayout
solution,includevariouswaysofmodifyingthewidthfootprintofdesignatedrack
segmentswithintheoverallpalletracklayout.Often,itbecomesnecessaryto
addsmallamountsofexpandeddepthrackinorderforarackdesigntoworkas
intended.Thiscanbeasinsignificantaschangingtherowspacerconnector
lengthbetweentwobacktobackrowsofsingledeepselectiverack,oras
importantassubstitutingadeeperstoragerack,likedeepreachselectiverack
orpushbackrack.Themostpopularrackwidthmodifieristoreduceabackto
backrowofracktoasinglerow.Ontherareoccasion,considerationforrotating
theentireracksystem90degreesmayberequired.Thereisnodenyingthata
certainamountofcreativitygoesintothesearchforanoptimaldesign,butitisa
creativitybornfromexperience.

Theaccomplishmentoftheultimategoalisoftenbasedondetermining
repeatablepatternswithintheoverallracklayoutandmirroringthosepatterns
fromoneormorefocalpointswithinthebuilding.(Thisislikenedtoabutterflyor
inkblotpatternascreatedwhenapartialrackdesignisfoldedoutfroma
centerfocallocation).Thedesignskillhereisindeterminingthelocationsand
frequencyofthepatterncentersthroughoutagivenbuilding.Ofcourse,itis
importanttoprovidecostjustifications,intermsofabenefitanalysis,forany
proposedsolution.

Bywayofexample,theattacheddepictsaracksystemsolutionthatincludes
strategicallyplaced2deeppushbackrackconnected(backtoback)witha
singledeepselectiverack.A2deepselectiverackcouldhavealsoworkedinlieu
ofthepushbackrack.However,2deepselectiverackalsorequiresthatadeep
reachforkliftbepartofthefleet.Whilethepushbacksolutionismorecostly
fortherackpurchase,ithastheaddedbenefitsof:1)notrequiringthatoneor
moreforkliftshaveaspecialdeepreachfeature;2)itisusableinaVNA
application(wherethefirstalternativewouldnot);and3)thepushbackrackis
selfreplenishingoncethefrontlocationisdepleted,therebypromotingmore
efficientpicking.Keepinmindthatthisparticularuseofadeeperstorageis
intendedtobesporadic,butatthesametimeisjustifiedinitsnominaluseby
ParetosPrincipalofdistribution(alsocalledthe80/20rule).Whenappliedhere,
itsuggeststhatmostinventorieshavewithinthemmultiplepalletSKUs;in
sufficientnumbers(20%),toallowformodestamountsrackhaving2deep
storagelocations.

Otherfactorsofthedesign

Thedetailsofaneffectiverackdesignalsoextendtotheverticaldimension.
Beamlevelpositioningshouldaccountformorethanjustpalletloadheightsand
anindustrystandardliftoffspace(4).Often,additionalliftoffspaceis
required,asinreachforkliftapplicationswherethenitsoutriggerinside
dimensionisnarrowerthanthewidthofthepalletload;thusrequiringthe
operatortoperformanupandoverpalletmaneuver,toclearthe51/2tall
outriggerheight,whenplacingorextractingagroundlevelpalletload.Also,at
beamlevelsabove20itisusuallynecessarytoincreasetheliftoffspacefor
anyforkliftapplicationduetothetiltingtheload,mastdeflectionandreduced
visualacuityoftheoperatoratsuchverticaldistancesbetweenhim/herandthe
higherlevelpalletlocations.

Additionalconsiderationsinpalletstorageracksystemdesignincludeseveral
itemsrelatedtobuildingandfirecodes(seismicstability,floorslabstrength,
longitudinal&transversefluspaces,maximumstorageheights,egresspathcode
compliance,inrackandoverheadfiresprinklerprotection).Inaddition,pallet
storageracksystemsmustalsoconsiderlighting,rackloadcapacity&directional
signage,storagelocationlabeling/barcodeidentification,forkliftimpact
protectiondevices,infloorwire/railguidancesystemsandahostofaccessory
featuresoftherackitself.Furthermore,itmustbecodecompliantandprovide
protectionfromimpactdamagethatmightotherwiserenderthesystem
structurallynoncompliant.Finally,itshouldpromotebothoperatoreffectiveness
andpersonalsafety.

InthecurrentLEANthinkingbusinessenvironment,wherepurpose,processand
peoplearethebuildingblockswhichtransformidealsfrommaximizationto
optimization,theapproachofcreatingacustomized,bestsolutionpalletload
storagesystemsforeachclientiswellsuitedtothatLEANagendaThiscanbe
especiallyeffectivewhenplanningrelocationsorexpansionstonewfacilities,
whererackingexpertisecanmakeallthedifferenceindeterminingthestorage
systemapplicationwhichbringsthebestsolutionfortheclientsoperational
challenges.

Note:Theattachedexhibitdepictsarealworldapplicationdrawingofapallet
racksystemthatuses11ftwideaisleswithroofsupportcolumnson50ftcenters.
Thesecolumnsarelocatedneartheaislesidefaceoftherack,causingalossof
palletpositionsthatisequivalentto26fullbaysofrack.Theamountofadditional
rackthatwasmadebythisdesignis162bays,oranincreaseof136bays.

Thesixrowsof2deeppushbackrackrepresents9%ofallbaysand16%ofall
storedpallets,includingfloorbulk.(Thisanalysisdoesnotconsiderthe
conventionalracklayoutwhichwouldhaveshownalltheroofsupport
columnsinthefluspaceof2connectedrowsofrack,resultingin17wideaisles
andconsiderablyfewerrowsofrack,onlytheadditionsofthe2deeppushback
rack).

PatrickJ.ThibaultisGeneralManager,ChinoDivisionforWynrightCorporationsEngineering
andIntegrationGroup.Pathasnearlytwodozenyearsinsalesandmanagement,andhas
focusedonthematerialhandlingindustry.HeholdsaB.S.degreeinbusinessadministration
andspecializesindesign,salesandimplementationofracksystems.

 DESIGN PROCESS CHECKLIST

I. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS

A. Pallet Loads
1. Pallet Load Size (including any product overhang)
2. Pallet Load Weight (minimum, maximum and average)
3. Pallet Loads per SKU (<1, 1, 2-5, 6-19 and 20+)

B. Building
1. Roof Support Column Patterns
2. Overhead Fire Sprinkler Protection System (type, ht. of sprinkler heads)
3. Maximum available Top of Storage Height (based upon ceiling structure
clearances, fire protection system type/rating and commodity hazard
classification)
4. Concrete Slab/Sub-Soil Data*
5. Seismic (near-source factor)*

C. Forklift
1. Existing Fleet (truck types, lift capacities, lift heights, right-angle turn distances)*
2. Potential Fleet (cost implications to augmenting or replacing the existing fleet)
3. Guidance Systems

II. DESIGN WORK

A. Prepare one or more rack layout designs for each potential forklift aisle type
(Standard Width, Narrow Aisle and Very Narrow Aisle)
Using the Following Standards:
1. Use minimum standard aisle widths, based upon forklift type and pallet load depth
2. Maintain placement of rack adjacent to roof-support columns such that there is no
encroachment of said columns into the aisles (leading edges of rack with
overhang and roof-support columns, being identical, is acceptable).
3. Determine longest repeatable pattern of standard rack configuration/minimum
aisle and if that pattern can be doubled by reflection at designated focal point.
4. Test this pattern at multiple focal points within the building.
5. Adjust rack depths (various methods) to enhance opportunities to capture the
roof-support columns.
6. Use Paretos Principle of Distribution (80/20 Rule), along with pallet load quantity
data, to support strategic placement of expanded rack depth to multiple pallets
per location.

B. Fine Tune Layout

1. Vertical slot size adjustments for forklift and picking/putaway variables.
2. Cost-benefit analysis based upon storage locations, throughput capacities and
alternative storage method costs.
3. Building and fire code-compliance analysis.

* These data items may affect overall feasibility of pallet storage system.