Friday, September 10, 2010

The Benefits Of Warehouse Shelving For Industrial Application

January 31, 2010 by Adriana Noton  
Filed under Home

Wholesalers and retailers have long considered metal shelving units as necessary equipment. Stock can be stored in safety, orders can be filled faster, and inventory can be counted more accurately. Manufacturers, however, sometimes overlook the benefits of warehouse shelving for industrial application.

In an industrial environment, there are often many different types of parts that must be kept easily accessible. Small items, such as screws and washers, are often a problem to store, as are large components like engines. Many times there is also a collection of specialized tools, seldom used but which still need to be conveniently located.

Production rates suffer if employees must waste time to search for tools or components. Physical inventories are slow and often erroneous. Yet warehouse shelving is often ignored in an industrial application. Pallets may be piled high with an assortment of parts. Tools may be in unlabelled cardboard boxes. When something is needed, it is necessary for the employee to sort through collections of miscellaneous and unrelated items to find it.

Metal shelving systems keep inventory safe, clean, and organized. The aisles are easier to keep clear, eliminating trip hazards. Employees are no longer subjected to bending over pallets to find an item or having to lift heavy items in an unsafe manner. The need to reorder parts becomes more obvious, preventing potential production down time due to lack of materials.

Whatever the storage needs may be, there are shelves to handle them. Manufacturers who use a lot of very small parts such as screws and pins can find types that will accommodate drawers to hold each individual size. There are also styles with slanted shelves and hooks, and some that can easily hold full pallets.

Industrial warehouse racking units are available in a wide range of shelf styles. Plain, flat metal shelves are the most common, but wire mesh is also available. They can also be found with rubber covered shelves to cushion items. Inserts such as bins and drawers are also available, as well as locking doors. Custom shelving units can be designed, but are seldom needed due to the wide range of accessories available.

Units may be completely open on the sides or partially enclosed. Heights can vary considerably, as can shelf widths. Mezzanine shelves rise high above the floor in large warehouses and utilize space that would normally be wasted. Mezzanines are accessed by stairs or connecting catwalks, or, occasionally, by lifts.

Warehouse shelving may actually outlast the warehouse. The metal shelves clean up quickly and are not prone to rust, resisting the effects of water and humidity. Eventually, heavy use might make a paint touch up desirable. However, metal shelves are extremely long lasting and durable.

Many companies have long seen the advantage of metal shelves for storing finished goods and boxes of records. It would be to the benefit of all manufacturers to examine the value of warehouse shelving for industrial application.

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