17 Feb Designing Your FIFO Warehouse for Success
If you are looking to maximize your warehouse in order to fit in with the modern FIFO warehouse idea then the first thing you need to look at is warehouse design. Most people think that FIFO starts and stops with how they pick and store things in and off of the shelf. It is true that it is one way of dealing with FIFO on smaller scales, however, if you are a medium to large operation then this system will not work for you. The amounts used will, likely, be too big or heavy for an average human to handle.
We should not forget food also needs refrigeration or it goes spoiled as well. 2 hours is the magic number for a lot of products. If you have your warehouse set up so that things move smoothly and uninterrupted from the moment it arrives to refrigeration or from refrigeration to moving to its destination is a good thing. Spoiled products waste money. A good warehouse design makes sure that the transit times are minimized and things are held in the proper temperatures as needed.
“Most people think that FIFO starts and stops with how they pick and store things in and off of the shelf. It is true that it is one way of dealing with FIFO on smaller scales, however, if you are a medium to large operation then this system will not work for you. The amounts that used will, likely, be too big or heavy for an average human to handle.”
If you are in the medical industry then this is true as well. You want to move around your bio-related products, chemicals, or medicine around in a way that is efficient. You want to do this to help avoid spoilage or the loss of potency. The loss will happen due to temperature differences or the amount of time it was out of refrigeration. Do not forget to factor in the time it spends traveling before it is stored. Ideally, you will also consider the amount of time it travels to its final destination for use.
A good question to ask at this point is whether you should be using a selective rack or a pallet flow rack. Selective pallet racks are the most common type you will find. They are the most like any shelving system. They allow the user or users to place items on the shelves as they wish. Therefore, hence the name, “selective rack.” It most like the pallet rack or industrial storage you had in mind when you started to think about what you need in your warehouse. It is the most common type of pallet rack you will find but it might not be the best pallet rack for your situation.
“The product loads on the opposite side. The oldest product drops, safely, into the front position. The product becomes the next item picked when necessary. No electricity is necessary. It is all done with gravity.”
A pallet flow rack suits the needs of a business trying to follow the FIFO method. A pallet flow rack has a design that follows the first in-first out method of storage. The system allows a person or employee to pull the pallet or product. Subsequently, gravity brings out the next one. The product loads on the opposite side. The oldest product drops, safely, into the front position. The product becomes the next item picked when necessary. No electricity is necessary. It is all done with gravity. You may want to consider getting a pallet flow rack or gravity flow rack for your business. Those racks will help you if you are looking for a pallet rack that helps you maintain your FIFO system.
If you are looking for a pallet rack or a pallet flow rack then you can give us a call. As a result, if you want to order a pallet rack right now then click that link. You can order one online right now. You can get a warehouse CAD design to maximize your FIFO workflow. Find out more by clicking that link.
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