Although the pandemic has had a negative impact on many industries, the beverage industry was not one of them. Fueled in large part by the shut-downs that kept people at home, the food and beverage industry saw a sales increase of 12% in 2020, according McKinsey & Company research. As a result, you may be thinking of expanding your beverage storage warehouse space.
If you are in the beverage storage business, your products have a variety of unique needs. First, beverage containers come in a wide range of materials, weights, and sizes. You also need to consider climate control and accessibility to your products.
You need flexible storage solutions that allow you to store as much as you can in the warehouse space you have, increase productivity, highlight safety, and reduce labor costs. Speedrack West offers solutions for all busy beverage distribution centers.
Special Considerations for Beverage Storage
The two main considerations for storing beverages are their freshness dates and their weight. With the right storage system, you can easily address both concerns.
First, since most beverages are stamped with a “use by” or “best by” date, you’ll want to use a system that allows for FIFO (First In, First Out) storage that is designed for perishable products.
Secondly, a beverage distribution center needs storage that can accommodate the weight of a large quantity of beverages without fear of buckling or collapsing under the load. In addition, the storage system must allow workers easy and efficient access to the products.
Considerations for storing beverages in a warehouse:
- Reduce handling of beverages to a minimum.
- Provide easy access to the product.
- Have the highest possible rotation ratio.
- Offer maximum flexibility in product positioning.
- Control the number of products stored.
- Maintain the proper environment for the products.
- Create a safe and sanitary environment.
- Allow enough space for forklifts to navigate.
Benefits of Good Organization and Storage
If you are running out of storage space in your beverage warehouse, you may be considering a move to a new space or adding on to your existing structure.
Before you take on the expense and inconvenience of a move or construction project, you need to answer the following question: Are you taking full advantage of the warehouse space you currently have?
By planning and choosing the right pallet rack system, you can increase productivity and safety while decreasing product damage/loss and warehouse performance errors.
Easy-to-locate and easy-to-pick products help reduce labor costs. In addition, you can provide a safer and cleaner workspace with a customized storage system.
Beverage Storage Solutions
Let’s examine storage systems that work well for beverage storage.
Pallet Flow Rack
A pallet flow rack uses gravity to put older products in front of the rack automatically. When a product is removed, the one behind it will take its place.
Ideally, these systems are open on both sides so that you can remove products out at one end and load new products in at the other end.
Push Back Rack
Another racking option for beverage storage is the push back rack. With this system, pallets automatically roll to the front of the bay when older pallets are removed.
Push back rack systems typically support two to five pallets per lane.
Pallet Rack Shuttle
This semi-automated storage and retrieval system allows for a maximum use of warehouse space. Operated by battery-powered remote control, the low-profile shuttle car loads or unloads pallets into a lane. This makes organizing, retrieving, and placing your materials easier and safer than ever. The Pallet Rack Shuttle is an excellent investment for any efficient beverage storage warehouse.
Standard Pallet Rack
You can create a pallet racking setup that works best for your operation. Here are the necessary elements to build your system:
- Teardrop Style Upright Frames (in 8′, 10′, 12′, and 16′ heights)
- Standard Step Beams (in 96″, 108″, 120″, and 144″ lengths)
- Wire Mesh Decking
- Safety Products
Beer Keg Flow Rack
These systems use gravity in the same way as pallet flow racks (as mentioned above) but are designed to accommodate large, heavy kegs.
Puncheon Barrel Racks
Speedrack West can also custom-design a sturdy and efficient racking system for whatever size packaging or container you need to store.
Mezzanines
You can create additional storage space without the hassle of increasing your physical footprint by adding a mezzanine to your warehouse.
We can work with you to design a free-standing structure to store additional products—or even to serve as extra office space.
Talk With a Beverage Storage Expert
The storage experts at Speedrack West will work with you to design the right storage system for your warehouse. We’ll take the time to learn about your business in order to create an efficient and productive system.
As labor shortages continue to plague warehouse managers, we will help keep you up-to-date on automated material handling solutions.
Our business is helping your business succeed. Give us a call today for a free consultation.
