Manufacturing and sales are perhaps the most thought of segments of the chain of business activities that must occur before a product reaches the customer, but storage is in reality a major part of the equation. Without the ability to store inventory in an organized and space-efficient manner, many industries would be seriously crippled. While there are a multitude of storage options, pallet racks being the most common, some items are too long, bulky, or heavy to be shipped on pallets or stored on racks designed to hold pallets. The best solution for the safe and efficient storage of these items is often a cantilever rack.
A cantilever rack consists of vertical supports with horizontal beams attached by means of grooves. The arms can be easily moved to accommodate different product height on different layers of goods. Sometimes braces are used to better support heavy loads or loads liable to sway. The size and strength of the racks will vary with the size, shape, and weight of the stored items, but racks from eight to twenty feet high are not uncommon, and the arms may easily reach out four feet or more. Light, medium, and heavy duty load capacities are generally distinguished. Forklifts will often do the loading and unloading, but by hand moving of the inventory supply is the norm in some applications. Mesh or chipboard shelf panels can be added on top of the extended arms to store shorter items. Miscellaneous items of varying weights and sizes can be stored together so long as the per arm and per tower recommended weight limits are not exceeded. Finally, a strong foot plate is of special concern for stabilization of a tower.
Warehouses, back-of-store retail storage rooms, lumber yards, plumbing supply stores, factories, pool supply shops, hardware stores and home improvement centers, auto parts stores, and building supply providers are some of the common businesses that will use cantilever racking systems. Lightweight racks with sloped arms to hold in the pipes are usually used by plumbing companies, with end stops optionally attached to the arm ends as well. However, according to Cantilever-Racks.com, lumberyards need a stronger rack for the storage of heavy planks and plywood. They said, “The total load capacity of a rack is measured per tower and per arm, double-sided racks having twice the weight carrying ability of single-sided racks. The metal used must be of the proper grade to handle the load, and safety inspectors visit businesses with cantilever racks to ensure they comply with local regulations.” Workers using these racks should be trained to store efficiently, safely, and legally.
Some special innovations in cantilever racks, that can make life easier for the workers are carriage-mounted racks and pull-out racks. One lumber company doubled its storage space by using rolling racks that allowed only the aisle in use at the time to be open to forklift access. Wood that in the past had been routinely damaged by frequent handling no longer met that fate since it did not have to be moved out of the way or left on the floor. This required the purchase of additional cantilever rack units, but avoided having to build a bigger or another warehouse. Pull-out racks allowed another company to easily access goods stored deep in the cantilever arm without a lot of trouble. This saved time and allowed the employees to expend their efforts on other pursuits.
Storage organization saves time, effort, and money. Investment in high quality cantilever racks appropriate for the type of materials to be stored on them, in terms of weight, size, and shape, is a wise investment for managers of businesses. The key with inventory is to have it on hand when you need it, but out of the way until then. Safe and efficient storage of goods, with accompanying detailed map of product locations will make any business with storage needs work better. Cantilever racks make a significant contribution to this organizational need of business operators.
