Shelving technology: Which type of shelving for a specific application?
Goods and commodities sometimes differ greatly from one another, not only in terms of their dimensions and shape, but also in terms of their use. A product that is intended for delivery to the end customer must be handled differently in terms of storage technology than spare parts for industrial production, for example. Depending on this, various shelving techniques and types of shelving are available with which a warehouse can be set up or structured.
Metal is generally used as the material for bearings in the industrial sector in order to combine stability and durability with stability. Pallet racks are used most frequently.
We present selected shelving techniques below.
- Pallet racking: Designed for storage with Euro pallets, horizontal on suspended beams (= no separate shelf required) and suitable for storage and retrieval directly on the pallet. Both manual (storage and retrieval machine, etc.) and automatic operation (pallet conveyor technology) are possible. Ideal thanks to excellent space utilization, high capacities on a small footprint and good scalability to the company's requirements.
- Cantilever racking: Cantilever racking can be filled manually or automatically and is based on centrally mounted rack uprights and horizontally clamped beams that serve to support the load. This shelving technology is particularly suitable for long goods, i.e. pipes, boards etc.. They are used in workshops or production facilities.
- Long-span racking: When it comes to storing large-volume goods, long-span racking is often used as storage technology. They are similar to pallet racking, but have separate shelves for direct storage of goods. Due to their low load capacity, they are only suitable for light load carriers.
- Shelving racks: With this storage technology, stored goods are stored on shelves, often in small quantities or order picking warehouses. Items can be stored loose, using cardboard boxes or so-called load carriers (KLT). No technical aids are required to operate a shelving system as long as the shelving height is limited to two to three meters. Particularly suitable for goods of different sizes and dimensions.
In addition to these exemplary storage types or storage technologies, there are other variants that represent a combination of these or are designed for special goods.
