Safety is critical to the continuing function of your daily operations. Accidents can happen anywhere to anyone – a trainee, a worker who takes a wrong turn, or even an experienced operator having an off-day. Efforts to protect your racking systems not only helps to reduce damaged merchandise but it also helps ensure the safety of your valued employees.
Forklift accidents can result in pallet rack damage, costly repairs, downtime, damaged inventory, and injury to workers. Rack protection is essential to maintaining your inventory and key assets because they keep the structure safe at various impact points.
No matter the size of your storage facility, pallet rack protection will increase your productivity and eliminate damages due to narrow aisle for trucks, lifts, and individuals encountering sensitive rack uprights. These factors are important particularly when you consider the damage a forklift can cause. ABCO provides the most suitable protector or guard for your pallet rack to ensure safety and no damages.
ABCO welcomes the opportunity to visit you and assess any at-risk products. There are several ways to protect your racking. The rack aisle protector, rack post protectors, wire mesh rack guards, and floor angle guide. These all offer protection to the most vulnerable parts of your warehouse and business. They can be formatted into the size and shape to fit your protection needs. ABCO helps to protect your inventory, investment, and your valued employees.
Contact us here for all of your rack protection needs.
When considering a new warehouse or distribution facility one of the first things that need to be addressed is your pallet storage system.In this multi-part blog we will look at the different types of storage available to meet your needs and discuss the pros and cons of each.
Selective Storage Systems
The most commonly used and the most basic of all pallet rack systems is Selective Pallet Racking.Selective Pallet Racking is typically designed with single and double rows of racking, spaced with aisles from 9’ or larger, depending on the lift equipment that will be used.
When we begin designing for a standard Selective Storage System, our first step is to evaluate the number of pallet SKUs and quantities of each that are stored at any given time. We then determine the type of rack and the optimal aisle spacing to match your facility.This is driven by many factors however one of the most important things is to look at the facilities column spacing.Many years ago, the easiest design would be a system with 40’ column spacing, utilizing sit-down lift equipment.In this scenario you would know that 2 single rows and one double row of Pallet Rack would fit perfectly throughout the facility.As warehouses have been built taller, the use of sit down lift equipment in the pallet storage area has given way to the more nimble, compact and higher reaching stand up reach trucks. These new lifts allow our design team to optimize space using narrow aisle and Very Narrow Aisle (VNA) configurations. This will be discussed in a future article.
Selective Pallet Rack is a good system when you are dealing with a multitude of different pallet SKUs.This system allows full access to each pallet without double handling.The reason this system is not the end all be all of pallet storage is the amount of space it requires to store your pallets.If you require multiple locations for the same SKU then this system may not be the best fit for you.
A selective system is a very good solution for almost any type of storage and is usually very inexpensive when greater density is not required.However, as you need more space and continue to grow you may want to begin to think of the other options available to you.
Call today for more information at (201) 507-0999.
ABCO Systems is pleased to be presenting our Out of the Box Solutions product line.
Out of the Box Solutions is our entry level gateway to technology. In our incredibly fast changing world of distribution, we are at just the beginning. The truth is that retail distribution has evolved into e-commerce by only 10%. While that is a huge shift in any business model, it is clear that this is only the beginning.
If we are not beginning to evolve our own operations, we are quite literally going to be left behind. With the ever-increasing cost of real estate and the ever-rising cost of labor, the best way to stay competitive is to maximize our space and increase our productivity.
Of course, one incredible tool to do this is through Automation. The challenge of adding Automation clearly is that it is expensive.
That is where we come in…
ABCO Systems has been developing our Out of the Box Solutions product line. This line is designed to allow our customers the ability to take advantage of entry level Automated Solutions that are most commonly used in Distribution Centers around the country. And we have taken it one step further. We have put in all the time and effort already. We can (not-quite) literally take our solutions Out of the Box and implement them for you.
Because of this, this product line is less expensive, easier and quicker to install, and allows for a far faster ROI. It allows our customers to spend a relatively small sum, begin the process learning about Automated Solutions, and increase their accuracy and productivity all at once.
Or course, each install will be tailored to fit the very specific requirements of each customer. But the heavy lifting has already been done. These base Systems can be expanded to achieve even great efficiencies over time as you begin to reap the rewards of Automation.
Let’s take advantage of all that technology has to offer together. Call us today to start the process and check how our Out of the Box Solutions product line can help you. We will do a no cost analysis to determine which, if any, of this line works for you.
Below is our first offering in this product line. Look for some more emails in the next weeks for even more solutions.
It’s not just a product, it’s a service. It’s not just a commodity.
Certainly, if you are simply buying some uprights and beams, maybe even a few wire decks, then maybe racking is just a commodity.
However, in today’s world of expensive real estate, air tight leases and even more expensive labor, warehouse tenants are most times requiring so much more than just buying some materials.
The correctly optimized warehouse, over the lifespan of a lease, can save significant money both in real estate and labor.
But there is so much more to it than that. There is an incredible amount that goes into even the simplest pallet racking system. What might appear to be easy actually requires a lot of detail.
The existing floor, sprinkler system and even the amount of ingress doors the building has can affect what type of racking you can have, how tall it can be, and how you can install it. The proper column sizing, aisle spacing and footplates can also have a great effect on your racking system. The weight of your product, how flammable it is, and even how you package it, can severely limit your options.
The permit process, in and of itself, is a beast all to its own. It can take up to two weeks (or sometimes significantly longer) to gather all of the necessary information for the permit package. It is required that we submit a PE signed letter validating that your sprinkler system can adequately protect your product based on its commodity class and how it is stored. Or worse yet, it is very possible that your sprinkler system might even need to be upgraded in some older buildings. We also need a PE signed set of plans that show the racking, the egress/emergency lighting layout, and the racking calculations showing that the rack can support the weight of the product being stored.
For all of these reasons, and many more besides, it is important that you do not see pallet racking as not just a commodity. If you have a deadline to hit, or you need to optimize your space, or if you need to keep your overall costs down by most effectively utilizing your space, finding the right partner to deal with is integral to a successful long-term operation.
If you don’t already ready have a relationship with a racking company, start looking for one now. Even if you are not planning on any kind of work for years. If you think that you might need it in the future, developing the relationship now will save time and money later.
Then, once you know you are going to move or make any alterations, start engaging your racking company early in the process. If you pick the right one, they will actually assist in your search for a new building. The right racking company can help evaluate the building, desired layout, the sprinkler system, the electrical requirements and much more. And the right company will do all of this simply because they want to earn your racking business.
The individual pallet rack pieces themselves might be a commodity. But the value of the service that goes into it, most definitely is not. At the end of the day, the amount of money you will save by working with the right company, and creating the right solution for you, will be all the peace of mind that you need to perform at your best.
Choose ABCO Systems as your racking partner and we will do our best to help you design your space to its fullest potential. Our design and engineering team are ready to help optimize and layout your building with not only your business needs, but with safety and efficiency in mind as well.
Give ABCO a call at (201) 507-0999 or send us an email for more information.
Reactive Maintenance focuses on fixing equipment and bringing it back to its operating condition after it’s already broken. Emergency repairs such as this, cost 3-9 times more than planned repairs. This kind of approach is significantly more expensive because of unexpected shutdowns during production instead of pre-planned maintenance shut downs. Rush shipping for emergency parts cost much more than regular shipping and staff is often forced to work overtime to repair machinery.
Planned Maintenance
Planned maintenance reduces stoppage and the additional costs of emergency repairs. A scheduled plan gives you the opportunity to improve your operations and continue to operate at full speed.
Some Disadvantages of Reactive Maintenance
Shorter life expectancy of equipment – Reactive maintenance does not keep your equipment running in optimal condition. Over time, systems that have not been properly maintained wear and break faster and don’t maximize their initial investment.
Safety issues – When work is scheduled, technicians have time to review the procedures and safety requirements to complete the job correctly. Technicians tend to take more risks when maintenance work is reactive because they are under pressure to get equipment running without further time delays.
Time-consuming – Reactive repairs tend to take longer. Factors like time to diagnose, travel time, time to pull parts from stores or emergency order, and time to pull correct manuals and schematics, all impact how long it takes you to get back up and running.
Sporadic equipment downtime – Planned maintenance can be scheduled while unplanned repairs can happen anytime.
Interferes with planned work – Emergency repairs are usually prioritized at the expense of day to day work. Planned work may have to be delayed or cancelled entirely.
Collateral damage – A minor issue could quickly turn into a major repair without proper maintenance.
Indirect costs – Unplanned downtime can lead to schedule problems if equipment cannot be returned to production in time. This can damage your reputation with clients and cause revenue issues.
Repeat issues – Emergency repairs do the bare minimum to get the equipment up and running. This can lead to future issues and eventually cause more downtime.
Higher energy costs – When equipment is not properly maintained, it uses more energy. Doing simple things like greasing moving parts or changing filters can reduce energy consumption by up to 15%.
At ABCO Systems, we offer our clients a full maintenance plan that is designed to address any potential problems that could pop up at any time. When you sign up for this plan, you can expect the following:
Regularly-scheduled maintenance
On-site visits to inspect machinery
Real, low-cost resolutions for discovered issues in the system
Our qualified inspectors and technicians make it their responsibility to find failure points that could lead to future problems. A maintenance plan with our company is one of the best preventative steps that you can take.
Contact Us Today
If you’re ready to commit to keeping your systems up to par, contact ABCO Systems for the next step. We can be reached at 201-507-0999, or you can also fill out our online contact form.
