Pallet Flow Rack Offers Smooth Intake for Extra-Long, Over-Sized Items

Building materials, construction, and home improvement products –all known for their extra-long, oversized, and awkward stature – have long been a warehouse management and storage nightmare. Lumber, molding, vinyl siding, floor-to-ceiling tiles, and garage doors just aren’t suitable for traditional storage mediums and are typically left for bulk stacking or, in some cases, cantilever racks –neither provides an ideal solution.

Why Bulk Stacking Won’t Work– Bulk or block stacking demands a tremendous amount of floor space with less than efficient inventory management, specifically for building and construction materials. Not only are these products over-sized, but they’re typically very heavy and can only be stacked 2-3 high to prevent package and product damage – wasting potential vertical space.

Bulk stacking, specifically with a large number of SKUs, also leads to the honeycombing effect – the loss of storage capacity due to under-utilization; the same SKU must be stored in the full lane with last-in/first-out (LIFO) inventory rotation. As lanes empty, they cannot be re-stocked until the full aisle is picked, leaving several empty pallets or product slots in the case of longer or bulkier loads. This an expensive proposition.

Cantilever – Better for Selectivity, But Limited Density– You may also see some cantilever rack in traditional building material warehouses.  Cantilever delivers better storage organization than bulk stacking by lifting products off the floor and providing selectivity with unique SKUs stored per shelf level. But, cantilever lacks the density needed for high-volume SKUs and requires additional space for aisles, one per row for forklift access.

We Have a MUCH Better Way– Mallard’s split roller pallet flow for extra wide loads is designed specifically for difficult-to-manage, long, and bulky loads.  It is customized for your product to provide multi-unit, dense storage with first-in/first-out (FIFO) inventory rotation. Space requirements are reduced by eliminating aisles while ensuring proper lot rotation and inventory control. Take a look at our split roller pallet flow in action.

Pallet Flow Rack at Work –

• Split roller pallet flow lanes are mounted on pallet supports manufactured at custom heights which are determined by your product and flow requirements.  The number and spacing of the flow rails is dependent on the dimensions and weight of the product load.
• We use forklift-triggered pallet separators to stage the rear loads at a  comfortable distance behind the front position during extraction.  As the front load is lifted, the separator is triggered to release the next load.
• Speed controllers are used to manage the desired rate of speed, which protects against product damage and hang-ups.

Mallard’s engineering team can test your extra-long or bulky loads in our testing lab.  Let us know about your application, and we’ll help create a custom solution that both saves space and increases warehouse productivity.