Safe and secure pallet storage
Pallet storage is a practical, space-saving and secure way to store bulky, heavy items, yet must comply with prescribed safety standards. Improper material handling on a pallet rack poses many dangers for employees or even the building in which it is installed.
Pallets with standardized dimensions store incoming goods that can be put directly into stock as they arrive. They can also be stored through block stacking, in which loads are stacked on top of one another for last-in / first-out inventory management. However, pallets are most often stored on similarly standardized pallet rack made up of a wire deck atop beams or crossbars locked into stabilizing uprights. Forklifts load and unload palletized materials. Racking can be several levels high, with forklift drive-in spaces along the floor in lieu of a bottom shelf. Pallet rack can be single-deep, which allows access to goods from an aisle on both sides or double-deep, which incorporates two single racks placed together.
The design and construction of pallet racking must guarantee safe and professional storage. While it is vital that pallet racking is able to support even the heaviest of loads, forklift operators must be careful not to push pallets through the racks, causing them to fall out on the other side and potentially cause an accident that injures workers or damages property.
Advantages of the Hänel Lean-Lift® as a pallet solution vs. conventional pallet storage
The Hänel Lean-Lift® resembles an enclosed high-bay solution which optimally utilizes the space available for vertical storage while also protecting inventory items from external influences, and is an automated solution for a pallet warehouse. Even extremely heavy items can be stored quite high in the Hänel Lean-Lift® thanks to its robust design and stable construction. The extractors, chains, containers and motors in Hänel Lean-Lift® pallet storage solutions are all designed to meet the highest demands. The compact storage density and efficiency of the Hänel Lean-Lift® result in space savings which reduce warehouse costs (floor space, heating, etc.). The Hänel Lean-Lift® can be deployed as a practical alternative to conventional pallet racking because it can be adjusted to meet the specific needs of any size enterprises in all branches of industry. The Hänel vertical lift delivers all of the benefits of automated pallet storage and ensures fast, safe and direct access to inventory items. Access to pallets is quite easy, even with a simple hand truck, because the innovative “goods to man” principle is high density pallet storage that essentially brings the shelving to the operator. Access points which are installed flush with the warehouse floor, and even the highest bay can be reached without a forklift.
The Hänel Lean-Lift® is equipped with a motor-overload control so that maximum pallet payload limits are not exceeded. A weighing device is also available as a retrofit option to prevent unnecessary strain on the storage system. These features constantly monitor the loads on every system container in the pallet storage solution – this also applies to material handling equipment. A detailed overview of the inventory loads can be displayed on the system control terminal. The Hänel Lean-Lift® pallet storage solution offers many interfaces that support flexible connectivity with various ERP systems and seamless integration in existing intralogistic environments.