You may remember that back in April I wrote about how to identify when to sell drive-in or drive-through rack systems. Today, I’ll explain how to spot an opportunity to sell double-deep systems.

Identifying Double-Deep Opportunities

Double-deep pallet rack can increase pallet locations by up to 50% by eliminating every second aisle. Similar to selective racks, double deep is available in a variety of heights, depths, bay lengths, and capacities and can be combined with rows of single-deep pallet racks.

Advantages:

  • Improved storage density. Up to a 50% improvement over a single deep selective rack.
  • Does not require special pallet sizes.
  • Available in heights and depths to match most needs.
  • It retains most of the properties of the selective rack, allowing for decking and other accessories.
  • Is less expensive than other high-density storage (push-back, drive-in, or pallet flow)

Limitations:

  • Reduced pallet selection. Double-deep is limited to Last-in, First-out (LIFO) for each pair of pallet positions
  • Requires a specialized lift truck to reach the deep pallets. Because of the outriggers on these trucks, floor storage requires either wider bays or a beam level to accommodate the outriggers.
  • Loads cannot be moved in pairs when removed from the rack
  • Poor visibility of loads in rear position
  • Lower productivity when reaching for rear pallet

Comparison

In the drawings below of 3 high systems, adding even a single row of double deep results in almost 20% more pallet positions.

Finding the Opportunity

Based on the above advantages and limitations, Double-Deep systems are ideal for situations where:

  • Space is at a premium. The customer is looking to store more in the same area but cost is a major consideration.
  • Speed isn’t required. Because loading and unloading double-deep is less efficient than single deep, it’s not ideal for fast-moving SKUs.
  • Stock rotation is not a priority. While this applies to drive-in more than double-deep, rotation is reduced compared to selective rack, so product slotting and good housekeeping are needed.

I hope this brief guide is useful to you for future projects but if you need additional help, feel free to reach out. I’ll be happy to assist in designing a double-deep system and can even provide an AutoCAD drawing for your use. Of course, I can also provide the materials you need for the system itself.

If you have an immediate application, remember that we have a supply of used double-deep rack available at the Used Rack Warehouse Website.