You may remember that back in April I wrote about how to identify when to sell drive-in or drive-through rack systems. If you missed it, you can find it farther down on the blog. That post proved so popular that I’ll be writing about other storage solutions today and in the future.
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 rack, double deep is available in a variety of heights, depths, bay lengths and capacities and can be combined with rows of single-deep pallet rack.
Advantages:
- Improved storage density. Up to an 50% improvement over 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 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 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.
