Are you working in any warehouse? If you are working in any modern warehouse then you must be aware of the following 2 types of stacking that are generally used in the warehouse these days.
They are:
- Floor stacking
- Block stacking
Let us try to understand each of them. You must also be familiar with palettenwender (English Meaning pallet turner) which is also another item very frequently used in warehouses and also many other industries.
What is floor stacking?
This is also known as “single stacking,” a kind of floor stacking where pallets are going to be placed on the floor directly, side-by-side, and without stacking them one above the other.
Let us discuss the pros and cons of floor stacking.
Pros:
- Inexpensive
Floor stacking may not need any kind of equipment or infrastructure set up. Here, only pallets or loads are just placed on the floor instead.
- Storage layout can easily be adjusted
If you ever like to change your way of storing goods, then all that you have to do is simply need paint or use certain tape lines on the floor and/or also hang signage.
- Potentially high storage density
Depending upon how much space is available to you, you can create as many deep rows of storage as you want.
Cons:
- Relatively poor use of space available in a warehouse
Since most of the goods will be stacked on the floor only hence this arrangement calls for a larger amount of floor space. There may not be a scope for using vertical space and hence may cause excessive honeycombing and also accessibility waste.
- Limits visibility and accessing the products
Your products can easily get buried under the crowd of items especially if there are mixed SKUs (Stock Keeping Unit).
- More risk of damage to goods
Since there is nothing in between your pallets to protect the item, hence frequently moving loads may damage surrounding products.
- Limited to certain floor designs
On asphalt or concrete floors only, such stacking is suitable since these floor types will be more solid to support multiple stack pallets. On the other hand, gravel or dirt floors can be too uneven and unstable.
What is block stacking?
In this stacking, pallets are stacked one on top of the other and tightly side-by-side.
Pros:
- Better use of vertical space
It is more efficient than floor stacking and can reduce storage costs.
- Cheaper than pallet racking
Without capital expenditures on racking blocks, stacking can be done to improve your storage space.
Cons:
- Less accessibility
Not suitable for FIFO (First-In, First-Out) management as removing bottom pallets will need removing the top pallets, and result in time wastage.
- Risks of injury and also product damage
Consistently stacking loads can increase the risk of falling over., since loads are not supported and separated by a pallet racking structure.
- Not suitable for fragile loads
The loads below must be capable of taking the weight of those kept on top.
Both these stacking is suitable for the LIFO (Last-In First-Out) inventory management system.
