Warehouse shelving is considered a necessity for wholesalers or retailers, who routinely use heavy duty metal shelves to store stock safely. Often, however, the value of a good shelving system is overlooked when it comes to industrial application.
Manufacturing environments usually have even more types of items they must keep on hand. Component parts may be as small as a half inch washer or as large as a motor. In addition, there is normally a large collection of tools, many of them specialized, which are rarely used and therefore not incorporated with the workbench.
Easy access to parts and tools speeds up production and eliminates wasted time. In addition, inventory is expedited and damages are reduced. Yet all too often, warehouse shelving is ignored in an industrial application. Parts and tools are piled on pallets or even the floor. Cardboard boxes, often unlabelled, are filled with miscellaneous parts that must be sorted through to find what is needed.
A good shelving system can solve these problems. Metal shelves support inventory in a clean, organized way. Employee safety is increased, as there is less bending and stooping and far fewer trip hazards. Parts that need to be reordered are more quickly identified, resulting in fewer work stoppages due to out of stock components. And items are not as likely to be broken or damaged.
Shelves can be found in a wide range of styles to accommodate any type of environment. Perhaps a company needs to store dozens of sizes of screws, bolts, and washers. There are shelving units that can hold bins to store each type separately. Or maybe a manufacturer uses various sizes of metal rods. A shelving unit with tilted hooks is tailor made for the task. There are even shelves that can handle entire pallets of material with ease.
Industrial warehouse racking units are available in a wide range of shelf styles. Plain, flat metal shelves are the most common, but wire mesh is also available. They can also be found with rubber covered shelves to cushion items. Inserts such as bins and drawers are also available, as well as locking doors. Custom shelving units can be designed, but are seldom needed due to the wide range of accessories available.
Shelving unit styles may be open on all sides or enclosed on the sides and back. They may be as short or tall as needed, and shelf widths can be narrow or deep. For cavernous warehouses, mezzanine style shelves utilize overhead space that is normally wasted space. However, this type will require stairs or lifts and usually catwalks to access the items stored on them.
Warehouse shelving lasts for many years. It is easy to clean and resists the effects of the elements very well. After a few decades of abuse, a quick touch up of paint might be needed, but there should be no rust issues to deal with.
Many companies have long seen the advantage of metal shelves for storing finished goods and boxes of records. It would be to the benefit of all manufacturers to examine the value of warehouse shelving for industrial application.
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