Warehouse storage racks and pallets are like any other business asset: the more use you can get out of them, the more efficient your company will be. By reusing, recycling or selling your used or surplus pallet racking, you can save money, eliminate waste and otherwise benefit your business. Avoid buying new supplies, generate a better reputation for your company and even make money by checking out the steps below.

You have several options for making the most of pallet racks and pallets. Depending on your needs and the supplies you currently possess, decide which of the following ideas will make sense for your business:

1. Recycling your warehouse rack and pallet products

2. Reusing your existing warehouse racking systems or buying used pallet racks

3. Locating companies that will buy your pallets and pallet rack shelving

Action Steps to Buy New and Used Pallet Racks
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Recycle warehouse racking systems and supplies and benefit the environment and your business

With the current state of the world, there's a lot of emphasis on recycling, and you can benefit your company by contributing. Recycling your used pallet racking and pallets will help conserve resources in your area and cut down on waste. Your business will be looked on as a more world-conscious company, and you can check into dispensations and tax deductions for the donation of materials.

I recommend: Locate recycling center companies for your pallet racking system products such as Recycler's World, IFCO and North American. Recycler's provides you with a listing of several centers, and you can fill out a form at IFCO to request pick-up of your used pallet racks. North American has a feature that lets you select a recycler near your business for convenience.

Consider the advantages of used pallet racks from a buying, selling or reusing perspective

Any time a commodity is reused, money is saved; either you avoid buying new products, spend less on brand-new materials or make extra money by reselling. These options are all open to your business and its used pallet rack systems. Instead of buying new products and then throwing them away, consider one or more of these scenarios and make your company more cost-effective.

I recommend: Get your warehouse racking systems to go the extra mile by checking out options suggested by companies like Reusable Transport Packing (RTP), Rehrig Pacific and ANE Rack & Shelving. RTP and Rehrig supply plastic pallets for reuse or restructuring. ANE buys and sells used warehouse pallet racking; save money on supplies or contact them to sell your old equipment.

Save money in your business by looking into options for selling your used pallet rack systems

Much like used warehouse pallet racking, you can sell the pallets and shelving you bought brand-new and recoup some of the money you spent. There are many businesses accessible to you that will buy your surplus products for redistribution. By selling your unneeded equipment, you make money and avoid storing or wasting usable materials.

I recommend: Make the most of your used warehouse racks and pallets by considering Wholesale Pallets, RIM Junkyard and Material Handling Exchange. Wholesale buys plastic pallets for reuse, and RIM provides a listing of companies that purchase wooden pallets. Look at Handling Exchange to see about selling your used or surplus pallet rack shelving.

Tips & Tactics for Smart Use of Pallet Racking Systems

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Analyze your used pallet racking assets and see exactly how much material you have available for reuse. Some companies will want figures before they accept your products, and if you're looking to sell, your buyers will need to know that as well.

If you've ever been inside a warehouse-style store like The Home Depot, you've seen pallet racks. Heavy-duty, industrial strength shelving, pallet racks come in sections and can be put together to create pallet rack shelving for a small garage or entire warehouse racking systems.

Buying pallet racks is matter of reviewing the different construction styles to match and then deciding whether to buy new or used pallet racks. In this guide, we cover:

1. Different designs for pallet racks
2. Pallet racking choices by business type
3. Sizing a warehouse rack for weight loads
4. How to find used pallet racking

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Look for materials handling experience and leadership

Companies with a wide range of expertise and inventory of pallet racks and other materials handling equipment can help you find what's right for your business.

I recommend: Some firms don't just supply pallet racks, but can handle everything from design and layout, to shipping and installation. One such suplier is SJF Material Handling, which lays claim to being the nation's largest source of both new and used material handling equipment -- including pallet racks and related equipment. SJF has been around for over 30 years and was named a Top 10 USA Distributor of new pallet racks in 2006 and 2008. The SJF.com website offers a wide range of helpful info -- including over 1,000 pages of material handling guides and product details. Pallet racks listed on the site come from the firm's own inventory, as SJF does not broker others' equipment.

Pallet rack designs vary according to use

Although all are metal and heavy-duty, warehouse rack and pallet storage can vary according to how it is used. Pallet racking systems with a drive-in lane can be stacked very high and allow room to move around in a forklift, while cantilever pallet racks have arms that lean back to handle long or bulky items, like lumber or pipe. Pushback or flow warehouse rackng lets inventory slide down bit by bit.

I recommend: However it is used, pallet racking systems needs design thought in advance. Cisco-Eagle, a pallet rack vendor, has a good description of pallet rack types and designs [PDF link] as well as a pallet rack estimating Web tool. See more resources for buying pallet racks at Business.com.

Pick pallet rack systems according to your business type

Inventory and supplies flow through an industrial operation can vary dramatically. Some items might sit for months, while others have to be replenished hourly. Will people be moving around the pallet racks, or machines? Will customers be in the same area, or only trained employees?

I recommend: Most warehouse rack vendors also design pallet rack systems to accommodate most any need. Some pallet rack systems vendors include Material Storage Systems, American Warehouse Systems, Steel King Systems and Rack-Tex. You can find more information on pallet racking systems at Business.com.

Buy pallet rack shelving according to weight and size of your inventory

Very little would be more dangerous and costly than a collapsing pallet rack. Your insurance agent would shudder at the very thought.

I recommend: Properly installed and used, pallet racking systems can handle weight up to the equivalent of a couple of mid-sized cars if properly installed. Take a look at the range at vendors such as Yankee Supply and Global Industrial. Other types of warehouse racking, in addition to used pallet racking systems, are at Business.com.

On a budget? Used pallet racks can be a good choice

Warehouse rack is steel, after all. Used pallet racks are easy to find and buy on the Web. Depending on how customized your needs are, used pallet racks might just do the trick for pallet storage at a bargain rate.

I recommend: See a selection of used and new pallet racks at Midwest Rack Manufacturing, RackExpress, Dallas Racks, MHE and Gershel Brothers.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  It can seem easy to install pallet racks. It is not, and the safety of your employees, as well as your inventory, is at stake. Hire a professional or get the vendor to send an installer.
• •  If you stack pallet racks high enough, you'll need special ladders and other equipment to get to inventory. Plan carefully to make sure there's enough room for everything you'll need to work with your pallet racks.
• •  Used pallet racking can require additional labor to install. If your budget is depending on lower prices for used pallet racks, make sure installation overruns aren't a budget-buster.

Warehouse storage racks can only do you so much good on their own. There was a time when businesses used pallet racks for storing products and material without a thought to back-up or protective systems, but with the emphasis on workplace safety, you need to keep your equipment in good shape. Your desire for increased productivity through implementing useful supplies for pallet racks in your warehouse is guaranteed.

Use this guide as a resource for all the pallet rack accessories you can institute in your business to create a safer, more efficient workspace. Contact the various companies mentioned below and see which pallet rack manufacturer has the accessories to help you:

1. Enhance workplace safety with pallet racking systems barriers and guards.

2. Strengthen your storage shelves with structural supplies for pallet racks.

3. Speed up your work with new and used warehouse pallet jacks and lifts.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Protect your employees and equipment with pallet rack shelving barriers

Workplace safety is a top priority; you can install protective devices in your warehouse that provide safety for employees while guarding against damage to your assets at the same time. Posts, barriers and wire netting can prevent injury and damage in the event of forklift or cart collisions.

I recommend: Look into the protective and safety products for warehouse racking systems at Global Industrial, Warehouse Rack and Shelf and Cisco-Eagle. Global can provide you with rack bump guards for lifts and carts as well as wire netting. You can get barriers and posts for column protection at Rack and Shelf, and compare Cisco-Eagle's wire netting with Global for the best prices.

Keep items in place with new and used pallet racks supports

Increase the sturdiness of your shelving by adding supportive beams and cross-bars. You'll be able to store more weight without compromising the safety of your employees, making your storage areas more efficient. You can also save money by looking into used beams.

I recommend: Equip your business with structural supplies for pallet racks from products available at Rand MH and SJF; Rand carries supporting cross-bars of various sizes for structural integrity, and SJF has options for both new and used pallet racking beams.

Streamline your warehouse racking tasks with pallet jacks and lifts

When reorganizing, transporting and redistributing material for pallet racks, make your tasks easier by getting pallet jacks for your warehouse. They're excellent alternatives to forklifts for maneuvering in smaller areas and for single pallets that need to be moved elsewhere.

I recommend: Round out the pallet rack systems for your business with lifts and jacks from Yankee, Material Flow and Optimal Handling Solutions. Yankee can provide you with various pallet jacks, and Material Flow has standard and low-profile lifts for your needs. Or, save money by getting used pallet rack lifts and jacks from Optimal.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Weigh your needs, your budget and the options provided by these distributors and see if you can get all your supplies from one company. It will streamline your purchases and make the process for ordering your supplies for pallet racks easier.

The vast majority of warehouse spaces that operate forklifts and other machines to stack product or inventory make use of pallet racks. These steel structures provide a shelving system for palletized goods. They have standard sizes and shapes that conform to what forklifts and other pallet vehicles generally handle. When it comes to safety and utility in installation and use, managers and business leaders can find out about some of the basic key terms for pallet racks and understand what the market for these structures looks like.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Cantilever pallet rack

Cantilever pallet rack structures allow for stacking longer items that will not fit in one pallet space. A cantilever rack is a rack with arms that adjust to hold bundles of long products.

I recommend: Find a definition and visuals on cantilever pallet racking from Got-Rack.

Pushback racking

A pushback system allows for product to be 'stacked' horizontally. Pallets or units get pushed back by new additions, in a 'first on, last off' setup.

I recommend: Find more on pushback racking from Cisco-Eagle.

Capacity plates

Capacity plates are parts of the setup that specify weight restrictions. Experts recommend installing these for the benefit of all present and future users.

I recommend: Find visuals and details on capacity plates and a lot more safety info for pallet racks at Material Handling Blog.

Column guards

Column guards are structures that fit around the steel support beams of pallet racks. They are designed to protect pallet racks from damage due to vehicles colliding with the rack. Some are built to fit onto beam structures, others are more in the form of 'cages' that surround a beam.

I recommend: Find info on column guards and other kinds of heavy-duty barriers at Warehouse Rack and Shelf.

Safety bars

Also called supportive beams or crossbars, these additions to pallet racks provide more weight and structural support. This is great way to stabilize a pallet rack system to handle more weight as needed.

I recommend: Find a definition and details on types of safety bars, as well as much more on pallet rack design, fromClayton Supply.

Concentrated or point load

This term comes in handy for dealing with stacked merchandise or inventory on pallet racks. What concentrated, or point load, means is that there is more weight resting on a specific section of a rack area.

I recommend: Find the definition of point load (click on blue script for expanding terms definitions) from Material Industry Handling Association.