02 May Push Back Racking Guide
What Is Push Back Racking?
Push back racking is a high-density solution designed for storing multiple products. Its selectivity and maintenance-free features make back-to-back pallet racking ideal for many warehouse environments.
What Are The Types Of Push Back Racks?
Push Back with Shuttles
The forklift operator loads each pallet onto a shuttle. The shuttle moves along the inclined rails.
Push Back with Rollers
When the forklift operator loads the pallets, roller beds move the pallets along the incline.
How Do Push Back Racking Systems Work?
The push back racking system has inclined rails and nesting carts set on the rails. To load, each pallet is placed on a free-rolling carriage and then “pushed back” by subsequent pallet loading, exposing the next cart. Each pallet on the rack sits on a new cart, and the previous pallets are pushed back.
To unload, gravity moves the pallets gently forward to the aisle, so no reaching or equipment driving into the rack is necessary. When the forklift operator removes the pallet in the picking position, the next pallet behind it takes the previous pallet’s position. This process is repeated with each pallet until the lane is empty.
Each level or lane is independently accessible, requiring fewer aisles and forklifts are needed. Loading and picking are done from the same side for LIFO inventory retrieval. Due to the volume of push back pallet positions certain systems, some push back systems will have multiple aisles.
Push Back Racking Benefits
High-density Storage
Push back racking increases a warehouse’s storage capacity compared to double deep or standard pallet racks. Facilities can gain up to 90% more storage space than traditional selective pallet racking. Storage density is also increased up to 35% since push back racks eliminate an upright at every pallet position.
Fast Loading
Push back racks make the loading and unloading process faster compared to Drive In racking. Due to pallets automatically moving to the picking position, forklift operators do not need to reach into the racking. Forklifts also do not enter the structure’s aisle, reducing maneuvering time.
Enhanced Safety
Many warehouse push back racks have safety systems in place to control and brake loads. These mechanisms reduce the safety risks of shuttle and roller systems.
Save Space
High density storage such as push back racks store palletized loads efficiently and save space.
Improved Stock Rotation
Push back racks improve stock rotation and occupancy. The LIFO system uses the same aisle for loading and unloading single-SKU storage since each level stores a different product.
Load Stability
Side-by-side pallet handling keeps the load stable while improving safety and efficiency.
Maintenance-free
The sturdy construction of push back racking delivers years of maintenance-free operations.
Contact Us About Push Back Racks
Push back racking offers the optimal combination of selectivity and storage density. Warehouse push back racks designed and implemented by Twinlode Automation help warehouses improve productivity through efficient storage. We have several years of experience with push back systems and other pallet rack solutions. Twinlode Automation also offers professional services for implementation, design, and consultation.
Contact us online to learn more about push back pallet racking.