Working Out What You Need
Choosing the most cost-effective and efficient system must take into account:

• the number of products
• the volume of each product
• the movement rate
• the physical size and weight of the products to be stored
• expected growth; and
• a host of other matters including the type of materials handling equipment to be used.

Selective & Non-Selective Systems
The choice of which type of racking best suits your requirements comes down to determining whether you need Selective or Non-Selective Racking.

Selective Racking Systems provide immediate, ready access to virtually all pallets.

Non-Selective Racking Systems restrict access to individual pallets, but are more space efficient than Selective Systems.
Often the correct solution involves using a combination of Selective and Non-Selective Racking types to provide the optimum combination of access with space efficiency.

Selective Racking Systems are needed where there are a high number of SKUs with only a few pallets or less of each, which is typical of most retailers/wholesalers.

Selectivity is also necessary where high activity levels demand multiple forklifts per aisle and there is manual order picking from the lower levels.

Selective Racking Systems include:
• Selective Rack
• Double Deep Rack; and
• Narrow Aisle Rack.

Other specialised Selective Racking Systems include Very Narrow Aisle (VNA) Racking serviced by Stacker Cranes and Power Mobile Racking.

Non-Selective Racking Systems are appropriate where there are many pallets of each SKU, such as is the case with manufacturers.

Non-Selective Systems include:
• Drive In Rack
• Push Back Rack; and
• Pallet Live Storage.