Cantilever or Pick Module Rack Systems

Why Choose Cantilever or a Pick Module Racking Systems for your Warehouse?

Every warehouse needs custom racking solutions. Customers need to understand the differences between racking systems. For example, cantilever and pick module racking systems are great warehouse storage candidates. Additionally, other racking systems, including selective, drive-in, and pushback solutions, might be a better solution.

Cantilever and pick module racking systems offer distinct benefits tailored to different warehousing and storage needs. Here’s a breakdown of their advantages:

Cantilever Racking Systems

Designed for storing long, bulky, or irregularly shaped items that are difficult to store on standard pallet racking, cantilever racking benefits include:

  • Flexible Storage: It can accommodate a wide variety of load types, including lumber, pipes, steel bars, furniture, and even rolled materials like carpets. Adjustable arms allow for customization based on the size and shape of the stored goods.
  • Unrestricted Accessibility: The open front design, without upright columns obstructing access, allows for easy loading and unloading using forklifts or by hand. This improves efficiency and reduces handling time.
  • Enhanced Capacity: By utilizing vertical space and eliminating the need for front columns, cantilever racking systems store more items in the same footprint compared to floor stacking or other available racking systems.
  • Efficient Space: Single-sided (against walls) and double-sided configurations are available, maximizing available floor space and freeing up space for other operations.
  • Better Organization: Cantilever racking systems provide a dedicated and organized warehouse storage solution for products that would otherwise be difficult to manage. Additionally, it reduces clutter and improves your warehouse flow and safety.
  • Improved Safety: Cantilever racking provides a steady and systematized storage method for long and bulky items, reducing the risk of accidents associated with unstable stacking or items leaning against walls. The open design also leads to wider aisles, which helps improve maneuverability.
  • Customization Solutions: The columns’ height and the arms’ spacing, and capacity can be adjusted to suit specific storage requirements. Single-sided racking systems can often be converted to double-sided for increased capacity. 
  • Durability: Typically constructed from heavy-duty steel, cantilever racks are built to withstand heavy loads and provide long-term reliability. They can also be adapted for both indoor and outdoor use with appropriate finishes.
  • Faster Picking and Retrieval: The easy access and clear visibility of stored items can speed up the picking process and make inventory management more efficient.

Cantilever Racking Safety

It is critical to ensure safety requirements when installing a cantilever racking system. Follow these steps for cantilever safety precautions.

  • Properly designed and manufactured: The racking system should be engineered by experts to handle the intended loads and meet relevant safety standards.   
  • Installation: Professional installation according to the manufacturer’s specifications is crucial for stability and safety.   
  • Load capacity: Overloading the arms or uprights can lead to structural failure and collapse. Installation experts should clearly mark and adhere to load capacities.
  • Regularly inspected and maintained: Routine inspections should be conducted to identify any signs of damage, wear, or loose components. Damaged parts should be repaired or replaced promptly.  
  • Trained personnel: Experts should properly train operators of forklifts or other material handling equipment on how to load and unload cantilever racks safely, avoiding impacts and ensuring balanced loads.  
  • Safe operating environment: Clear aisles, proper lighting, and adherence to general warehouse safety procedures are essential. Manuals for proper safety procedures should be provided for all personnel.

Pick Module Racking Systems

Pick module systems are integrated, multi-level systems designed to streamline order fulfillment for high-volume operations. They combine various storage solutions with conveyors and picking technologies to create an efficient picking zone. Their main benefits include:

  • Improved Accuracy: The structured environment and integration of cutting-edge technologies (i.e., pick-to-light or voice picking) help minimize picking errors.
  • Picking Efficiency: By consolidating storage and picking zones and often incorporating conveyors, pick racking systems significantly reduce travel time for order pickers, leading to faster order fulfillment.
  • Space Utilization: Multi-level designs maximize the use of vertical cubic space, allowing for dense storage, especially when many SKUs are within a smaller footprint. 
  • Enhanced Throughput: The integrated pick module racking systems facilitate a continuous flow of goods from storage to packing and shipping, increasing overall warehouse throughput.
  • Reduced Labor Costs: Increased efficiency and accuracy lead to lower labor costs per order fulfilled. Outsourcing the installation of pick module racking can also help lower overall costs.
  • FIFO Support: Many pick module designs, especially those incorporating flow racks, support First-In, First-Out (FIFO) inventory rotation, which is crucial for perishable goods or managing product lifecycles.
  • Scalability Solutions: Pick module racking systems can be customized and expanded to adapt to changing business needs and increasing order volumes. They are flexible and integrate various racking types (pallet, carton flow, shelving) to handle different product sizes and throughput requirements.
  • Improved Ergonomics: By presenting items in an easily accessible manner, pick module systems can reduce the need for excessive reaching, lifting, and bending, improving worker comfort and safety.
  • Automation Integration: Pick module racking systems are often designed to integrate with various automation technologies, such as automated guided vehicles (AGVs), robotic picking arms, and advanced warehouse management systems (WMS), to further improve efficiency.

Let’s dig deeper into automatic integration for pick module racking systems. Automatic integration significantly enhances pick modules by seamlessly connecting various technologies and processes, leading to substantial improvements in efficiency, accuracy, speed, and overall warehouse performance.

1. Automatic Integration Offers Streamlined Workflow and Reduced Manual Intervention

  • Automated Conveyor Systems: Integration with automated conveyors (roller, belt, spiral, vertical) eliminates the need for manual transportation of picked items between zones or to packing stations. This reduces labor, minimizes travel time for pickers, and creates a continuous flow of goods.   
  • Robotic Picking Arms: Advanced integration can include robotic arms for the automated picking of individual items or cases, especially for repetitive tasks. This reduces labor and increases speed and accuracy. (We’ve all wanted a robot on site since we were kids, right?)
  • Automated Storage and Retrieval Systems (AS/RS): Integrating AS/RS with pick modules allows for the automatic retrieval of full pallets or cases to replenish picking locations, reducing the need for manual forklift operations within the picking aisles and ensuring continuous stock availability.
  • Automated Guided Vehicles (AGVs) and Autonomous Mobile Robots (AMRs): These robots can be integrated to transport totes, cartons, or even entire shelves within the pick module, further automating the movement of goods and reducing reliance on manual labor with integrated racking systems.

2. Boosted Accuracy and Reduced Errors

  • Warehouse Management Systems (WMS) Integration: Seamless integration with a WMS provides real-time data on inventory location, order details, and picking instructions. This ensures pickers (or automated systems) are directed to the correct items and quantities, minimizing picking errors.   
  • Pick-to-Light (PTL) and Put-to-Light (PTL) Systems: Automatic integration with these light-directed picking technologies guides pickers to the exact locations and quantities, significantly improving accuracy and speed.   
  • Voice Picking Systems: Integration with voice-directed picking allows pickers to receive instructions and confirm picks hands-free, improving focus and accuracy.   
  • Barcode and RFID Scanning: Automatic scanning of barcodes or RFID tags at various stages of the picking process (during picking, sortation, and packing) ensures accurate tracking of items and reduces errors.   
  • Weight and Dimensioning Systems: Integrated scales and dimensioning systems can automatically verify picked quantities and ensure correct packaging, reducing shipping errors and costs.

3. Enhanced Space Utilization

  • Vertical Integration: Automated systems often facilitate multi-level pick module designs, maximizing the use of vertical space and allowing for a higher density of SKUs within a smaller footprint.   
  • Dynamic Slotting: Integration with the WMS and data analytics can enable dynamic slotting, where fast-moving items are automatically placed in the most accessible locations within the pick module, optimizing picking efficiency.   

4. Real-time Data for Real-time Decision-Making

  • Real-time Visibility: Integrated systems provide real-time data on picking progress, inventory levels, and potential bottlenecks, allowing warehouse managers to monitor performance and make proactive adjustments immediately. When managers have real-time data – they can make better decisions.
  • Performance Analytics: Data collected by integrated systems is analyzed to identify areas for improvement in the picking process, optimize workflows, and enhance overall racking efficiency.   

5. Increased Throughput and Faster Order Fulfillment

  • Reduced Cycle Times: Automation minimizes manual steps and travel time, leading to significantly faster order processing and fulfillment cycles.   
  • Higher Picking Rates: Automated systems and integrated technologies enable higher picking rates compared to manual processes.
  • Scalability: Integrated automated systems often offer better racking system scalability to handle increasing order volumes without a proportional increase in labor.   

6. Employment Racking System Safety

  • Reduced Physical Strain: Automating repetitive and physically demanding tasks reduces the risk of injuries for warehouse workers.   
  • Safer Working Environment: Automated systems can handle heavy or awkward items, creating a safer environment for human workers. 
  • Enhanced Visibility: Improved visibility allows operators and the system to make safer decisions and avoid potential hazards.   

In essence, automatic integration transforms a pick module racking system from a static storage structure into a dynamic and intelligent order fulfillment engine. Connecting various technologies creates a seamless flow of information and goods, leading to a more efficient, accurate, and cost-effective warehousing operation. The level and type of automation integrated will depend on the warehouse’s specific needs and budget.

What is the best racking system for your company? 

Choose from a cantilever racking system, which excels at storing long, bulky, and awkward items with easy access and space efficiency, or a pick module racking system, which are designed for high-volume order fulfillment by integrating various storage and conveyance technologies to maximize picking speed, accuracy, and space utilization.

Picking the right warehouse storage solution depends entirely on the specific types of goods being stored and the primary operational goals of the warehouse. Let Tri-R Installation help you choose the right racking system. Contact Tri-R Installation today to learn more about our customized warehouse storage solutions. We specialize in managing pick module and cantilever projects, including installing a new or modified racking system.