Carton Flow Racking Case Flow Racking

Warehouse managers are often tasked with finding new and innovative ways to increase storage capacity while increasing speed and effectiveness in order fulfillment operations. Carton flow, also known as case flow or gravity flow, features various storage options that may be the right solution for your facility.

A carton flow system can be an ideal way to improve picking speeds and storage capacity within a warehouse. These systems consist of tracking and rollers that use gravity to push products through a pallet rack. As an item is picked from the rack’s front, the package behind it gravity feeds into the front position, ready to be selected.

This storage style is ideal for a warehouse set up for case picking or each picking. This process allows for each SKU to have a dedicated pick face, helping the picker with the accuracy of an order. Because a lot of SKUs can be presented for picking in a bay of rack, that means shortened travel with a reduced pick path, increasing throughput. It allows you to get more done at a faster rate because you are making a shorter run.

One additional benefit is that these can be installed into standard pallet rack, with the tracks being dropped into hangers that attach to the beams. These systems can be designed to fit multiple sizes of cartons, bins, and boxes to accommodate different SKU sizes.

Traditionally, there are two downsides to carton flow picking. Because someone (or something) physically places the boxes into storage, then another person retrieves them, there are additional material touches with each pick. The extra step may slow down some processes that require high throughput to remain effective.

With this storage method, products are automatically sorted for a first-in, first-out inventory system.

There are many different styles of carton flow available and finding the right mix of these may be the way to turn your warehouse into a more profitable fulfillment operation that maximizes its storage capacity.

Click here to order Carton Flow Racking Systems

Spantrak Carton FlowFull-Width Roller Tracks

Pros: Typically, this style of racking is suitable for heavy loads because of its durability and ability to withstand abuse. It offers higher capacity on a per-square-foot basis, so this type of racking is often found in beverage storage situations where there is a need to store heavy cases of product.

Cons: The downside of the durability is that this style of racking is rigid in its configuration. It offers almost zero flexibility after it is assembled (without tearing it down and re-assembling, of course). For instance, if you have 15″ wide lanes and the packaging size for that product changes, you have to get new lanes to accommodate the updated package.

Example: UNEX’s SpanTrack Carton Flow Lane

Carton Flow FlextrakPolycarbonate Skate Wheel Tracks

Pros: These polycarbonate skate wheel tracks essentially make a level of carton flow lanes a full flow bed. Since carton lanes are not configured ahead of time, this style of racking is very flexible in terms of the package sizes that can flow through the storage. Meaning, if your product size or packaging type changes, then you will not have to reconfigure this system. It is also relatively easy to install into new or existing racks.

Cons: Because there are no pre-defined lanes, this racking style makes it easier to change pick faces frequently. However, if your warehouse is relatively static in terms of the number of SKUs in inventory & their packaging, there may be lower-cost alternatives for carton flow storage.

Example: Engineered Products’ Flextrak Bed Carton Flow

Carton-Flow-Plastic-RollersSmall-Diameter Plastic Wheel Carton Flow In Shelves

Pros: Small-diameter plastic wheel carton flow is a light-weight shelf and track system that can be flexible in that it allows for adjustments as product or packaging changes. This style of racking is ideal for lighter-weight products that will not damage the light-duty carton flow during use. While it is used in a low percentage of carton flow applications today, this type of racking has historically been popular because of its low initial cost.

Cons: Because of the plastic wheel’s small diameter, this type of racking is not built to store large or heavy packages. It is also susceptible to damage due to its light-weight design.

Example: Gauer Metal’s Flow-Track Option

Carton Flow Heavy DutyHeavy-Duty Carton Flow

Pros: Heavy-Duty Carton Flow is an excellent option if you are storing very heavy or bulky items like automotive parts, and you have concerns about the durability of your carton flow racking. Like the polycarbonate skate wheel tracks, this carton flow style offers a full bed of rollers, though snap-in wire dividers are also available. The main difference is that the rollers are full steel, offering additional durability with an estimated 40% higher weight capacity.

Cons: With the added durability, there comes a higher initial cost in material and installation for heavy-duty carton flow.

Example:3D Storage Solutions’ Heavy Duty Carton Flow Applications

To find the option best for you, talk with an expert. Our team of Storage Solutions experts has decades of experience finding creative solutions for nearly any use case. We can walk you through what may be best for your warehouse and see if carton flow is ideal for increasing your storage capacity and optimizing your fulfillment operations.

RJ Atwal Headshot
RJ Atwal Headshot

 

Welcome, RJ Atwal!

Welcome to the Storage Solutions team, Rjvir (RJ) Atwal! RJ joins us out of our Westfield office as one of our newest National Account Managers. RJ is a graduate of Indiana University where he studied both Marketing and Professional Sales. While at school, he was involved in various development clubs as well as an internship that helped prepare him for his career today. After college, he worked with AT&T in their business to business sales program. We are thrilled with the knowledge he brings to the table!

RJ was born and raised in Greenwood, IN. Both of his parents moved to the United States from Punjab, India, over 35 years ago. In his free time, RJ loves being outdoors. Some of his favorite activities are basketball, fishing, and golf, though he’s always open to trying new things.

What are you most excited about working at Storage Solutions?

“I’m most excited to be working with such a great group of people. A team full of mentors and role models truly makes my day-to-day enjoyable. I’m looking forward to gaining a sense of achievement that comes from being a major contributor to a team. I’m excited to grow in this position and I’m looking forward to the day I feel 100% comfortable talking through SSI’s portfolio of solutions.”

Are you interested in becoming part of the Storage Solutions team? Apply here today!

 

Pick-to-Light Put-to-Light Spotlight

Order accuracy and fulfillment throughput are two measures of a successful warehouse that could vary by a wide margin, depending on your order volume, error allowance, and pick rate.

Two solutions that can allow companies to increase throughput & accuracy are put-to-light or pick-to-light technologies. Depending on their needs, these systems offer efficiencies such as reduced lead times, increased order accuracy, labor efficiency, and more. If these are challenges that you face, you may see a return on your investment in the technology faster than you think.

Both technologies use similar hardware and software and allow companies to reduce training time for employees, getting them up to speed – quite literally – faster.

put to light wallIs Your Business Right for Pick-to-Light Systems?

The profile of a distribution center that could benefit most from a pick-to-light system is housing a fixed set of SKUs with a high volume of orders. Here is how it works:

  1. Operators scan a bar code on a tote to start an order
  2. The lights on your pick locations illuminate, directing pickers to designated slots
  3. Pickers select product in appropriate quantities
  4. Operators confirm the picks using buttons on the lights
  5. Steps 1-4 are repeated until the order is fulfilled
  6. Order is sent to shipping

These systems do have two downsides with higher upfront costs for larger-scale facilities and limited flexibilities in terms of reconfiguration. However, that is often offset through a return on investment that comes with increased order accuracy and labor productivity. Particularly in zone picking operations, this system keeps your team active in an assembly-line process that builds orders actively.

Is Your Business Right for Put-to-Light Systems?

The businesses that benefit the most from put-to-light systems fulfill a high volume of orders from a relatively small number of SKUs, particularly in e-commerce. How it works:

  1. SKUs are picked in large batches for multiple orders & sent to the put area
  2. The operator scans a bar code
  3. Lights illuminate on the put wall indicating which orders need the SKU
  4. Those items are put to the appropriate order totes, boxes or slots
  5. Once all items are put to an order, the put wall operator is notified that order is complete & it is sent to packing
  6. Another associate packs the goods at a packing station
  7. Order is sent to shipping

While there are more advanced fulfillment systems, put-to-light can offer increased efficiencies and accuracy in fulfillment. It provides a paperless strategy that links an employee to an order and can facilitate distribution centers that house a subset of SKUs that account for a large percentage of item movement. E-commerce, direct-to-consumer-and other situations with a large volume of small line count orders often see the best return.

Learn More, Get Started

By reducing errors, quicker picking and faster fulfillment, put-to-light, and pick-to-light systems are beneficial for a variety of industries. However, it may not be necessary if your order accuracies and workflows are at ideal levels. But are they at the appropriate levels of efficiency? How do you know?

Our team has years of expertise in the utilization of both put-to-light and pick-to-light technologies and would be happy to speak with you if you think your business can benefit from installing these systems. If you are interested, or even unsure if your warehouse is an ideal fit, contact us today to learn more!

Andrew Lapel
Andrew Lapel

 

Welcome, Andrew Lapel!

As automation solutions continue to grow and develop within our company, our Solutions Development team is growing as well. We are pleased to welcome our newest hire, Andrew Lapel. Andrew joins us as our Solutions Development Associate, his role will focus on automation and engineering within warehouses.

Andrew is a recent graduate of Purdue University where he studied Industrial Engineering with a minor in Business Management. He comes to us with experience in facility design and management. In his most recent position, he worked for Midcontinent Independent System Operators. While there, he focused on software that optimizes space within their facilities. We are excited for Andrews’s continued growth and impact within Storage Solutions!

Outside of work, Andrew loves to spend time outdoors. He enjoys playing basketball and spending time at his family’s lake house. He loves to fish, and in the winters, play hockey and ski.

What are you most excited about working at Storage Solutions?

“There is a lot to be excited about and with Storage Solutions working with so many different clients, I am excited for new challenges from project to project. I have also had the chance to talk to some of the current employees about life at SSI, and each expresses how friendly everybody is and how the environment is one which makes you excited to come in every day. Along with this, I am excited about the opportunity to learn the industry and challenge myself in a real-world setting. With the industry moving more and more towards automation, I am excited to be a part of the Solutions Development team as I will be given many chances to work with Fetch and Smart Slotting. Beyond the technical skill I know I will gain; I hope to feel a part of something bigger than myself and work with a group of talented and motivated individuals.”

Are you interested in becoming part of the Storage Solutions team? Apply here today!