Pallet rack uprights are a mission-critical component of your warehouse pallet rack system. This article aims to increase your knowledge to help you run your warehouse safely and efficiently. Small details missed regarding your racking uprights could lead to significant disruptions of your warehouse operations or even catastrophic warehouse collapse. Keep reading to gain essential insights and understand the key warehouse manager responsibilities required to maintain a safe and efficient storage facility.
Here are five critical concepts regarding uprights that warehouse managers need to understand thoroughly.
Engineering design regarding upright and beam spacing
Two basic types of upright racking
Punch style
Width, height, and splicing
Footplate size
Racking systems are engineered to store palletized goods safely in a dense racking space to maximize warehouse space and safety. Every warehouse pallet rack system must be designed to support specific product weight, size, and shipping flow. Engineering will dictate what type of racking upright your system will use and how it is configured.
Experienced, knowledgeable warehouse and maintenance managers never cut corners by neglecting to consult an engineer when necessary, including changing beam spacing from the original as-built drawings. They never merely buy a new rack or used rack without having an engineer review the design of their system first. Always make sure that the uprights and racking systems are designed to support your product safely and manage your product efficiently. Companies must keep the load application and rack configuration (LARC) drawings available for review and not change beam levels without engineering approval.
Racking uprights are divided into two main categories based on the type of steel that they are made from:
Roll-formed steel racking uprights
Structural steel racking uprights
Roll-formed steel uprights are a common form of pallet rack uprights. This upright type has many advantages: it is less expensive, versatile, and compatible, making it the most popular form of warehouse upright.
Structural steel pallet rack uprights are generally stronger and more impact-resistant than roll-formed uprights, and they are usually used in more demanding circumstances and environments.
Hole punch styles on the front and sides of pallet rack uprights are designed to connect beams, spacers, arms, or other attachments. Many unique types and styles of punching are commonly found on pallet rack upright frames. The following punch styles and types are commonly found on rack systems in North America: teardrop, slotted, rectangle t-bolted, round hole hex head bolted, round corner clipped, corner slotted with steel clips, and keystone.
The teardrop punch style is one of the most popular designs for roll-formed rack upright frames. Many manufacturers produce this style due to its universal compatibility, ease of beam adjustability, and widespread adoption across North America.
The teardrop racking beams feature lugs that securely and quickly connect beams to the pallet rack upright frame posts. In contrast, bolted-style frames, such as structural steel upright frames, use rectangular or rounded holes in the frame posts for easy attachment, but assembling and disassembling these systems takes more time. If you opt for structural frames, you’ll get a more durable and impact-resistant pallet rack system.
Roll-formed pallet rack uprights come in varying column sizes. Some typical column widths and depths are 4" x 3", 3" x 3", 3-1/4" x 2" and 3" x 1-5/8". The larger-sized columns are generally engineered to support more weight than smaller columns. As for structural steel pallet rack upright columns, they typically come in two widths and depths: 3" x 1-3/8" and 4" x 1-1/2", and the same rule applies that the larger columns generally support more weight than the smaller-sized columns.
Pallet rack uprights come in varying heights, ranging from 8-40 feet. The most common heights are between 16-28 feet. Pallet rack uprights can also be spliced together to achieve any designed height. Frame splicing should only be done strictly according to the manufacturer’s design specifications. Never splice pallet rack uprights without first consulting the original manufacturer or a professional engineer familiar with the design and construction of pallet racking.
Pallet rack frames also come in varying depths between 24" and 96" and standard frame depths between 42" and 54". The horizontal and diagonal braces help maintain the frame’s depth.
The footplate or anchor plate is critical to every upright pallet rack. Footplates are steel plates at the base of an upright pallet rack column. The footplate secures the pallet rack upright to the ground using anchor bolts into the concrete foundation. Anchoring keeps the system from moving due to loading, impacts, and seismic activity. Never install an upright without properly anchoring each footplate with one anchor or the amount the manufacturer recommends. Footplates are engineered to meet the specific application’s needs, and footplate design is particularly important in seismic zones.
An upright baseplate is critical to every upright pallet rack. These steel plates are attached to the bottom of the pallet rack upright to provide stability. They secure the pallet rack uprights to the ground using anchor bolts to prevent movement during loading, unloading, forklift impacts, or any seismic activity.
Never install an upright without properly anchoring each baseplate with at least one anchor or the number specified by the manufacturer. Baseplates are engineered to meet the specific application’s needs, providing stability and weight distribution to prevent shifting or tipping of the rack system. The design is particularly important in zones of high seismic activity, where it helps to reduce the risk of collapse during earthquakes.
One key warehouse manager's responsibility is to ensure regular inspections are conducted and any identified damage is repaired promptly to prevent operational disruptions.
The Rack Manufacturers Institute (RMI) sets the engineering standards for all racking systems. RMI states that professionally trained inspectors should regularly inspect your racking systems. Inspections keep your warehouse in compliance with RMI regulations to ensure your racking is safe for your employees. RMI specifications were adopted and are enforced by OSHA. Damotech’s professional inspection teams help you inspect and maintain RMI and OSHA compliance standards for safely using your warehouse racking system.
Empowering your team to conduct informal inspections is one way to meet your warehouse manager responsibilities for maintaining a safe environment. Informal inspections are encouraged to take place between the professional inspections. You and your team should constantly scan for any impact damage or non-compliance. These informal inspections augment but don’t replace regular professional inspections. Employees should be made aware of and empowered to conduct these informal inspections. If any damage or questions arise, call your Damotech professional immediately. Educating your warehouse team on what maintenance issues are and what damage is considered severe is helpful. Internal inspections should not replace your regularly scheduled professional inspections.
Request Damotech’s free poster to educate your warehouse staff on how to identify damage and maintenance issues. This informative tool helps employees recognize warning signs that require attention, promoting a safer and well-maintained workplace.
There are locations of pallet rack uprights that are much more vulnerable to impact because of their location.
Typical damage points for selective (single deep) racking would be the end of the aisle and in a tunnel location.
The first two or three pallet rack uprights in a VNA aisle on either side of the aisle entry end are most vulnerable to damage. These are vulnerable because as lift equipment enters the aisle, it typically has a lock-on guidance system that may not engage for the distance of two or three pallet rack uprights. This may happen because operators don’t give the equipment adequate time to lock onto the wire or improperly align the equipment so it can’t lock on the wire.
Every free-standing row of racking is much more vulnerable to collapse when a frame is damaged because of its small footprint compared to a back-to-back rack. A single select pallet rack frame may typically have a 42" footprint. The same frame back-to-back, with a 12" row spacer, would have a 96" footprint.
Double-deep pallet rack upright systems are occasionally used when high-density storage is needed. Double-deep racking is optimal when the same product or product code is produced in bulk. Some customers may choose double-deep or drive-in systems for this application.
Double-deep racks have a unique problem: The operator cannot see the position of the second deep or furthest pallet when lower shelves are loaded, which obstructs their view. In this case, lift operators line up their lift the best they can, extend their forklift to reach its maximum distance, and set the pallet down. This lack of visibility often causes beam, frame, and brace damage in the first and second frames (posts one through four).
Additional damage can also happen to wire decks or crossbars due to the blind entry. Some very modern forklifts have a camera mounted on the mast and a small screen in the driver’s compartment so that they can see the height of the pallet as they are loading, which minimizes damage but does not eliminate it.
All columns in drive-in and drive-through rack systems, including interior columns, are prone to damage. The lift equipment goes between the frames in a narrow aisle without electronic guidance. The operator guides the truck in and out and often sets the pallet in the lane that typically consists of the left and right angles and pushes the pallets.
Damage in a drive-in rack system happens when the forklift backs out of the lane after placing the pallet in its position. Operators often accelerate when exiting the system. They could be in a cold area, such as a freezer or high-volume production facility, with pallets quickly coming off the production line.
Pushback racking is not the same as drive-in or drive-through systems. The damage on pushback is almost always only on the front frame post. The operator often turns the pallet into the bay. The corner of the pallet or product impacts a horizontal or diagonal brace as the operator lines a pallet and sets it on the pushback cart or rails, damaging the frame bracing.
Pallet flow racks have an input and output side, with long lanes between, which means there are two vulnerable areas of impact:
The front frame post on the input side.
The front frame post on the output or pallet retrieval side.
The entry and exit frame bracing and beams can also sustain severe damage, which can damage frame posts.
When bracing is compromised on any rack frame, any impact on the columns can lead to more severe damage. Rack repair addresses the frame’s damaged section, including all bracing. Most of the frame damage is to the front post and the braces. If the front and rear posts are damaged, typical for drive-in rack systems, the front and back columns must be repaired or replaced.
The height of the repair of the frame posts does not have to be the same. Many complexities are not apparent to the untrained eye. Professional inspectors can help you answer questions like when to unload, which parts must be repaired, and whether you should repair or replace them. Damotech is ready to assist you in inspecting and repairing your warehouse storage rack system(s).
Replacement of the original part might seem the most sensible course of action. However, repair with parts specifically engineered to mitigate the damage with significantly increased impact resistance is often the better path. A comparison of the financial ROI of using a repair part rather than replacing OEM parts follows.
Time: Replacement can be four times more time-consuming than repairing the damaged section of the frame due to the amount of unloading, storing, and re-assembling and re-loading the displaced product compared to an engineered repair and in-rack sprinkler systems that you might encounter in the framing can add thousands of dollars to each frame replacement. The time savings will translate into financial savings in material, labor costs, and warehouse downtime, including significant overtime costs. Typically, replacing a single damaged frame can take hours because the whole frame and beams attached to one column must be unloaded, disassembled, re-assembled, and re-loaded. Repairing with an engineered repair kit and specialized rack lifting jack requires less unloading and disassembling. A typical repair can be done in less than one hour!
Installation Costs: Trained professionals must perform installation and repairs. Since installation time with Damotech repair parts is faster, the repair labor is significantly less.
Damage often happens repeatedly in the exact location due to traffic patterns. Therefore, once these vulnerable uprights are damaged, it is an opportunity to upgrade the impact resistance and strength of the upright. Here are three of the points that Damotech repair kits upgrade:
Our pallet rack repair kits allow you to use roll-formed or structural steel. Structural steel can be used on racks with roll-formed steel for even greater strength and impact resistance.
Damotech pallet rack repair kits are built to match or exceed the thickness of standard OEM baseplates. Additionally, Damotech baseplates are longer and move the anchor points to new locations behind the frame post to eliminate equipment and anchor impact. These new baseplate anchor locations provide new anchor points compared to those previously used. Each upright must have one anchor per column (two per upright). In areas of high seismic activity, more anchors could be required.
Many savvy warehouse managers plan and invest in robust pallet rack upright column guards to prevent damage before it happens. Remember that not all guards are created equal. Avoid plastic guards that attach to the column; they transfer the impact directly to the frame post you’re trying to protect!
Pallet rack uprights are a core element of any warehouse racking system. Damotech has upright repair kits capable of restoring the original load capacity of a damaged upright. Maintaining and protecting your system with Damotech is another critical step in ensuring your racks are safe and running efficiently. Contact us if you have any questions or need assistance.
Keep your facility safe and allow your valuable team of warehouse personnel to go home safely to their families at the end of every shift.