The Benefits of FIFO Pallet Flow Racking

At Warehouse1, we field many questions about pallet racking systems. As one of the country’s industry leaders in materials handling equipment, we understand the importance of educating our clients on exactly what they are getting for their warehouse when making a purchase.

We’re staffed with on-call experts ready to lead you in the right direction. To help you better understand some of the nuances of the different types of storage in your warehouse; let’s talk about pallet flow racking systems. To best illustrate, imagine a giant dresser in your bedroom, but the size of a factory. Each dresser shelf holds a different product.

With flow racking, a pallet of t-shirts is put onto its shelf and (with the help of a bit of force, gravity, rollers and skates) moved along each aisle. The next pallet is easily transported to a removable position. Minimal human effort is required with this system.

This is an example of a FIFO Pallet Flow system. FIFO is an acronym for “First in, First Out”. In a FIFO Pallet Flow system, one pallet is placed at the beginning of the system and makes it’s way down the flowing rack, later becoming the first pallet off the rack.

This is different than a FILO Pallet flow system, which stands for “First In, Last Out”. Let’s revisit the dresser example again. Say you place your t-shirt pallet in an empty drawer one-by-one. After you fill up the drawer, the first T-shirt you pull out after opening it will be the last one you put in.

That’s the theory behind a FILO Pallet Racking. In general, Pallet Flow Racking systems are great space-saving storage options. Pallet Flow Racking systems are safe, high capacity, durable and versatile -- all advantageous when setting up your warehouse.

Be sure to check out our online store if you’re in the market for buying new or used pallet racking. And make sure to give us a call at Warehouse1 for your materials handling needs!