It had been only three years since C&M Fine Pack made its Fort Wayne distributorship 118,000 square feet larger. Meanwhile, customer demand for its upscale disposable packaging was growing. Rather than considering further facility growth, the company looked at maximizing pallet rack space while minimizing its footprint.

C&M Fine Pack puts a range of weights on plastic pallets, and accommodating varied loads can be a challenge for typical dynamic storage braking systems.

“Our concern was, if half our product mix was all light or heavy from month to month, half our warehouse capacity could go unused,” says C&M Fine Pack project engineer Tim Pancake.

So, he decided on a flow rack storage system, where the rails are inclined in a static rack structure, allowing loads placed on one end to move by gravity on rollers to the unloading end, with gentle brakes.

In addition to accommodating the first-in, first-out flow of differently weighted plastic pallets, the system (Steel King, 800-826-0203, www.steelking.com) also worked for loads stored on wooden pallets, which was required for another customer.

To allow for a varied product mix and demand, pallet rack depths between 7 and 12 deep were specified on the dynamic storage racks. An indirect braking system, using one interior wheel controlling two outer wheels in contact with the pallets, provides the flexibility needed to handle various pallet loads without designating light or heavy lanes.

“The indirect braking system accommodates all our pallet loads, so we avoid designating lanes and avoid the labor and trouble of sorting or mis-sorting by pallet load,” says Pancake. “This gives us the flexibility to store product where and when we want it, so we reclaim warehouse space that could otherwise go unused.”

With only two aisles necessary for loading and unloading, aisle space was reduced by 75% and twice the amount of product could be stored than with traditional selective pallet racking.

Customers are noticing the difference as well, says Pancake. More accurate shipping, reduced product damage and increasingly efficient picking helps the company stay ahead of the competition.