If you’re working with pallet racking for the first time, it’s important to be aware of several potentially dangerous or costly mistakes to avoid. Pallet racking and the associated accessories have the potential to transform your storage facility – just as long as you’re sure not to fall foul of the following:

Buying Only What You Need Right Now

First of all, efficient purchasing and use of pallet racking means always having at least a little extra ‘overspill’ in case your business suddenly needs it. Not only this, but it is worth having a few additional parts and accessories on-hand, just in case urgent repairs of modifications are needed. The key, as in many instances, is to think not only about what your business needs today, but what it may also need going forward.

Buying Used Racking Randomly

You might be able to pick up used pallet racking from hundreds of places these days, but this doesn’t mean it’s always of the same quality standard. Quite to the contrary, the surface appearance of pallet racking and accessories can hide a world of potential problems and hazards behind the scenes. Unless you plan to buy used pallet racking from an established, reputable provider, it might be worth staying away from used hardware altogether. Buy from the best and you could score a real bargain.

Choosing the Wrong Size

There are a few things that can go wrong in terms of size. If you buy racking that’s too high for your forklift trucks to reach, it’s a waste of time, effort and money. If you buy units that are too narrow, you might not be able to use them to store your merchandise as needed. Quite simply, getting it wrong to even the slightest extent can result in much or all of your pallet racking system being rendered useless to you. When it comes to dimensions, you have to be flawlessly accurate.

Overlooking Compatibility

There are certain types of pallet racking products and accessories that are designed to be universally compatible with as many other brands and items as possible. Likewise, there are others that specifically engineer their products to only be compatible with others from the same brand. It’s something to factor in when buying, as the latter can make it more difficult and costly to expand and modify your racking systems further down the line.

Choosing the Cheapest

If you shop for pallet racking only in accordance with what’s cheapest, you run the risk of taking home low-grade, short-life racking that’s prone to early failure. Suffice to say, the initial savings do not amount to good value for money when considering the big picture long-term.

Ignoring Damage

Last but not least, it often takes the failure of just one part or component to trigger a catastrophic chain reaction across a much larger pallet racking system. As such, it simply is not worth overlooking damage and deterioration where it is detected. If you come across anything you suspect should be repaired, be sure to organise the necessary repairs immediately. The longer you leave it, the higher the likelihood of highly expensive repairs and potentially dangerous accidents further down the line.