Racking systems
Pallet shuttle racking
Drive-in density without driving in. The truck drops each pallet at the face of the lane and a shuttle underneath carries it inside, so truck and shuttle work at the same time.
- LIFO or FIFO
- your choice per lane
- Every level
- loads independently
- 0
- trucks driving into the rack
How it works
How pallet shuttle racking works
- The forklift sets a pallet on the rails at the front of a lane.
- The shuttle underneath lifts it and carries it to the back, or to the next free space.
- It lowers the pallet gently onto the rails and returns for the next one.
- The truck is already fetching the next pallet. The shuttle finds the end of the lane by itself.
- Access
- Each lane level on its own
- Stock rotation
- LIFO or FIFO
- Space use
- Very high
- Speed
- Truck and shuttle work in parallel
Is it right for you?
A good fit, and when to look elsewhere
A good fit for
- High volumes with fast turnover
- Several products in one block of racking
- Cold stores, where every metre counts
- Cutting racking damage from trucks
Consider something else if
- Volumes are modest and budget matters most Drive-in and drive-through racking →
- You need every pallet reachable at once Pallet racking →
Components and options
What goes into it
Rack columns
Sized for the weight in each lane and bolted to the floor.
Longitudinal beams
Add stability along the lanes. Left off at the faces so pallets pass freely.
Support rails
Carry the pallets and guide the shuttle running underneath.
Pallet shuttle
Battery powered, radio controlled, with pedestrian protection as standard.
Buying guide
Specifying a pallet shuttle system
- Lanes and depth. Lanes can be much deeper than drive-in, because the truck never enters the rack; each level of a lane can hold a different product.
- Shuttles. The number of shuttles depends on throughput. One shuttle can serve several lanes, moved between them by the truck.
- Pallets. The shuttle runs on rails under the pallet, so pallets must be in good condition and of a consistent size.
- Cold stores. Shuttles are available for freezer temperatures, which is where the density pays most.
- Trucks. Reach trucks and counterbalance trucks place and collect pallets at the lane entry and move the shuttle between lanes.
Buying guide
What affects the price
- The racking structure, which is similar to drive-in.
- The number of shuttles, set by how many pallets an hour have to move.
- Freezer versions of the shuttles and batteries.
- Charging points and, where needed, integration with a warehouse management system.
It costs more than drive-in per position, but it moves pallets faster, allows a product per level, and removes the rack damage that comes from driving into it.
Buying guide
Rules, inspection and safety
Racking is work equipment under PUWER 1998. The UK industry guidance comes from SEMA, the Storage Equipment Manufacturers' Association, and EN 15635, the standard for racking in use, which calls for a documented inspection by a technically competent person at least every 12 months. Between inspections, a named person on site checks the racking regularly and after any impact, using a red, amber and green damage scale: red means offload and isolate now, amber means repair within four weeks.
We carry out racking inspections to EN 15635, with a written report and a schedule of any damage, and we install racking to SEMA guidance: see racking installation.
The shuttles are machinery as well, so they need their own servicing, and the lanes need clear rules for people: nobody walks into a shuttle lane.
Racking and trucks, sized together
The trucks that work it
Racking and trucks decide each other: aisle width, top beam height and capacity at height all have to match. We supply both, so we check them together.
Tell us what you store, and we will tell you what fits
Every building is different, so we start with a free site survey: pallet or product sizes and weights, how many locations, how fast stock moves, the clear height and the trucks you run. We come back with a design and a price, install it, and inspect it once it is in use.
Pallet shuttle racking: common questions
Eight depots across the UK
Our own engineers, out of our own depots - wherever you are, service comes from us.
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