Evolve Your Colorado Operation with Carton Flow

Carton Flow Rack Brings a Super-Solution to Your Warehouse

You may think you know all there is to know about carton flow rack – it’s been around for decades, right? However, it might surprise you to learn that it’s one of the most rapidly evolving tools used in warehousing today – and could just solve one of your Colorado warehousing problems. Over the years, carton flow rack has evolved into a multi-functional, super solution that allows facilities to adapt to changing needs for e-commerce, SKU proliferation, just-in-time inventory, and more! 

Maybe the carton flow you remember had only single lanes with the same generic wheeled track. While the concept hasn’t changed too much since then – the execution has taken on a life of its own. Carton flow rails secure to standard pallet rack on a slight pitch downward from the rear load aisle to the forward pick aisle. Using separate aisles to load and pick cases, totes, or single items minimizes congestion and creates a safer workspace. Today’s carton flow rack can be customized to meet your pick application specs, optimizing your warehouse space, maximizing capacity, and improving pick speed and accuracy. 

The main styles of carton flow rack are roller rails or wheeled sections. Rollers are typically used for same-size cartons or totes, while the wheeled design creates a bed of wheeled tracks, allowing for SKU lanes of any width.

Carton Flow Rack: A Breakdown    

• Carton Flow Rails – Rails comprised of single-width wheels or rollers allow you to customize your carton flow solution. Products vary by width and installation method. 
  • Wheeled flow rails are available in steel or heavy-duty composite. Depending on the warehouse climate, conditions, and load weight, you can tailor your gravity flow solution to your needs.
  • Full roller carton flow is your best bet if you’re looking for a solution for consistently sized packaging. Full roller is available for lightweight, medium, and heavy-duty applications. 
  • For a quick and economical solution, roller track carton flow consists of rollers mounted on a wider bed rather than in individual rails. Roller track is a great option for stand-alone carton flow or in-rack solutions. 
• Full-Wheel Bed Carton Flow Tracks – When inventory sizes fluctuate or regular reprofiling changes your SKU makeup, turn to drop-in carton flow. These tracks create an edge-to-edge wheeled surface to accommodate SKU lanes of any width while maximizing the storage bay area. Tracks can be mounted flush or pitched, depending on the need. 

Applications:

• Pick modules – Stations of multi-level carton flow that allow ergonomic picking within your existing pallet rack. Load and pick functions are completed from opposite aisles, minimizing aisle traffic and maximizing safety in these busy areas. Deep SKU lanes and automatically replenished pick faces increase pick rates and support faster cycle times. Pick modules often incorporate conveyors and full pallet storage to keep reserve inventory nearby for quick restocking. 
• Floor level, in-rack carton flow eliminates dead space due to partially full pallets and increases the number of available pick faces. It’s a good solution for slower-moving SKUs and partial pick inventory.
• Stand-alone carton flow is a mobile option ideal for temporary or seasonal inventory order picking and light assembly for manufacturing. Mobile caron flow units are easy to push or tow into place and just as easy to store away when not in use. Easy to assemble, economical, and ergonomic, all in one unit.

CUSTOMIZED CARTON FLOW:

Like any superhero, carton flow is only made better with creative and useful accessories. The carton flow manufacturers have put a lot of effort and engineering behind ways to adapt carton flow for nearly any type of racking, packaging, picking methods, technologies, etc. Here are a few of the more common accessories:

Customized Carton Flow Accessories:

• • Load-side “impact” trays shield wheels and rollers from the impact of dropping inventory directly onto the flow rack (see image to right). Items loaded to the impact tray are easily slid onto the flow rack to progress to the opposite aisle for picking. Impact trays minimize wheel and roller damage and thus save downtime and replacement costs. 
  • Pick-side trays attach at the pick aisle and can be angled to any position to facilitate better worker positioning and provide a better visual of the products.
  • Layback frames are more than a carton flow accessory. They are a slanted frame design that helps to expose the front carton position on all levels. Benefits include greater access for easier picking. Note the drawing below, which highlights the staggered shelf design.
  • Entry guides and lane dividers help you define SKU lanes. Clearly delineating SKU lanes enables faster, more accurate loading and picking. Full-length dividers are optimal for awkward or tall SKUs and where 100% product separation is necessary. Entry guides (also called flags) can be placed anywhere along the bed in wheeled applications. They are often used at the load and pick sides to provide a visual of each SKU lane and improve accuracy.

 

We know that was a lot of information, but what other storage solution provides the same speed, accuracy, and ergonomics for case, tote, and each item order picking as carton flow? Apex Colorado is your trusted source for all things warehousing. The Apex team is familiar with all things carton flow and can provide the best solution tailored to your unique needs. Just one call does it all!