No Need to Reinvent the Wheel — Carton Flow Rack Delivers for Order Picking
Dynamic Carton Flow Rack Brings Order & Efficiency to Picking & Fulfillment
There is no denying the need for faster, more productive, and smaller order fulfillment across many sectors and most significantly in retail and food distribution. Pre-2020, many warehouse and distribution managers were already dealing with challenges from a tighter, aging labor force and growing demand for more individualized order processing. The recent dramatic shift to e-commerce has only exacerbated these challenges. While there are a number of operational changes that can and probably should be implemented to optimize order picking and processing, carton flow rack is one solution that delivers on a variety of fronts.
Carton Flow Rack Benefits
- Consolidates a high number of SKUs into ergonomically positioned pick rows
- Keeps inventory organized for faster, accurate selection
- Provides deep inventory storage and an automatically replenished pick face
- Maximizes horizontal picking for hot zone efficiency
Carton flow can be purchased as stand-alone shelving units or installed in a new or existing pallet rack system to create dynamic, first-in/first-out (FIFO) case or tote storage. The lanes are mounted in a slight pitch to allow gravity to flow inventory from the load aisle to the pick face. Some of the benefits include the automatically replenished pick face and the ability to store a unique SKU in organized lanes.
Choosing Wheeled or Roller Carton Flow Rack
The style of carton flow rack you choose will depend mostly on inventory specs – the size, shape, and bottom design of the carton, case, or tote. The carton flow system can be designed with separate load and pick aisle access or a single aisle for loading (push-back style) and picking. Depending on warehouse space and processing needs, Apex can help you decide which layout will be more cost-effective and deliver better results.
Wheel tracks – originally individual tracks of wheels were a common application for carton flow. The individual rails are easy to install, but they are more likely to incur damage vs the full bed design. Replacing individual rails can be time-consuming and costly.
Wheel bed – wide beds of wheeled tracks can be dropped into pallet rack and provide a full wheel bed in the bay. It is ideal for varying sized inventory or frequently changing SKUs as it allows consistent wheel coverage across the full shelf bed. Lanes are defined by carton or tote size and can be quickly changed as needed. The shelf bed is comprised of wheeled tracks (12”+ wide) that drop into the shelf.
Roller track – galvanized roller track is ideally suited to matching the width of the carton or tote with the width of the roller. Again, several widths can be used within a rack bay to effectively consolidate the inventory into organized lanes.
Wheeled carton flow options
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Roller carton flow options
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Both wheeled and roller carton flow rack can be designed to accommodate light or and heavy-duty applications. Note, it is not always possible to use a single lane design for a wide range of inventory load weights. The Apex team can help identify the best solution or configurations to be sure to deliver the results you need.
 Wheeled Carton Flow with Full-Length Lane Dividers |
 Roller Track Carton Flow |
Enhance Carton Flow Effectiveness with Custom Accessories
Carton flow rack in and of itself delivers highly effective storage and pick access. Add-on features can help your team further improve pick rates and accuracy.
- Load-side “impact” trays – protect wheels and rollers with steel trays positioned at the load side of the flow lane. The trays take the repeated abuse from loading heavy cases and protect the carton flow lane from impact. Cases are slid into the lane from the tray.
- Angled trays – a fully adjustable tray creates the ideal ergonomic pick position. Inventory simply slides forward onto the tray, making cartons easier to see and reach, improving pick rates and accuracy.
- Entry guides & lane dividers– entry guides are helpful snap-on accessories that provide a quick visual separation of each lane. They can be added to the load side, pick side, or anywhere along the lane. Full-length dividers are also available to ensure inventory is kept separated for regulatory or other purposes.
- Different types of dividers
- Full length
- Lane starters
- Old track dividers
- Different types of dividers
- Layback frames – slanted frame exposes the front pick position at all levels providing easier access for workers. The drawing and photo show how the slanted frame design staggers shelf access.
Carton Flow Rack Applications
Carton flow rack can be used as stand-alone, as part of a pick module, or within a mobile cart. Depending on your needs and space availability, the Apex team can design your carton flow racking system.
- Pick module – Consolidated, high-density storage and picking solution that combines racking systems with conveyor to maximize pick rates while reducing travel and labor time and expense. The multi-level structures use a combination of carton flow, shelving, pallet flow, and conveyor. The right combination and layout depend on the number of SKUs, SKU volume, and desired pick rates. The gravity flow systems facilitate fast picking by keeping SKUs organized by lane and automatically replenishing the pick face vs. waiting for restocking. Static shelving is more cost-effective for very slow movers in the pick module.
- In-rack carton flow – Cube space is expensive and underutilized rack will just add to the cost. Convert lower-level pallet rack to carton flow to consolidate slower-moving SKUs.
- Mobile carton flow – Consider integrating mobile carton flow carts into your storage mix to quickly respond to production shifts, manufacturing assembly changeovers, kitting applications, seasonal picking, and more. Mobile carton flow is compact, easy to move, and store out of the way when not in use.
The Apex team is available to help you find the best storage and order picking, packing, or processing application to meet your productivity goals. We can work on a single application or take a holistic approach to define what combination of systems will work most effectively for your unique space, inventory, and labor constraints. Call Apex today to speak with our material handling experts.
