Pallet Rack Storage
& Warehouse Automation
The Carolinas, and the Mid-Atlantic
North Carolina's distribution and manufacturing operations are scaling fast. Keeping pace means putting the right storage and automation solutions in place before capacity turns into a bottleneck. Apex helps you build the right system for the job.
Pallet rack, storage, and warehouse automation services come together through one dedicated North Carolina team, backed by engineering, material handling equipment, and expert installation. Apex handles projects from initial layout through final installation across North Carolina, the Carolinas, and the wider Mid-Atlantic.
Talk to a North Carolina storage expert: call (630) 957-4020 or Contact Us.
Talk to a North Carolina Storage Expert
Tell us about your storage challenge—whether you need a fast quote or expert planning—a local Apex specialist will help you determine the next step.
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Warehousing Support Across North Carolina and the Southeast
Coordinating a racking or warehouse automation project across multiple providers slows everything down. Our North Carolina team manages projects locally, with design, engineering, and installation resources stationed in the Southeast. We work directly with warehouse operations, distribution centers, and e-commerce fulfillment centers from Charlotte and the Piedmont to Wilmington on the coast, giving you faster response times, on-the-ground site surveys, and one expert team from start to finish.
Industries We Serve in North Carolina
E-commerce and 3PL fulfillment centers
Food and beverage distribution
Manufacturing and production facilities (storage systems and warehouse infrastructure)
Cold storage operations
Retail and automotive parts storage
Pallet Racking
and Storage Systems
Every warehouse has a different mix of inventory profiles and floor space to work with. We design and install pallet rack and storage rack systems that match your operation. Finding the right mix of storage solutions starts with understanding inventory flow, touch points, and volume at each stage of the operation so each system is sized for the capacity it needs to support.
High-density systems like drive-in pallet racking and push-back racking deliver high-density LIFO storage in space-constrained facilities. Each system is configured using 3D AutoCAD modeling, sized to your pallet load specs, ceiling height, and aisle width requirements.
Storage systems we design and install:
Selective Pallet Racking: For high-SKU operations where every pallet needs direct access
Push-Back Racking: High-density LIFO storage in space-constrained facilities
Drive-In Pallet Racking: High-density LIFO storage in space-constrained facilities
Pallet Flow Rack: Gravity-fed FIFO compliance
Cantilever Racking: For long or irregularly shaped loads
Mezzanines: When vertical space is the next frontier
Stocked Pallet Rack Components
Looking for readily available pallet rack and components? Apex offers stocked inventory in Hickory, NC, giving customers across North Carolina convenient access to pallet rack, beams, wire decking, pallet supports, column protectors, end row guards, and other common components. Shop online from our Quick Ship Pallet Rack. If an item isn't in Apex inventory, our regional stocking partners provide additional sourcing options to keep your project moving.
Quick Ship items include:
- Pallet rack upright frames
- Pallet rack beams
- Wire decking
- Column protectors and end row guards
- Pallet supports
- Used pallet rack components
Apex stocks components in Hickory, NC, for fast delivery, including upright frames, beams, wire decking, column protectors, end row guards, and pallet supports. Additional components can be sourced through our regional network.
Get immediate pricing through the Online Quote Builder
Need help sizing your storage system? Talk to a storage expert
Warehouse
Automation Solutions
Automation isn't just for massive fulfillment centers. Operations of all sizes are using it to move product with greater efficiency, accuracy, and minimal labor resources. We take a vendor-agnostic approach to make sure the system we recommend fits your process, your budget, and your throughput goals.
Automation solutions we design and integrate:
Automated Storage and Retrieval Systems: Including the PEAK Pallet Shuttle for high-density deep-lane pallet storage and retrieval
Conveyor Systems: For material flow optimization
Autonomous Mobile Robots and AGVs: For automated transport
Warehouse Technology Systems: Pick-to-light, dimensioning, and industrial labeling, integrated with facility host systems such as WMS as part of a broader automation ecosystem
These systems are designed to work alongside your existing material handling equipment without requiring a complete operational overhaul.
Automation requires a clear baseline of throughput data, SKU specifications, inventory accuracy, pallet handling requirements, and process flow before the right system can be accurately designed. With those inputs defined, Apex can match the automation solution to real operating needs, performance targets, and long-term return.
For Engineering and Operations Teams
When evaluating automation for your facility, these operational and structural factors shape feasibility and ROI:
Throughput analysis: Current picks per hour, order volume trends, and peak vs. average demand patterns help determine whether automation can absorb variability or if flexibility is more important than speed
SKU velocity and inventory profile: Fast-moving A items and slow-moving C items often require different automation strategies. Mixed-velocity operations may need hybrid solutions
WMS/WES integration requirements: Automation relies on clean inventory data and real-time order routing. Assess your current system's API capabilities and data accuracy before committing to automated systems
Forklift traffic patterns and aisle congestion: High forklift density in pick zones can signal automation opportunity, but narrow aisles and existing rack configurations may limit AGV or AMR deployment without layout changes
Available clear height and slab considerations: VLMs, carousels, and multi-level ASRS require adequate ceiling height and may need slab reinforcement depending on point loads and seismic design
Peak volume vs. average volume: Systems designed for peak may sit underutilized most of the year. Evaluate whether temporary labor, flexible layouts, or modular automation handles seasonality better than full automation
Maintenance and service access: Automated systems need routine maintenance windows. Assess how downtime for repairs or upgrades would impact operations and whether redundancy is required
Scalability considerations: Determine whether the system can expand with demand or if initial investment locks you into fixed capacity. Modular systems like AMRs scale more easily than fixed conveyors
Why Automation Makes Sense for North Carolina Operations
North Carolina's logistics and manufacturing footprint is expanding across the Piedmont and beyond, but labor availability hasn't kept pace. Automation addresses that gap directly and gives you efficient ways to maximize warehouse throughput. With the right systems in place, you can increase output without adding headcount, improve picking accuracy in high-volume fulfillment, and scale capacity during seasonal peaks without scrambling for temporary workers.
Automation can reduce manual touches and unnecessary equipment movement in key areas, which helps improve safety and flow where the operation needs it most. For operations already running two or three shifts, automating the right process can reduce manual touches, help reallocate labor to higher-value work, and improve flow in targeted areas.
Request a facility review to evaluate your storage or automation options.
Rack Inspection
and Safety Services
Damaged racking is one of the most common safety risks in any warehouse. For a full professional inspection, our Apex certified rack repair inspectors (PROs), certified through a program approved by SEIZMIC Engineering, perform OSHA-compliant rack inspection services that cover structural integrity, pallet rack damage, proper use, and general warehouse safety.
We schedule around your operations to keep disruption to a minimum, and every inspection includes a detailed damage assessment, recommended next steps for repair, and any recurring problem areas that may indicate a layout, traffic, or workflow issue.
Apex also offers the free Rack Repair App (available on iOS and Android), which walks you through a step-by-step pallet rack inspection or damage assessment on your smartphone or tablet. It prompts you to capture photos and rack specs, then uploads everything to our Apex PROs for review. You get a detailed report with safety severity ratings and independent repair solutions.
Common Rack Safety Issues in North Carolina Warehouses
- Rack damage from forklift strikes: The most frequent cause of structural compromise in warehouse racking. Even minor impacts can weaken columns over time.
- Missing or damaged anchors: Unanchored rack is an immediate safety risk. Every upright must be properly secured to the slab.
- Overloaded beams and deflection: Beam deflection beyond the rated threshold can indicate that the beam is carrying more weight than it was designed to support.
- Out-of-plumb uprights: Leaning columns signal potential structural failure. An out-of-plumb measurement exceeding the height-to-tolerance ratio requires immediate attention.
Engineering, Design,
and Installation
Our engineering team uses modeling and space optimization tools to design layouts that work with your building's footprint, ceiling height, column spacing, and wind load requirements. The modeling process finalizes the system design and helps confirm the order specifications, which then moves into fabrication and installation.
Design and engineering services include:
Custom warehouse layouts using 3D AutoCAD and modeling tools
Process and material flow analysis to identify bottlenecks and optimize throughput
Data analysis mapping and evaluating process and inventory flow
Greenfield site planning or retrofit design for existing facilities
PE-certified structural drawings where required by local building codes
Project Management for North Carolina Facilities
Our engineering and design team develops practical warehouse layouts and system plans based on how the space needs to function. For projects that require stamped drawings, PE-certified engineering support is available. Once the design is approved, Apex coordinates installation planning so the work can move from layout to execution with fewer surprises.
Our pallet rack installation teams ensure each system is installed correctly and ready for operation. As a Licensed General Contractor in the Southeast, we handle permitting and compliance so nothing stalls between design approval and installation day.
Why Choose Apex Companies in North Carolina
We've spent 20+ years building a company that can handle every piece of a warehousing project, from the first AutoCAD layout to the last beam connection. Pallet rack storage, warehouse automation, and material handling services all run through one team, giving customers a single-source partner for racking, automation, rack inspection, and professional installation.
Because we take a vendor-agnostic approach to automation, you'll never get pushed toward a system that doesn't fit your operation. The Apex Way is built on 27 customer-centric principles that start with one idea: Customer First.
Single-source accountability
One team manages design, engineering, installation, and post-project support
Operational fit over product push
Solutions are matched to your throughput, inventory behavior, and labor constraints rather than tied to a preferred vendor's product line
Regional presence with national resources
Our North Carolina team gives you regional industry expertise backed by national resources, with nearby stocked inventory in Hickory, NC and additional fulfillment support through Apex's broader network.
Customer relationships built on results
The Apex Way is built on 27 customer-centric principles that start with one idea: Customer First
Rack Inspections by Certified Inspectors
Inspectors certified through a program approved by SEIZMIC Engineering
Licensed General Contractor
A Licensed General Contractor in the Southeast, keeping permitting, scheduling, and on-site work coordinated through one accountable team
Common Warehouse Challenges
Apex Solves in North Carolina
Maxing out existing space
Building footprint is fixed. Pallets crowd aisles and staging areas while storage demand keeps climbing.
High-density systems (push-back, drive-in, pallet flow rack) recover usable positions without adding square footage. Mezzanines convert vertical space into functional floor area. Our engineers evaluate your layout and identify where density gains are realistic.
What to Consider
Ceiling height, beam spacing, and slab condition all affect which high-density configuration fits your facility.
Get Started with Apex in North Carolina
Every warehouse has specific operational requirements, so we review your storage needs, workflow, and facility constraints before recommending a solution. Call Apex at (630) 957-4020 to schedule a project review with our North Carolina team, or Contact us to start the conversation. If you need standard selective rack components, use our Online Quote Builder to select frames, beams, wire decking, and rack accessories for quick delivery. You can also browse current used rack inventory, with availability changing based on stock.
We Got This!
Frequently Asked Questions
Our Charlotte-area team manages North Carolina projects locally, with stocked inventory in Hickory, NC. Standard components like upright frames, beams, and wire decking are available for fast delivery to North Carolina job sites. For availability and pricing on specific components, use our Online Quote Builder.