Carton Flow Racking (also known as Live Storage) is a high-density picking system designed for small items, boxes, or totes. Like Pallet Flow, it uses gravity and inclined tracks to bring products to the front of the rack, making it the gold standard for high-speed order fulfillment.
Key Benefits
- Reduced Walking Time: Pickers don’t have to search or walk deep into aisles; items are always presented at the front “picking face.”
- Increased Pick Rates: Boosts efficiency by up to 30-50% compared to static shelving.
- Separation of Tasks: Loaders work in the back and pickers work in the front. This eliminates congestion and increases safety.
- High Visibility: Every SKU is visible and accessible, reducing picking errors and making inventory checks easy.
Considerations
- Box Quality: Items must be in sturdy cardboard boxes or plastic totes with flat bottoms to glide smoothly.
- Limited Versatility: Not ideal for very heavy items or oversized goods that don’t fit standard lane widths.
- Initial Setup: More complex to install and align than simple static shelving.
How It Works
- Gravity Lanes: Each level is equipped with roller tracks or plastic wheels tilted at a slight angle.
- Restocking: New stock is loaded from the rear aisle (the replenishment side).
- Gliding: The boxes slide down automatically to the front aisle (the picking side).
- Automatic Rotation: It ensures a strict FIFO (First-In, First-Out) flow, as the oldest box is always at the front.
Ideal For
- E-commerce Fulfillment: Fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) where speed is everything.
- Pharmaceuticals: Where tracking expiration dates (FIFO) is mandatory.
- Assembly Lines: Feeding small parts and components to factory workers.
- Pick Modules: Integrating into multi-level systems for massive SKU counts.