COVID-19 has hit many of us hard in 2020. Many businesses have seen dramatic decreases in business levels, especially those servicing the Foodservice Industry like restaurants and bars. Others like Wholesale Food and especially those servicing healthcare and medical industries have seen large increases in the volume of both product storage and order processing which now pushes their existing warehouse operations to their limits.

Most companies consider obvious options for handling these increases. Find a new building that can support their growth or expand with an addition. Many neglect to consider another option which has gained in popularity in the last 20-years or so- very narrow aisle (VNA) racking storage.

Reaching new heights with VNA systems

VNA systems offer these companies an excellent, and in most cases, cost effective alternative to moving or building. Wire-guided forklifts such as swing reach trucks and orderpickers allow rack storage aisles to be decreased by 50-60% from 12’-14’ in many cases down to 6’ -7’ wide. This allows a significant increase in pallet storage capacity within the same warehouse space, often 30-50%.

Since the trucks that work in these VNA systems are guided, they can travel faster in the aisle and because they are positioned only a few inches from the rack facing, operators can quickly and efficiently access products in the rack system.

Proven solutions

Raymond is a worldwide leader in forklifts designed for VNA racking systems. The 9000 Series swing reach trucks and 5000 Series orderpickers are ideal lift trucks for these applications and can be customized to fit most applications and customer needs.

They offer a GREAT interactive brochure called the Storage Space Efficiency Guide which clearly explains the basic advantages and storage space increase opportunities available with narrow aisle and very narrow aisle (VNA) storage systems. It provides excellent examples of the amount of warehouse space needed to store 1000 pallets, which can be extrapolated to match your situation. These examples show the type of truck used, the aisle width this truck requires and how high it can lift pallets. It quickly and easily provides examples on what gains can be realized in the different storage system scenarios.

Abel Womack has designed and implemented many VNA systems for their East Coast as well as national customers. Our team of experienced sales reps and engineering staff are available to show you the many options available to maximize your existing warehouse space and handle your growth and increased demands. Contact us today.