Push back racking is a high density pallet storage system which uses a selective rack structure with a rail and cart system. Pallets are placed on carts and push backwards, creating anywhere from 2 to 6 pallets deep of storage.
Pallets are set on nested carts or trays that can be pushed backwards along rails in the rack frame itself. The rails are on an incline and fed by gravity, so the most recently added load is always in the front of the rack. The pallets are easily loaded and unloaded on a "Last In, First Out" (LIFO) rotation.
Picking is done by removing the front facing pallet, which allows the pallets behind to advance forward. The advantage of push back rack over drive in or drive through rack is accessibility. Every pallet facing on each level can be a different SKU rather than having to use only an entire lane and can provide up to 90% more storage space than selective rack.
In a nutshell, push back racking increases storage density and allows for a high level of storage space in a much smaller area. When a new pallet is added, the current load gets pushed back and the new pallet takes its place in the front.
Pushback racking can be a great option when you're looking for a medium to high density storage solution. It allows for a much more efficient use of space because the storage area is compacted into a much tighter area than traditional standard pallet racking, which could require many individual rows for the same number of pallets stored.
