Outer Containers: Storage Racking

Overview

Rather than being filled and sent out on another delivery, there are times when boxes may need to be stored for considerable periods. This may be days in the case of boxes that are needed to fill weekly peaks in demand or years in cases where users have packed goods away for long term storage.

Three Dimensions

To make optimal use of storage space, storage racking should work efficiently in three dimensions. In the longest term storage, where retrieval times measured in hours will be acceptable, the storage racks should allow almost complete filling of the available space. It does not matter that the automated system had to shuffle thirty other boxes along to expose the one being retrieved.

Boxes that are not accessed should gradually be moved to the centre of the stack with those accessed most frequently on its perimeter. A proportion of boxes will be stored with their likely retrieval date already known. For example, store this box of ski-wear till the winter or these utensils till we move house next year. In such cases, they can be stored in an appropriate section of the facility.

Shelves v Stacking

As with shipping containers, two or more boxes can be stacked on top of each other without any additional framework being needed. A latching mechanism at each corner locks a box securely on top of another. The shell of a box is designed to support up to half a dozen other fully laden boxes above it without it being crushed. Shelves can therefore be several feet above each other as stacks of boxes are moved together to the access point where the one required is separated from those above and below it.

Temperature Control

Where the temperature of the stored boxes is to be controlled, this can be made most efficient by forming the boxes into a cube - thus reducing the surface area to volume ratio as much as possible.