INTRODUCTION

With a growing business, it is also necessary and good if your warehouse space increases, but usually, that doesn’t happen. To handle this situation, the first thing that comes to mind is to move to a spacious location or to rebuild the warehouse to accommodate more goods. One should consider narrowing the choices. A viable option which is worth considering is aisle racking which will make your warehouse space more organised and well arranged.

What is VNA Racking?

VNA or Very Narrow Aisle Racking is engineered in a way to organise the goods in the warehouse, thereby maximising its capacity. It is a storage system with high capacity and provides unrestricted access to pallets.
VNA racking is a new age warehouse racking system equipped with an interlock pallet with a much wider marginal aisle compared to the load. VNAs with this kind of buildup provides high rigidity and good tolerance to meet the requirements.

VNA is not a new concept introduced in the market. It has modified itself in the past twenty years to offer the best alternative and to overcome the space constraints in warehouse storage.

VNA Racks: Guidance Systems

VNA racks refer more to the layout rather than the actual rack. However, wire or rail guidance racking systems optimise speed by reducing vehicle, product and rack damage. The guidance system improves overall productivity by concentrating on lifting and freeing the operator. Let us read about the two such guidance systems.

1. Rail Guidance

In a rail guidance system, the vehicle travels between the rails fixed on the sides of the aisle. Guide rollers of the vehicle control the travel path inside the aisle.

2. Wire Guidance

In wire guidance, a wire is embedded in a canal in the middle of the aisle. The wire tends to produce a magnetism effect which guides the truck’s movement. When the vehicle is secured with wire, the steering is automatic.

Storage Advantages of VNA Racking

VNA racking is the most efficient way of pallet racking for complete utilisation of available space in any warehouse. Narrow aisles are preferred over standard pallet racking because it can store the maximum pallet in the available space. Let us discuss some of the advantages of VNA racking. These include:

• Makes stock rotation possible.
• Allows 100 per cent selectively.
• Keeps goods protected.
• Limits the redundancy of pallets.
• Minimizes pallet redundancy.
• Uses rail and wire guidance systems for faster movement.

How is VNA Racking Better than Conventional Racking

The width of conventional aisles is 12 inches or more, and regular aisles are around 8′ or more, whereas very narrow aisles have widths as thin as 5.5′. Hence, VNA racking provides 55 per cent of space utilisation, which means that nearly 55 per cent of the space in a warehouse is used up for storing goods. The remaining 45 per cent is used for aisle spacing to hold stocks. The wide aisle pallet racking provides only 40 per cent of space utilisation, while the narrow racking provides 50 per cent of space utilisation.

However, the gain of 5% in space utilisation in VNA racking may seem a minor change, but when you add up this 5% more spacing, it gives a marked increase in revenue. If you look at the bigger picture, for large-scale warehousing, this brings a notable increase. VNA also has benefits over standard racking systems when the number of pallets is considered. In VNA racking, you have the benefit of 1000 more pallets in comparison to standard aisles.

Another benefit of VNA racking is the less damage caused to pallets while handling. The aisle truck moves a bit slower, and the guided system of handling pallets makes it less vulnerable to mishandling. The aisle trucks also reach a higher height than regular FLTs, so this also benefits the fuller utilisation of available capacity when we store vertically.
Besides providing compact spacing, VNAs provide more height for storage in the warehouse than conventional racking. The VNA racking system is much more flexible as the depth and height can be customised according to the customer’s need.

What Should be Considered While Switching to VNA Racking?

If you are still using a standard racking system in your warehouse but desire to switch to a VNA racking system because you think it is more efficient and profitable to invest, here are a few things to consider.

• As you shift to a very narrow aisle racking system, an investment in a turret truck rather than a sit-down forklift is essential. This is a much bigger investment. The turret trucks are compatible with very narrow aisles especially designed for high volumes. These trucks are not efficient at loading and unloading trailers. You need to buy several trucks for new rows of racking.
• Companies use wire guidance systems for VNAs to avoid damage, which can be another expense. As VNA racking does not provide extra space for forklifts to take turns, a rail-guided or wire-guided forklift is essential.
• Very narrow aisle racking is an ideal choice if you have a few pallets with the same SKU and you want a high selectivity.
• The cost should also be considered if you are planning to install VNAs. The installation cost is quite high but will provide high revenue in the long run, proving profitable for any business.
• The revenue, in return, will outweigh the initial cost of installing VNAs and other equipment. Moreover, a logistic service will help you to retain customers.

Making the Final Move to VNA Racking: Steps Involved

The steps involved in taking the final move to install VNAs are as follows:

• Firstly, you should be aware that you won’t be able to use your current forklift truck with this setup. So you may need to change it.
• Secondly, you must visit the storage provider and look for a VNA layout.
• Lastly, you need to unload the goods and then reinstall the new ones after dismantling the old ones. Possibly you have more space now.

Takeaway

Warehouse and store owners are now shifting to the VNA racking system because of its benefits. It is an excellent way to utilise the available storage space in your warehouse and create more room which in turn helps your business grow and bring a good return. Installing VNA racking is a wise decision as it does not require expanding the storage space; instead, it efficiently uses the available space. Running out of space? Visit Donracks for VNA Racking and smartly optimise your warehouse storage.