What should metal fabrication teams check before ordering carton flow rack?

Use picks per SKU, carton width and replenishment frequency. A fast-moving item may need multiple lanes while a slower item needs only one. Test light or soft cartons with the proposed wheel bed, and confirm that stockers can reach the loading side without interrupting the picking operation. Include peak inventory and the work that must stay active during installation, not only average loads. Give mixed distributor orders a repeatable carton pick face with reserve pallets above only where capacity permits.

What is carton flow rack actually used for?

Case and piece picking. Cartons ride gravity wheel beds so the next unit advances to the pick face automatically, cutting walking time and keeping the line organized as SKU counts climb.

How is it different from static shelving?

On static shelving, a picker reaches into the bay and someone has to physically face the product afterward. Carton flow feeds from behind and presents at the front, so rotation is automatic and the pick position never moves.

Carton Flow Rack warehouse storage system

Livonia, Michigan

Carton Flow Rack in Livonia, MI

Livonia warehouses serve manufacturing and distribution along I-96 and I-275, often from buildings that have already expanded their product mix. Reserve stock can occupy the same aisles used for outbound orders. Before adding rows, it is worth deciding which inventory needs direct access and which can share a deeper storage lane. Give mixed distributor orders a repeatable carton pick face with reserve pallets above only where capacity permits. Carton flow shelving organizes case and each picks at a repeatable front position. Inclined wheel beds advance cartons as units are removed, while replenishment enters from behind. Lane width, support and slope need to suit the cartons, not an assumed box size. Reserve pallets above the pick levels require a separately checked rack configuration and capacity.

For Livonia, the first step is a free warehouse design consultation that turns the storage problem into a layout and an itemized quote, not a guess about how many positions will fit. Send the load dimensions, weights and floor plan, and we will discuss the access and storage tradeoffs before specifying the system.

(313) 637-6214

Why Livonia Warehouses Work With Us

The Ford Livonia Transmission area and the city's rail-connected industrial base illustrate why storage here cannot be reduced to ordinary boxed freight. Heavy components, packaging and commercial distribution have separate requirements. I-96 and I-275 connect the territory, but column spacing, dock staging and the lift equipment already in use determine how much storage a building can actually support. Give mixed distributor orders a repeatable carton pick face with reserve pallets above only where capacity permits.

For carton flow, pick frequency and carton condition decide the lane arrangement. We collect case dimensions, weights and bottom-board stiffness, then give frequent items enough faces to last between replenishment cycles. Separating stocking from picking is useful only when the rear access remains clear. Existing rack can be considered after its dimensions and capacity are confirmed. Detroit Pallet Rack, a division of Warehouse Equipment & Supplies Co., connects those decisions with the project quote. You receive a drawing to review, the proposed components and capacities, and an installation sequence tied to the work areas you can release. We discuss the tradeoffs with your operations team before ordering material rather than treating a higher position count as the only measure of a successful project.

Free warehouse consultation

CAD layout with position counts

Pallet rack delivery and installation

Carton flow rack with gravity wheel beds and case lanes

Carton flow shelving in use on a warehouse pick line

Operations We Rack Around Here

Local industrial corridors include Plymouth Road Industrial Park, the Schoolcraft corridor, Middlebelt industrial, the Plymouth Road industrial park and I-96 corridor.

Metal fabrication

Medical and lab supply

Third-party logistics

Consumer goods distribution

How Carton Flow Rack Works

Cases advance to the picker instead of the picker hunting for cases.

Inclined wheel beds

A full-width wheel bed or roller track sits on a slight incline inside a standard bay, so cases move forward under their own weight without power.

Pick from a fixed position

The picker always reaches for the same forward spot in the lane. Travel time drops, and so does the time spent searching for the next case.

Restock from behind

Replenishment loads the high end of the lane from a separate aisle, so restocking never blocks or slows the pick line, and rotation stays first in, first out automatically.

One lane per SKU

Lane dividers set the width for each case size, giving every SKU its own face - a width that can be resized as your product mix shifts.

What a Carton Flow Rack Project Includes

Your Livonia carton flow rack project begins with the current load list, a floor plan and a discussion of daily handling. For carton flow, pick frequency and carton condition decide the lane arrangement. We collect case dimensions, weights and bottom-board stiffness, then give frequent items enough faces to last between replenishment cycles. Separating stocking from picking is useful only when the rear access remains clear. Existing rack can be considered after its dimensions and capacity are confirmed.

The project starts with the case list: dimensions, weight, whether the carton bottom is stiff or soft, and picks per SKU per day. Those numbers decide wheel bed style, lane width, and how much face each SKU is worth giving up.

From there we lay out the bay - how many flow levels, at what incline, and what sits above them. In most designs, the fastest movers get the golden zone at waist height, slower SKUs move to the upper or lower levels, and reserve pallets stack overhead in the same footprint.

The quote itemizes frames, beams, wheel bed or track, lane dividers, front stops, and shelf-level accessories, with the layout showing lane assignments by SKU. Installation sets the incline, tests case travel with your actual cartons, and adjusts before the line goes live.

The payoff is a pick line where cases present themselves, restocking stays out of the way, and lane widths can be reset whenever SKUs come and go.

Delivery and installation are agreed against the approved drawing and the areas your team can release. We review access for unloading, the sequence of rows and the material that needs to arrive first. Confirm the load assumptions before handover and retain the layout and capacity records for future additions. If the product mix changes, review the affected levels or lanes before putting different loads into service.

For the Plymouth Road Industrial Park area, receiving access and active work zones are confirmed alongside the drawing. The final scope separates material, delivery coordination and installation so your team can compare proposals on the same basis. Keep the approved layout and capacity information for later changes rather than assuming a future load will fit the original design.

Case and each picking operations

Order fulfillment lines carrying many active SKUs

Grocery, beverage, and consumer goods distribution

Kitting and light assembly feed lines

Bays that need reserve pallets stacked above the pick face

Call (313) 637-6214

Recent Installations

Racking projects completed for warehouses across Southeast Michigan.

Pallet rack installation by Detroit Pallet Rack

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Get a Carton Flow Rack Quote for Your Livonia Warehouse

Send the basics and we will follow up with a layout and pricing. Prefer to talk it through? Call (313) 637-6214.

Detroit Pallet Rack

19120 Grand River Ave.

Suite C

Detroit, MI 48223

(313) 637-6214

Monday - Saturday: 8:00 AM - 6:00 PM

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