What should air freight forwarding teams check before ordering pushback rack?

Use the number of pallets normally held per active SKU, not only the seasonal maximum. Compare lane occupancy and pick-face count at two or more depths. Stable reserves may suit deeper lanes; mixed or low-volume items should retain direct access. Each lane runs LIFO, so dated stock needs a separate rotation decision. Include peak inventory and the work that must stay active during installation, not only average loads. Absorb repeated inbound reserve pallets while leaving airport-linked cross-dock freight outside the storage lanes.

How deep can a pushback lane go?

Two to six pallets deep is the practical range. Lanes beyond four deep only pay off if you consistently hold that many pallets per SKU - we size lane depth from your inventory profile, not by maxing out the rail.

How does push back racking compare to drive-in rack?

Both store deep from one face. With pushback the forklift stays in the aisle and gravity does the work, which is faster and gentler on the structure. Drive-in goes deeper and costs less per position, but the driver has to enter the lane to place and pull loads.

Romulus, Michigan

Pushback Rack in Romulus, MI

Romulus logistics operations work around airport-linked freight and truck appointments, so storage shortfalls quickly become dock problems. Near Detroit Metro Airport and the I-94 and I-275 junction, inbound loads may arrive in waves rather than an even stream. Reserve storage should absorb those receipts without blocking the cross-dock and outbound movements that keep the operation running. Absorb repeated inbound reserve pallets while leaving airport-linked cross-dock freight outside the storage lanes. Pushback pallet racking makes sense when several pallets of one SKU can share a lane. Nested carts on inclined rails keep loading and retrieval at one aisle, but the lane runs last in, first out. Check actual reserve depth before choosing a two-, three- or four-deep arrangement; empty lanes are not added capacity.

For Romulus, 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 Romulus Warehouses Work With Us

Detroit Metro Airport and the Vining Road and Wick Road distribution areas make Romulus a freight-oriented market. The rack plan needs to distinguish stock that will stay from freight that is only passing through. I-94 and I-275 provide access, while dock staging, replenishment windows and trailer turnover determine where dense storage can sit without interfering with daily handling. Absorb repeated inbound reserve pallets while leaving airport-linked cross-dock freight outside the storage lanes.

For pushback, your inventory profile matters more than the maximum lane depth in a catalog. We compare average and peak pallets per SKU, confirm the pallet base and overhang, and match carts to the load. A mixed operation can keep selective rows for individual picks and use pushback only for the reserves that justify it. 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

High-density pushback rack lanes loaded with pallets

Pushback pallet racking showing cart rails and load beams

Operations We Rack Around Here

Local industrial corridors include the DTW air cargo area, Ecorse Road industrial, the I-275 and Wayne Road corridor, the Detroit Metro Airport freight corridor.

Air freight forwarding

Third-party logistics

Cold chain handling

Cross-dock operations

How Pushback Rack Works

Two to six pallets deep from one aisle, without giving up much reach.

Loading from the aisle

The driver sets the first pallet on the front cart. Each pallet added after that pushes the cart train deeper into the lane, so one aisle handles the whole depth.

Carts nested on rails

Steel carts with nylon or steel wheels ride inclined rails, each nesting under the one ahead of it - that nesting is what makes multi-deep storage possible from a single face.

Retrieval by gravity

Pull the front pallet and the next cart rolls forward on the incline to the pick face. No driving into the lane, no repositioning pallets by hand.

Last in, first out

Each lane runs LIFO. That suits fast-turning product and any operation managing rotation by lane rather than by individual pallet date.

What a Pushback Rack Project Includes

Your Romulus pushback rack project begins with the current load list, a floor plan and a discussion of daily handling. For pushback, your inventory profile matters more than the maximum lane depth in a catalog. We compare average and peak pallets per SKU, confirm the pallet base and overhang, and match carts to the load. A mixed operation can keep selective rows for individual picks and use pushback only for the reserves that justify it.

Pushback layouts are built around the pallet, not the building. We start by confirming pallet type, footprint, overhang, and load weight, because cart spacing and rail incline follow that profile rather than a generic 48x40 assumption.

Next we set lane depth. Deeper lanes store more, but only pay off if you actually carry that many pallets per SKU - so we compare a two-deep and a four-deep version of the same footprint and show what each does to total positions and to how many pick faces you're left with.

The quote covers frames, beams, rails, carts, and guarding, itemized so you can see exactly what the added density costs per position - the number that matters more than the sticker price. Rails and carts are set and tested at installation, and cart travel is verified in every lane before handover.

You end up with a CAD drawing, capacity ratings, a documented loading sequence for your drivers, and a local source for replacement carts and wheels down the road.

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 the DTW air cargo area 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.

Two to six pallets of the same SKU stacked in one lane

Cold storage or leased space where rent per square foot is steep

Operations trimming aisle count to add positions

Beverage, packaging, and consumer goods runs

Buildings with clear height to spare but limited floor

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Recent Installations

Racking projects completed for warehouses across Southeast Michigan.

Pallet rack installation by Detroit Pallet Rack

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Get a Pushback Rack Quote for Your Romulus 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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