A wood pallet (left) sits next to a “nestable” plastic pallet. Idle nestable pallets can be stacked on top of one another to save space.
Articles
Cellulose or plastic? It’s not just about shopping bags

The vast product arrays that move through modern storage warehouses provide a constant challenge to owners, insurers and code officials to assure the built-in fire protection is suitable to protect the hazards. The combustibility and heat release rate of products…

What fuel loads exist in these boxes? It is impossible to determine by looking at the packaging how much Group A plastic may be included in expanded or unexpanded form. The owner, shipper or warehouse operator should keep informed of any changes that may affect combustibility.
Articles
The influence of plastics in high piled storage – Part 3

Many modern products are constructed from a variety of constituents ranging from natural to synthetic elements. The vast number of potential combinations of wood, ceramic, metal, paper, leather, plastics and other materials barely can be imagined. Likewise, many of these…

Figure 3. Motor vehicle oil filters in unexpanded plastic wrappers. In this configuration, the metal outer case with paper filter and small amounts of plastic wrap likely make this a Class II commodity.
Articles
High challenge: High-piled storage fire protection– Part 2

The accurate classification of commodities in high-piled storage arrays is essential to successful fire outcomes because the level of fire protection must be capable of protecting the fuel load. If the potential combustible load exceeds the automatic sprinklers’ fire suppression…

Figure 1. Longitudinal and transverse flue spaces. Longitudinal spaces are those between racks at the left. Transverse flue spaces, on the right, exist between stored materials and the racks as one is facing them. These flue spaces should be maintained to allow vertical fire spread and enable fire control water to reach burning and nearby combustibles. IL certifications can be an important factor in processors’ efforts to protect human life, plant assets and business operations.
Articles
High challenge: High-piled storage fire protection – Part 1

Rising real estate costs and materials handling improvements make high-piled and rack storage a desirable option for product manufacturers and wholesale companies. With multi-function scanning codes and radio-tracking tags, warehouse operators can manage a huge variety of commodities in vast…