In almost any manufacturing process, production is as fast as the delivery time on the slowest component.  Tier-Rack is no different.  Our lead time and delivery schedule for stack racks is dependent upon delivery of parts, steel, decking components, paint and other materials required for assembly.  For carts, automotive racks or shipping racks, specialized parts or dunnage components may also be required.

Tubular steel is often the last arriving component.  Most producing tube mills operate with rolling cycles that may vary from two or three weeks to perhaps six or eight weeks depending on the size and demand for a given size of shipping rack.  Mill rolling dates are scheduled in advance since the mill must 1^st   secure flat rolled coils in the proper gauges and then slit and reroll them to conforming feeder coils to serve the tube production. 

Our purchasing department at Tier-Rack works with multiple tube mills in our supply chain.  We visit the key producing mills and invite them into our plants.  This is done to gain a full understanding of their capacity and of our production needs.  Steel pricing is volatile and can vary widely during a calendar year.  At any given time, prices can vary by region, for example Great Lakes vs. Southeast. 

Common mill stocking sizes for tubular steel are 240” (20 feet) and 288” (24 feet).  Consider a common post size of 60 ½” – On a 240” length, the waste factor is 24%.  On a 288” length the waste factor is almost 20%.  Considerable value and cost savings is achieved by ordering a custom mill length of 304”, with near zero cut waste.

On large orders considerable savings are available to our customers who provide a delivery window sufficient to allow for the production cycles on raw materials best suited for the specific job.

Inventory Considerations – Tier-Rack products are designed to meet a specific customer’s needs and specifications.  Generally, each order is a custom make-to-order project.  A 60 x60 tire rack, or a 48 x48 warehouse rack may seem common, but each style can have dozens of subtle variations making it unique, but suitable to each customer’s requested needs and required use.

Finished steel products are durable and are expected to last for decades.  Raw steel is perishable and is subject to rust and corrosion if stored over time.  Coatings and rust preventative products are used to eliminate these risks.  However, excess coating or oil finishes on raw steel create health and safety factors in the welding process in addition to environmental challenges in the cleaning and preparation for powder coat painting.

Although Tier-Rack maintains a significant stocking inventory of common sizes on tubular steel, decking components and parts, it is not cost effective or beneficial to bank materials in contemplation of large order needs or every order need.  Two risks are present – (1) Material losing value due to rust or corrosion and (2) having a large supply of item A, when item B is in demand.

The best value is found by securing material to meet a specific order demand for warehouse racks  This allows us to:

a.        Optimize cut lengths or production mult lengths to minimize material waste and costs,

b.       Obtain matched sizing to assure proper telescoping of posts and sockets.  Although each vender is producing under ASTM guidelines, subtle tooling and production variations can create fit issues if we mix product from differing production mills.  For example, special tooling and processes are often required at the tubing mill for obtaining a proper inside dimension for socket material.

c.       Shop competitively and aggressively from our qualified mill producers to secure the best market pricing and lower costs to our customer.

d.      Consistently use prime hot rolled black steel in production, which is superior for safety and environmental reasons.

Understanding lead time considerations is a critical part of the planning process involved when a customer is considering a purchase of portable stacking racks from Tier-Rack. 

As a producer of stack racks and tire racks, we work to provide the best value to end-users.  This value is a found in a complement of materials and manpower.  With two manufacturing plants our volume gives us significant buying power with major producers of tubular steel, decking components and common rack parts for the basic tire rack and stack rack.  As a sixty year old company, we have the engineering and production expertise to optimize labor and materials to minimize cost and reduce the final selling pricing to our customer.

The following narratives on lead time considerations for material and manpower will help our customers gain an understanding of what is required to maximize value on an order for Tier-Rack products. 

Paddling downstream is always easier than paddling against the current. 

In some situations, and in some geographic areas imported portable stacking racks can provide a good value to the end-user.

 Tier-Rack has a decade long association with producers in China who can provide quality stack racks at competitive pricing levels.  Typically value can be found when (1) the order volume is high (1,000 units or more), (2) the rack style is common: i.e. commodity (tire racks or warehouse racks) not specialized or highly customized (3) lead time is generous and (4) the destination point is served by nearby container cargo ports (typically West Coast).

 Tier-Rack can provide comparison costs for import vs. domestic production to aid our current and prospective customers with their buying needs.  As shipping costs and international monetary rates fluctuate, the value line for imported racks can change with frequency.  For some customers, it is an option to view with eyes wide open.

 Without doubt, the greatest supply chain control is found with domestically produced product.  Higher assurances on quality, more closely monitored production processes and greater assurance of delivery on schedule has value.

For more information visit on stack rack, www.tier-rack.com and call 1-800-325-7869 to learn more..

Tire companies around the country have an issue.  Tires aren't the easiest thing to store and carry, as they're very fungible and need to be stored with special care.  Not only do they need to be stored in cool, not cold, environments so that they don't warp in the heat, they need to be stored in certain configurations to avoid warping.  This is where a high quality rack, especially from Tier-Rack Corporation, will fit the bill.

Tier-Rack tire racks are constructed with only the highest quality metals, used for every portion of the construction of the rack, giving them a massive amount of stability and the safest rack available.  Their tire racks are also built with mesh decking, letting the tires rest evenly so that they don't develop flat spots or wear awkwardly.  Tier-Rack also sells used tire racks, giving your warehouse the flexibility to save money on their storage solutions.  They can also create a stacking rack to enable companies with higher ceilings to effectively use all of the space in their warehouse and cut down on wasted space.

Tier-Rack engineers can also design any rack for you, and with their manufacturing and engineering experience, will make exactly the rack that your company needs built, guaranteed.  Please call 800-325-7869 and visit www.tier-rack.com today to find out how Tier-Rack can make exactly the racks that your company needs to get that warehouse under control.