Carton flow racking. Stock arrives at the pick face.
Carton live storage replaces flat shelves with inclined roller tracks at ergonomic pick heights. Cartons roll from the loading face to the picking face, so the picker stops walking to find stock and the stock is presented exactly where the hand reaches.
Loaded at the rear, picked at the front, first in, first out without anyone thinking about it.
- Rotation
- FIFOautomatic
- Loading face
- Rear
- Picking face
- Front
- Replenishment
- Separate aisle
How a carton live lane works.
Gravity does the moving. The lane is a short inclined conveyor with no motor, no power and no controls.
- Step 1
Load at the rear
Replenishment places cartons into the high end of the lane from the rear aisle.
- Step 2
Roll forward
The carton rolls down the inclined roller track until it meets the carton in front.
- Step 3
Pick at the front
The picker takes from the front carton at a fixed, ergonomic position.
- Step 4
Next carton advances
When the front carton empties and is removed, the next one rolls into the pick position.
Because every lane is loaded at one end and picked at the other, the oldest carton is always the next one picked. That is the same first in, first out principle as pallet live racking, applied to cartons picked by hand.
Shorter pick walks, precise pick faces.
On static shelving, every carton needs its own face on the aisle, so a range of fast lines stretches the aisle and the picker walks it all day. A carton live lane stores several cartons deep behind one face, so the same range fits in a fraction of the aisle length.
Pick heights are planned, not inherited. The fastest lines sit between waist and shoulder height, slower lines above and below, and each lane is labelled at the face so the pick list matches what the picker sees.
| Attribute | Static shelving | Carton live |
|---|---|---|
| Cartons behind each face | One | Several, lane depth |
| Pick walk | Length of the aisle | A short face |
| Rotation | Depends on the picker | FIFO automatic |
| Replenishment | Crosses the pick path | Separate rear aisle |
| Pick height | Wherever the shelf is | Planned per line |
Static shelving against carton live storage at the pick face.
- Cartons behind each face
- One
- Pick walk
- Length of the aisle
- Rotation
- Depends on the picker
- Replenishment
- Crosses the pick path
- Pick height
- Wherever the shelf is
Evidence from a live pick face in Cardiff.
Inclined roller tracks bring cartons from the replenishment face to the pick face, so pickers stop walking to find stock.
Fast lines had been picked from static shelving, so pickers walked the aisle and replenishment interrupted picking. Lane widths were set to the carton sizes captured at survey, and the old shelving came out one bay at a time overnight so picking carried on through the day.
- Before
- 96 shelf pick faces
- After
- 144 live lanes
- Floor recovered
- 18%
- Installation
- Installed overnight
What was specified, and why.
Carton live storage with inclined roller tracks
Cartons are loaded at the rear and roll to the pick face, separating replenishment from picking and giving first in, first out automatically.
Ergonomic pick heights
Fast lines sit at waist to shoulder height, slower lines above and below.
Outcome
Pickers work one short face rather than walking the aisle.
Outcome
Replenishment no longer crosses the pick path.
Where carton flow racking fits.
Carton live pays where a manageable number of lines are picked often, by hand, in cartons or totes.
E-commerce and order picking
Pharmaceutical and healthcare
When carton live is the wrong answer.
A gravity lane only helps when the stock rolls well and moves often. These are the cases where we will suggest something else.
- Slow moving lines. A lane full of stock nobody picks is expensive shelving. Use industrial steel shelving.
- Full pallets in and out. That is pallet live racking, loaded and unloaded by forklift.
- Soft, irregular or unboxed items that will not roll. Totes or trays in the lane help; otherwise static shelving is simpler.
- Bulky or heavy items of mixed size. Longspan shelving carries them without lanes.
- No room for a rear replenishment aisle. Without it, the main benefit is lost.
Carton live questions, answered.
Carton flow racking, also called carton live storage, is shelving with inclined roller tracks in place of flat shelves. Cartons are loaded at the rear, the higher end, and roll forward under gravity to the pick face at the front. The picker takes from the front, and the next carton rolls into its place.
Yes, automatically. Each lane is loaded from the back and picked from the front, so the oldest carton is always the one at the pick face. Rotation no longer depends on pickers remembering to take the oldest stock first, which matters for date coded, batch controlled and perishable lines.
Static shelving holds one carton face per location, so fast lines spread down the aisle and pickers walk to them. A carton live lane holds several cartons deep behind a single pick face, so many more lines fit within arm's reach of one position. Pickers work a short face rather than walking the length of the aisle.
No, and that is one of the main reasons to install it. Replenishment happens from a separate aisle at the rear, so restocking never crosses the pick path and can run during picking without interrupting it.
Lane widths and track spacing are set to the carton sizes captured at survey, and can be adjusted as the product range changes. Very small, soft or irregular items roll better in totes or trays than loose. We check the carton bases and weights before quoting so nothing jams or overruns.
Yes. Carton flow lanes can be fitted at the lower levels of pallet racking, with reserve pallets stored on the beam levels above. That keeps fast pick lines at ergonomic heights and replenishment stock directly above them.
Both use gravity and both are first in, first out. Carton live carries individual cartons on light roller tracks and is picked by hand. Pallet live racking carries full pallets on heavy roller beds and is loaded and unloaded by forklift. Choose by the unit you pick, not the unit you receive.
Designed schemes typically run 4 to 8 weeks from order. In the Cardiff project the old shelving was removed one bay at a time and the carton live lanes were installed overnight, so picking carried on through the day.
Send us the pick list for your fastest lines.
Lines, carton sizes and picks per day are enough to tell whether carton live pays and how many lanes you need. The survey turns that into a layout and a price.