Malaysia Food Warehouse Racking Project with Push Back, Drive-In and Radio Shuttle Systems for 4 Rooms

Project Overview

A food distribution company in Malaysia operating its own warehouse required a complete high-density pallet racking solution for four storage rooms, each measuring 24 m (L) x 27 m (W) x 9 m (H). To maximise storage capacity and keep daily operations efficient, the project combines push back racking, drive-in racking and radio shuttle racking, covering both ambient storage and multi-temperature cold storage in a single warehouse. Detailed 1:100 racking layout drawings were prepared for every room to confirm aisle widths, lane depths and exact pallet positions before manufacturing.

Customer Requirements

• Four independent storage rooms, each 24 m x 27 m x 9 m.
• Rooms 1, 2 and 3: ambient temperature storage for food products.
• Room 4: multi-temperature area, with 40% freezer space at -25°C and 60% chilled space at 0°C.
• Pallet load for Rooms 1-3: 1200 x 1000 x 1600 mm, 1000 kg per pallet. The previous 1800 mm allowance included extra free space added by the customer, and the design has been revised to the actual 1600 mm load height.
• Pallet load for Room 4: 1200 x 1000 x 1300 mm, 1000 kg per pallet.
• Four storage levels required in the ambient rooms; four levels on both sides and five levels in the middle of Room 4.
• Last-In-First-Out (LIFO) deep storage to increase density and reduce aisle area.

Solution Design

Rooms 1-3: Ambient Storage with 50% Push Back and 50% Drive-In Racking

Each ambient room is equipped with a 50/50 combination of push back racking and drive-in racking. Both systems store pallets in deep lanes accessed from a single aisle, eliminating the need for multiple aisles and significantly increasing storage density compared with selective racking.

With the confirmed pallet height of 1600 mm, four storage levels fit comfortably within the 9 m building height, releasing the unused height created by the previous 1800 mm allowance. Push back racking provides better selectivity with nested carts riding on inclined rails, while drive-in racking offers a cost-effective solution where the forklift enters the lane directly. Each lane holds pallets of 1200 x 1000 x 1600 mm with a load of 1000 kg, and the engineered layout delivers around 1,000 pallet positions per room.

Room 4: Multi-Temperature Storage with Radio Shuttle and Push Back Racking

Room 4 is divided by temperature zone. Around 40% of the room is a -25°C freezer equipped with radio shuttle racking, while the remaining 60% is a 0°C chilled area continuing with push back racking. The 1300 mm pallet height allows four levels on both sides and five levels in the middle, making full use of the building height in every zone.

Radio shuttle racking was selected for the deep-freezer zone because it minimises the time forklifts and operators spend inside the -25°C environment. A shuttle cart carries pallets deep into the lane automatically, so the forklift only works at the lane entrance, reducing energy loss and improving both safety and operating efficiency in the freezer.

Key Technical Highlights

• High-density LIFO storage: push back, drive-in and radio shuttle systems all store multiple pallets per lane with single-aisle forklift access.
• Full height utilisation: four levels in ambient rooms and four to five levels in the multi-temperature room within the 9 m building height.
• Cold storage efficiency: radio shuttle technology cuts forklift travel and door opening time in the -25°C freezer.
• Engineered layout: 1:100 shop drawings for every room confirm aisle widths, lane depths, bay arrangements and exact pallet positions before production.
• Customised pallet handling: systems engineered for 1200 x 1000 mm pallets, 1000 kg load, with 1600 mm and 1300 mm load heights.
• Food-grade protection: anti-corrosion powder coated finish suitable for humid tropical climates and low-temperature operation.
• OEM service: lane depth, levels, beam lengths and colours all customised to the customer's layout and forklift fleet.

Project Outcome

In total, the four rooms deliver more than 4,000 pallet positions, giving the customer a dense, flexible and energy-conscious storage layout for its food warehouse in Malaysia.

Conclusion

This project shows how a single warehouse with mixed temperature zones can be fitted with the right combination of deep storage technologies. By matching push back racking, drive-in racking and radio shuttle racking to each temperature zone and pallet profile, the customer obtains maximum density, lower operating cost and reliable day-to-day access to every pallet. All systems are manufactured with CE and ISO9001 quality control and exported with protective packing for fast on-site installation.