Mobile racking mounts standard pallet racking onto motorised bases that move along floor tracks. By eliminating fixed aisles and replacing them with a single shared access aisle that opens on demand, mobile racking delivers the highest storage density of any racking system available.
It’s suited to operations where floor space is extremely limited, or where cold storage costs make minimising refrigerated volume critical. Absolute Storage Systems designs and Australia, configured to your floor loading, forklift type and stock profile.
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Mobile racking uses the same selective racking frames and beams you’d find in a standard system, mounted on motorised bases that run along rails embedded in the floor. The bases move electrically, creating a single access aisle between whichever two rows you need to work in. All other rows remain closed, eliminating dead aisle space across the rest of the system.
The result is significantly more pallet positions in the same floor area compared to fixed racking. The trade-off is access speed: only one aisle can be open at a time, so it suits operations where throughput allows for sequential access rather than simultaneous picking in multiple aisles. Floor loading requirements also need to be assessed before installation, since the combined weight of bases, racking and pallets is substantially higher than a standard racking system.
Mobile racking involves more complex installation than standard racking, floor track embedding, electrical base installation and load calculations all need to be right before a single pallet goes in.
We assess your floor loading, stock profile, throughput requirements and forklift type to confirm mobile racking is the right fit.
We design the base configuration, track layout and racking system around your floor plan and operational needs.
Floor tracks are embedded and bases installed before the racking system is erected and commissioned.
We test base movement, safety sensors and racking stability before handover.
We provide racking audits, maintenance and base servicing as your system ages.
When every square metre of floor space is accounted for and standard racking has already been optimised, mobile racking is the logical next step. It removes the one thing fixed racking can’t: the aisles themselves.
If you’ve maximised your fixed racking and still need more capacity, mobile racking is worth a conversation. Our team can assess your floor, throughput and stock profile, contact us to get started.
Mobile pallet racking is conventional pallet racking mounted on powered bases that run on rails set into the floor. The racking runs are parked closed against each other, and a single aisle is opened on demand at the point where access is needed. Because the warehouse only needs one aisle rather than one between every run, the same stock fits into far less floor space
The gain comes from removing every aisle but one, so it depends on how many runs you currently have and how wide your aisles are. A warehouse with many narrow runs and wide aisles gains the most. We model it against your existing layout rather than quoting a fixed figure, because the range across real installations is wide and varied but the gain would be in excess of 60% over selective racking.
Cold storage is one of the strongest cases for it. Refrigerating aisle space costs the same as refrigerating stock, so removing aisles reduces the cooled volume for a given number of pallets and lowers running costs directly. Many systems also have a mode that opens all runs slightly overnight to maintain air circulation.
Mobile racking runs are fitted with photocell or laser barriers along each aisle, which stop movement if anything is detected in the aisle. Aisle check controls confirm an aisle is clear and fully open before entry, and emergency stops are fitted at each end of the run. The control system will not move a run while an aisle is registered as occupied.
Due to the nature of mobile pallet racking, the size of the structure and overall weight, power is needs to operate. The racking can’t be manually operated or pushed with machinery such as forklifts.
Yes. The rails the bases run on are set into or fixed to the slab, and the floor needs to meet a flatness and load tolerance for the system to run correctly. We assess the existing slab as part of the design, and any levelling or remedial work is identified before installation rather than discovered during it. If it is going into a pre-existing building, we can retro fit the rails into a new concrete slab built over the existing floor.
That is usually the comparison that matters. Mobile racking costs more per pallet position than static racking, but it is generally assessed against the cost of leasing additional floor space rather than against other racking. Where the stock fits into a building you already have, the case is normally about avoiding a move rather than about the racking price itself. Another consideration and major benefit of mobile racking is that due to the reduced floor space and therefore building size, expensive running costs are reduced when compared to selective racking. If you are building an new facility, the build costs are also lower.
As per the Australian Standard (AS4084:2023), pallet racking audits are now mandatory and must be completed every 12 months.
Ensure your facility is safe and fully compliant with a free onsite audit from our expert team.
