In the world of Lean Manufacturing, the state of your raw material storage is a direct reflection of your operational discipline. If your Laserschere. area is cluttered with wooden pallets, mixed stacks of Edelstahl., and unidentified remnants, you are failing the “Visual Management” test.

Chaos is not just ugly; it is expensive. It breeds waste (Muda) in the form of searching, motion, and defects. Implementing a Blechregal is often the fastest way to achieve 5S compliance (Sort, Set in order, Shine, Standardize, Sustain). This article explains how structured storage transforms your warehouse from a cluttered dumping ground into a streamlined material library.

“Set in Order” (Seiton): A Place for Everything

The core of 5S is that every item has a designated place, and that place is clearly marked. Floor stacking violates this principle because the “place” keeps moving. Today the 3mm Aluminium is in Aisle 1; tomorrow it’s buried in Aisle 3 behind the 2.235 stahl.

Ein Roll Out Sheet Rack provides a permanent, fixed home for every SKU. By labeling each drawer—e.g., “Drawer 05: 304 Stainless, 1.5mm”—you create a system where any operator, even a new hire, can find the material in seconds without asking questions. This reduction in “tribal knowledge” dependency is key to scaling your operations.


WMS integrated sheet metal rack with light indicators

Visual management in action: Integration with WMS indicators ensures error-free picking.

Conquering the “Remnant” Nightmare

The biggest enemy of a clean workshop is the “off-cut” or remnant sheet. In traditional setups, these half-used sheets are leaned against walls or piled loosely on top of full packs. They are hazardous, hard to measure, and eventually get scrapped because nobody knows they exist.

Unser horizontal sheet storage system turns remnants into usable assets. You can designate shallow drawers specifically for “Returns.” Because the drawer bottom is solid (or closely spaced bars), it supports irregular shapes safely. When a CNC programmer nests a new job, they can check the “Remnant Drawer” first, utilizing existing scrap before cutting into a fresh, expensive sheet.

“Shine” (Seiso): Keeping the Laser Clean

A dirty environment kills fiber laser lenses. Wooden pallets are a major source of dust and splinters in a metal fabrication shop. Every time a forklift drags a pallet across the concrete, it generates particulate matter that settles on your equipment.

By using a depalletizer to strip the wood at the dock and storing only clean metal in steel drawers, you significantly reduce the airborne contaminants in your facility. This supports the “Shine” pillar of 5S, extending the maintenance intervals of your precision machinery and improving the overall air quality for your staff.

The 5S Impact Table

How upgrading to a rack system directly supports your Lean goals:

S-säule 5. Traditional Floor Stacking Roll-Out Rack Solution
Sort (Seiri) Obsolete stock buried at bottom. 100% visibility exposes dead stock.
Set in Order (Seiton) Locations change; time wasted searching. Fixed addresses; retrieval < 3 mins.
Shine (Seiso) Wood dust, debris between sheets. Wood-free zone; protects material finish.
Standardize (Seiketsu) Process depends on forklift driver skill. Standardized crane lifting process.
Sustain (Shitsuke) Hard to maintain order; reverts to mess. System forces discipline naturally.


Separating sheet metal with manual tools

Standardized tools and locations allow operators to work with surgical precision.

Impressing the “Downstream” Customer

When you bid for contracts with large OEMs in the Automobilindustrie oder Medical device sectors, they will audit your facility. They are looking for process control. A chaotic warehouse screams “risk,” while a clean, racked storage area screams “control.”

Investing in professional storage infrastructure is a marketing tool. It visually demonstrates to your clients that you respect their materials, you control your lead times, and you run a world-class manufacturing operation. It builds the confidence required to win higher-margin business.

Häufig gestellte Fragen

1. Can we color-code the drawers for visual management?

Yes. We can powder coat the drawer fronts in different colors (e.g., Red for Steel, White for Aluminum, Blue for Stainless) to provide immediate visual cues for your operators, reducing the risk of cross-contamination.

2. How does the rack handle different sheet sizes in terms of “Standardization”?

We recommend sizing the rack for your largest common sheet (e.g., 6000mm or 4000mm). Smaller sheets can be stored in these same drawers. This maintains a uniform exterior look for the rack row while offering flexibility inside, keeping the aisle perfectly straight and tidy.

3. Is the rack compatible with our barcode system?

Yes. The flat front face of the drawer handle is an ideal surface for placing durable barcode or QR code labels. Operators can scan the drawer before picking to confirm it matches the work order, ensuring 100% accuracy.

4. Does removing wooden pallets really save that much cleaning time?

Feedback from our clients suggests that removing wood from the production floor reduces sweeping and floor cleaning time by up to 30%. It also significantly reduces the frequency of filter changes on laser cutting dust collectors.

5. How quickly can we implement this system?

Once delivered, a standard unit can be assembled and anchored in less than a day. You can transition from a chaotic floor stack to a fully loaded, 5S-compliant rack system over a single weekend, with zero disruption to your weekday production.

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