Why is pallet racking china Better?

We're reviewing to most popular pallet rack brands and styles, giving one to five stars in the following criteria: design, availability, competitive pricing, ease of installation and durability. Our final category is selective pallet rack manufactured in China.

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Design: 

Chinese manufactured pallet rack has been on the rise for the past decade. While China is a source for most styles of racking, notably teardrop pallet rack and some others, there exists a wide variety of quality and supply. Like most products, Chinese manufacturers have been able to copy the basic design style and color match of made-in-America rack. But capacity and other standards are often called into question since they don't follow RMI (Rack Manufacturers Institute) Standards.

Availability: 

The availability of Chinese made rack has expanded in the US the last few years with some distributors choosing to carry this inventory in stock. The issue with availability is most often recognized when trying to fill truck load quantities and individual drop ship orders of Chinese rack. I think we have all heard about the “Slow Boat” from China – it may be 4-6 months before the rack arrives. Also, the limited availability of standard add-on items (row spacers, column guards, pallet supports, etc.) and lack of variable sizes doesn't help when trying to find a reliable source of Chinese rack.

Competitive Pricing: 

The pricing of Chinese rack is the major driver in the sale of these products. Some users are willing to sacrifice quality and capacity for a few dollars in savings. In reality the savings are not that great when you factor in shipping, handling and replacement costs. I believe some users don't even know that they are buying a Chinese made product because it is being represented as teardrop compatible rack. When a distributor does disclose the material is from China, the current price difference from US rack is substantially less than 10%.

Ease of Installation: 

The installation of Chinese manufactured rack is generally not a problem. The teardrop compatible design will usually work well together. However, there is always an uncertainty of interchange with similar US sourced products due to conversion from metric dimensions and the lack of quality controls at the factory.

Durability: 

The biggest problems with Chinese manufactured rack are durability and wide range of quality. There are no specifications for the chemical components and no enforced controls on the content or capacity ratings for steel manufactured in China. Since these manufacturers don't follow RMI standards, the rack may not offer the same capacity as American made – remember not all 96″ x 4″ beams are created equal. These Chinese made products can be produced with lighter gauge steel and in most cases the upright frames are designed to bolt together rather than being welded. The bolted design frame allows for greater capacity in a shipping container but less capacity when actually storing pallets.

Final Word

If the time on the high seas isn't a major concern, with trial and error for specific sources, you can find decent quality rack in the Chinese source market. What you don't know, without considerable track record, is whether quality control is a moving target, or whether to gamble on a foreign source whose primary goals may not be in sync with yours: quality, safety, consistency.

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A rack is a rack is a rack, right? All are made from steel and perform as expected—to hold several pallets filled with products. Well, yes . . . and no. The majority of pallet racks, new or used, do tend to offer exactly what is expected. However, some racking should be avoided at all cost.

It wasn’t that long ago, material handling products coming from Asia, specifically, China were guaranteed to offer one thing and if you were fortunate, possibly a few other benefits. The one thing offered for sure was a very low first cost.

Low first cost . . .at what cost?

Chinese manufacturers had a reputation as recently as five years ago, of providing extremely low-cost products made from steel. Unfortunately, most offered little more than that. Much of the steel used in the manufacture of racks and other products using Chinese steel was lower quality than the steel specified for use from domestic and other rack manufacturers. The steel quality on beams often varied. One beam could meet requirements for a rack here in the United States while another would fail.

Quality control in previous generations of this foreign pallet racking was equally spotty. Finishes may have been uneven. Dimensions were likely uneven or inconsistent. Most products sold in the United States often experienced delays in the supply chain. This meant if you planned to have a system installed in six months and the rack was coming from China, your rack system may not arrive when required. The same for replacement parts. What appeared initially as a great saving of money often costs more in the long run.

One more issue many still believe is happening today is the flooding of the market with large quantities of racks in an attempt to drive down the price, putting many American rack manufacturers at financial risk. Many domestic manufacturers filed what is known as a petition for the imposition of antidumping and countervailing duties on imports of steel racks coming from the People’s Republic of China. This petition was filed in June of . No word on findings have been reported as yet.

Now before continuing, it is important to state that there are good companies in China that see the value and long-term importance of delivering a quality product. Some currently attempt to do business here and compete on a level playing field.

The challenge is finding a racking supplier able to deliver the product you want, within your price range that meets the level of durability you need. Actually, that should be your approach when purchasing anything from any company. As the Latin saying goes, caveat emptor, or let the buyer beware. Here are a few tips to consider when purchasing pallet racking.

Verification

Verify the product you are considering meet acceptable standards. RMI, or the Rack Manufacturer’s Institute is an independent organization that sets the standards for performance for everything rack related. It specifies testing for racking and performs research to ensure racks work as stated.

The organization issues what is called the “R-mark.” The R-mark appears on all rack products since indicating the rack components and its design are in accordance with the RMI specification for that product. They set the quality standard and the mark is available for member and non-member alike. So, when looking for racking, make sure to look for the R-mark. It’s your assurance the rack will perform as expected.

Because we emphasized concern over Chinese racking, it is important to note that there are three Chinese manufacturers who that for sure comply with RMI standards.

Check it out thoroughly

Always do your due diligence. In other words, don’t take the salesman’s word about the rack you intend to purchase. Inspect it yourself, particularly if purchasing used equipment. Look for obvious signs of wear or abuse. If there is more than you are comfortable with, walk away.

The savings you gain now could become a headache in the future.

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