Serving Lehi, UT

Carton Flow Racking in Lehi, UT

Static shelving stops working once a Lehi e-commerce operation's order volume crosses a certain threshold, and that's the moment carton flow starts making financial sense instead of just operational sense.

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Carton Flow Racking Solutions for Lehi Warehouses

Lehi is one of Utah's fastest-growing cities, with rapid industrial development along the I-15 and US-89 corridors. The city's booming tech sector and population growth are driving demand for warehouse and distribution facilities to support the expanding local economy.

Carton flow racking, also called case flow racking, uses inclined roller or wheel tracks to gravity-feed cartons from the replenishment aisle to the pick face, creating a continuously replenished, first-in, first-out pick front. As a picker removes a carton from the pick face, the next carton in the lane slides forward automatically, eliminating the need for pickers to reach into the shelf or reposition product. Carton flow is a core component of modern pick module design and one of the most effective ergonomic improvements a distribution center can implement, reducing picker travel time by up to 50% compared to static shelving.

The productivity case for carton flow is well-established. In a traditional static shelving pick environment, pickers travel the full length of the pick aisle and reach into shelves at varying depths to retrieve each item. In a carton flow environment, the pick face is always full, product is always at the front of the lane, and the ergonomic pick position is consistent, reducing both travel time and the physical strain of deep-reaching into shelves. For high-velocity SKUs in particular, the constant forward presentation of fresh inventory enables a picking rhythm that static storage cannot match.

Rocky Mountain Warehouse Solutions designs and installs carton flow systems as standalone pick bays or as part of complete multi-level pick modules with conveyor integration. We specify wheel track spacings and lane widths based on your carton size profile, configure lane depth based on replenishment frequency, and integrate the system with your WMS pick locations. Systems are installed on standard teardrop pallet rack frames in most cases, making carton flow a cost-effective upgrade to an existing racking investment.

Utah County: fast growth, new construction, Provo segment seismic

Utah County sits over the Provo segment of the Wasatch fault zone, so seismic design load remains a governing factor in racking specification here as it is elsewhere along the Front. Anchor patterns, base plates, and bracing are engineered to the specific site.

The distinguishing feature of this county is how much of its industrial stock is new. Lehi, and the broader Silicon Slopes corridor along I-15 and US-89, has added industrial square footage quickly enough that we routinely work in recent tilt-up construction with clean slabs, generous clear height, and column grids laid out with modern racking in mind. That generally means the building is not the constraint, and projects can put budget into height and density rather than into working around a compromised floor. It also shifts what gets stored: the technology and consumer hardware operations concentrated around Lehi and north Provo tend toward lighter, higher-velocity, smaller-footprint inventory that favors shelving, carton flow, and pick modules over heavy pallet positions. Spanish Fork, Springville, and the south end of the county carry a more traditional manufacturing and building-materials profile that pushes back toward structural racking and cantilever.

Permitting is administered by Utah County and by the individual cities including Provo, Orem, Lehi, American Fork, Springville, and Spanish Fork. Growth has kept plan review volume high in several of these jurisdictions, so we confirm current requirements and realistic review timelines during layout rather than assuming last year's turnaround still holds.

Codes, Compliance, and Enforcement in UT

Utah is a state where storage racking is engineered, not just assembled. Steel storage racks are treated as nonbuilding structures under ASCE 7 with their own design provisions, and much of Utah's warehouse square footage sits in parts of the state where seismic load is a governing design factor rather than a formality. In practice that means engineered base plates, anchor patterns calculated against the actual slab rather than a catalog default, limits on unbraced upright height, and in taller configurations additional row bracing or a deliberate seismic separation from the building structure. How much of that applies depends heavily on where in Utah the facility sits, which is why we work the seismic question at the county and site level rather than quoting a single statewide answer.

Permitting in Utah is local. There is no statewide storage rack permit threshold; county and municipal building departments set their own requirements for when an installation needs a permit, stamped drawings, anchor calculations, and load capacity documentation. Review practice varies noticeably between jurisdictions, so we confirm requirements with the authority having jurisdiction over your specific building during layout rather than after the racking is on site. Slab condition is the input buyers most often overlook: anchor pull-out values depend on concrete depth, compressive strength, and proximity to joints and slab edges, so an older building can drive a different base plate design than a new tilt-up shell in the same city.

Workplace safety enforcement is genuinely statewide. Utah operates its own OSHA-approved State Plan through Utah Occupational Safety and Health, a division of the Utah Labor Commission, rather than relying on federal OSHA. There is no rack-specific OSHA standard anywhere in the country, but storage systems are reachable through general materials handling and storage requirements and the general duty obligation to provide a workplace free of recognized hazards. We design to RMI ANSI MH16.1, provide engineered load capacity labeling on every installation, and retain the anchor, as-built, and inspection documentation that a UOSH inspector, an insurer, or a plan reviewer is likely to ask for.

Technical Specifications & Buying Guide

Carton flow systems use either wheel tracks (rollers with individual plastic wheels on a steel axle) or skatewheel tracks (continuous rows of small plastic wheels) to support and move cartons down the inclined lane. Wheel track spacing (the distance between parallel tracks) is selected based on the minimum carton width in the system. For a mix of carton sizes, adjustable wheel track systems allow lane width to be changed without replacing components. Track inclination is typically 3/8 to 5/8 inch per foot, providing enough gravity to move cartons forward without excess speed at the pick face.

Lane depth in carton flow is determined by your replenishment cycle. If a replenishment operator restocks lanes once per shift, lanes should be deep enough to hold a full shift's worth of picks for each SKU without running empty. For high-velocity SKUs, this may mean 8–12 carton deep lanes; for slower-moving SKUs, 3–5 carton depth is typically sufficient. Lane dividers allow a single shelf level to accommodate multiple lane widths, maximizing the number of pick faces per vertical foot of racking height. Ergonomic pick heights, typically 28 to 52 inches above the floor, are the most productive and should be assigned to the highest-velocity SKUs.

Carton flow integrates naturally with pick-to-belt and pick-to-conveyor systems. In a pick module, the carton flow pick face is positioned directly above or adjacent to the take-away conveyor, allowing pickers to immediately deposit picked items onto the belt without carrying them. The separation of replenishment (from the back aisle) and picking (from the front aisle) allows replenishment and picking to occur simultaneously without congestion, further improving throughput. Lane position indicators, put-to-light systems, and pick-to-light systems are commonly integrated with carton flow to guide pickers and reduce errors in high-SKU-count environments.

Key Benefits of Carton Flow Racking in Lehi

Reduces picker travel time by 40–60%
Continuous FIFO replenishment from the rear
Ideal for high-velocity pick operations
Integrates with pick module and conveyor systems
Multiple wheel track spacings for carton size variety
Gravity-powered: no electricity required
Compatible with WMS pick systems

Carton flow racking with gravity-fed roller lanes

Pick face of carton flow system in order fulfillment

Carton flow rack lane with wheel bed rollers

Industries We Serve in Lehi

E-commerce fulfillment

Carton Flow Racking systems tailored for the operational requirements of e-commerce fulfillment facilities in Lehi.

Distribution and logistics

Carton Flow Racking systems tailored for the operational requirements of distribution and logistics facilities in Lehi.

Food and beverage

Carton Flow Racking systems tailored for the operational requirements of food and beverage facilities in Lehi.

Pharmaceutical

Carton Flow Racking systems tailored for the operational requirements of pharmaceutical facilities in Lehi.

Third-party logistics

Carton Flow Racking systems tailored for the operational requirements of third-party logistics facilities in Lehi.

Retail replenishment

Carton Flow Racking systems tailored for the operational requirements of retail replenishment facilities in Lehi.

Common Use Cases in Lehi

Piece-pick order fulfillment

When Lehi facilities need Carton Flow Racking for piece-pick order fulfillment, we provide turnkey solutions that cover design, procurement, installation, and documentation.

Case-pick distribution

Facilities in Lehi use our Carton Flow Racking systems for case-pick distribution because we deliver configurations that actually match how their operation works.

Pick module design

Carton Flow Racking systems we install in Lehi for pick module design are sized for your current needs and designed to scale as your operation grows.

High-velocity SKU storage

Our team helps Lehi businesses implement Carton Flow Racking solutions tailored specifically for high-velocity sku storage at any scale.

Ergonomic picking at proper height

We design and install Carton Flow Racking configurations built for the demands of ergonomic picking at proper height in Lehi warehouses.

FIFO product rotation

Lehi warehouses relying on Carton Flow Racking for fifo product rotation benefit from our engineered layouts and expert installation.

Why Lehi Businesses Choose Rocky Mountain Warehouse Solutions

We don't subcontract our Lehi installations. Your project is handled by our own ANSI/RMI-certified crews, start to finish.

Our Lehi customers get direct access to project coordinators, not a call center. You'll work with the same team from quote through installation and follow-up.

Storage efficiency is one of the highest-ROI investments a Lehi warehouse can make. A well-configured Carton Flow Racking system typically pays for itself through reduced labor, better space utilization, and fewer inventory errors.

Our Lehi project timeline is built around your schedule. We phase installations when needed to keep your operation running, and our crews work efficiently to minimize disruption.

Frequently Asked Questions About Carton Flow Racking in Lehi

What is the difference between carton flow and pallet flow?

Carton flow handles individual cartons and cases using wheel or roller tracks sized for case dimensions (typically 4–24 inches wide). Pallet flow handles full pallets on heavy-duty roller lanes. Carton flow is used in piece-pick and case-pick operations; pallet flow is used for bulk pallet storage and replenishment.