The significance of flat floors are emphasized in the manner that certain truck manufacturers do not issue warrantys to new lift trucks, unless certain specifications regarding floor flatness is met. The reason for this is that a lot of lift trucks lack a suspension system or pneumatic tires, that really help in the absorption of shock caused by road bumps. Missing this feature, warranty costs will consequently be higher if the truck has an inferior floor. The least variance of height in a floor, a whole lot as 1/116th of an inch in fact, might cause wheels to lift in the pavement should the truck is operating at full speed. This invariably results to excessive strain to the unit itself. Continuous stress on the unit will undoubtedly lead to its failure, which does not pose well for either the operator or the contributors. Other than time and cash being wasted for repairs, these minute failures can cause dangerous risks for the operators, causing possible injuries and damage to the unit. Due to the necessity of having a level floor, contractors make use of three measurements to gauge the flatness of a floor: The first is 'face flatness' or bumpiness metric, abbreviated to FF. This measures the curve of a floor extending over two feel. This indicates how smoothly a vehicle will travel over a floor. The other metric is 'face levelness' or the pitch or tilt of the slab. This calculates the elevation distinction over floors ten feet long. This can be used as an signal of how well tall storage racks will rest on to the floor. The third metric is recognized as Fmin, and is utilized to measure the concrete levelness of a specified aisle in applications concerned with super-flat floors that are supported by wires or rail guidance, such as those used for defined traffic. The specifications that needs to be met in today's DC's are related in the following metrics: For random traffic in conventional DC applications, a FF35/FL25 is a Good metric. This could be used well in lift trucks which carry pallet storage applications. For high throughput DC's, like those in the receiving or shipping area, a FF45/FL35, being a Flat floor metric, is best. Crossdocking DC's and AGV's are the most typical receptors of the application. In the case of DC's that are very high in performance, for instance those which undertake traffic patterns which are random, a reading of FF65/FL40 (which is already a really flat measurement for a floor) is employed. It works best with High Bay or order picking DCs. There is also the VNA or Very Narrow Aisle application, best suited for high bay ones. They include things like six or more pallets, measured as Fmin50* or Fmin100; these being Super Flat floors useful for high-speed operations concerning Turret Trucks. Most 'Spec' facilities today build floors which have 6' of fiber mesh reinforcement, as much as 4,000psi. FF35/FL25 concrete floors are a common example, used often for standard logistics and storage applications. For anyone needing a high throughput however, the FF45/FL35 is a better option, because, in spite of its priciness, the presence of this flatter floor will lower maintainance costs for your truck by improving its performance and also decreasing mishaps that come out of faulty floor installations. It is advised that such an application be taken especially when it comes to crossdocking. For DCs with high ceilings, just like those efficient at pallet storage stretching to 6 or more pallets, the Very Flat floor option, FF65/FL40 will allow for maximum retrieval and putaway, leading to optimized overall performance. Such smooth operations are necessary especially in cases involving order picking applications, where even the slightest modifications on floor flatness can encumber operators by forcing them to get the load lowered down so the mast sway will be lowered when getting into different locations. This wastes some time and impedes their efficiency. A Very Flat floor must provide a suitable ROI, with regards to the level of activity, in comparison to either a Good or Flat floor.