A warehouse mezzanine is an intermediate floor built between the actual warehouse floor and ceiling. Mezzanines convert unused vertical space into productive storage or workspace without the addition of expensive brick and mortar. Mezzanines can be freestanding or pallet rack supported, providing plenty of height for foot traffic, equipment use, and other warehouse activities placed below or above the deck.
Installing a mezzanine is one of the easiest ways to maximize your facility’s unused vertical space to accommodate increased pallet storage, additional picking space, equipment platforms, or private offices. If your warehouse has a lot of room between the floor and the ceiling, a mezzanine will allow you to use it for just about anything you need.
Some of the most common reasons for installing warehouse mezzanines are:
As your warehouse capabilities grow, so does the need for more space. Instead of building out, consider building up. Adding a mezzanine to your upward space is a cost-effective way to reduce clutter, improve organization and daily processes, and improve worker safety.
Pallet storage, carton picking, and piece picking/kitting can all be accomplished on mezzanine levels leaving more room on the main floor for in/out processing and larger inventory flow.
Inplant modular offices can be installed on mezzanine levels to free up space for storage and distribution operations. There are a lot of uses for mezzanine-level modular space, such as office or conference rooms, security, storage, cafeteria, or even a locker room for employees to store their belongings. Modular designs are tailored to meet your needs.
Whether it’s a simple, one-story single office or a more complex two-story tower with several workspaces and facilities, customized solutions can be configured to maximize cube space and improve warehouse function, all at a reasonable cost.
Get equipment off the floor and out of the way by installing a mezzanine to serve as an equipment room. The possible choices in materials and configurations make mezzanines ideal for all types of additional workspace.
Speed and efficiency matter when your customers are waiting to receive their orders. Apex uses mezzanines to design and install multi-level pick modules scaled to meet any need. Combine elements of warehouse mezzanines with work platforms, pallet racks, and conveyors to create a custom-picking system that delivers loads to pickers on each level.
The end result is a system that promotes faster picking while using less warehouse space. Workers get more done with less travel time to identify SKUs.
The IWP is a freestanding, heavy-duty structure that can be configured to accommodate almost any aspect of business growth. From small standard designs to multi-level custom structures, these bolt-together systems are built to handle the workload of a busy operation. Heavy-duty rails, stairs, ladders, lifts, and gates can be designed into your structure where needed. Several decking choices provide the appropriate coverage for your needs, such as moisture-resistant, open grating, or heavy-traffic surfacing.
A few pros inherent in IWP construction:
A few considerations in IWP construction:
Rack-supported mezzanines can be designed within the pallet racking and over the aisle space or over the top of the racking uprights. To secure the mezzanine frame, it is bolted to the uprights, and then the decking is fitted to the frame. Like IWPs, flooring options are varied to accommodate the platform’s function. Railings, stairs, conveyors, and lifts can be attached to the structure but may require additional structural support beams.
Pros of rack-supported mezzanine construction:
A few considerations in rack-supported mezzanine construction:
The catwalk mezzanine provides safe and efficient access between two points in your facility. Sometimes it’s to provide access to 2nd level shelving, or it’s simply to keep pedestrian traffic above operational or equipment areas. Catwalks are a quick, easy, and affordable way to enhance workplace safety and improve overall productivity.
There are several styles of flooring as well as a number of different materials that can be used depending on the intended use of your mezzanine. The style types break out into solid and non-solid surfaces and each is offered in a variety of materials. Here is some additional information on common styles and materials:
Bar grating is not a solid surface. It is designed to allow air and water (fire safety) through. It can be made from a number of durable materials depending on usage needs, but it is not recommended for applications that rely on wheeled carts and equipment.
Choose aluminum or fiberglass bar grating material when rust is a concern. Aluminum’s light weight makes it good for smaller, mobile mezzanine, but it lacks the strength of steel platforms. It can’t support heavy loads, and it’s more expensive than steel.
Fiberglass bar grating has the added advantage of being contamination-resistant. It is completely moisture-resistant, and the color is permanent. One disadvantage is that it has more give than steel, allowing it to sway.
Carbon steel bar grating is an alternative to aluminum and fiberglass for environments that aren’t exposed to corrosive agents.
Stainless steel is both corrosion and oxidation resistant, and it is stronger than aluminum bar grating.
Steel tread, composite and concrete floors are durable, solid-surface materials and are recommended for wheeled equipment and heavy-foot traffic. They offer higher point load and wheel load capacities and are quieter than the bar grate alternative.
There are so many options to choose from when designing a mezzanine or series of interconnected raised platforms.
The Apex team is experienced in designing and installing multi-faceted, multi-level mezzanines for a wide variety of operational needs. Visit our Project Spotlight page for quick highlights of recent pick module and mezzanine projects, then call our team so we can help you optimize your space to fit the needs specific to your operational needs. Contact Apex today.
Check out our Mezzanine Gallery photos for great design ideas!
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