The key benefit of having a mezzanine floor installed in your workplace is that it allows you to greatly expand the amount of space available to you quickly and easily without having to move premises.
In the current economic climate, moving premises is a risky business. As the economy continues to flatline, with growth being minimal and a triple dip recession only narrowly avoided, many businesses are treading very cautiously and have been treading cautiously for the last five years. Moving to larger premises at a time of such uncertainty is a risk that few businesses can afford to take right now. Since property prices crashed over five years ago, they have been very slow to recover, whilst banks have been slow to lend to businesses whilst the future remains uncertain.
At the same time, it is vitally important to allow your business to grow if the opportunity is there. With very little growth around in the economy, if your business is growing well then you need to have the facilities to accommodate that growth and take full advantage of it. Essentially, you need more space without the risk of moving to larger premises. That is where using mezzanine floors come in.
Many businesses that have warehouses have a huge amount of space which they are not using and which they could utilise without the risk of moving premises or the upheaval of extending the existing building. Warehouses are tall, and most of the space above the warehouse floor is generally wasted space which could be put to use.
Installing a mezzanine floor can allow you to have more storage space above your existing warehouse, or can allow you to have offices upstairs and storage space downstairs, or even production space downstairs with storage space upstairs.
Without having to move or extend, installing a mezzanine floor could double your existing workspace, meaning you haven’t taken any gambles or risks, but have allowed your business to grow.
A mezzanine floor is also the most cost effective way to expand your business. Logical Storage can design, create and install a mezzanine floor to suit your needs – tailor made to help your business rather than following a “one size fits all” template. It is quick to install and is also flexible, so if you need to make further changes in the future then you can. Mezzanine floors don’t have to be permanent, so if you business or needs change again in the future, so can your mezzanine floor.
For more information on how we can help your business, and to contact us for a free, no obligation quote on how a mezzanine floor could help your business, please take a look at our website.
Pallet racking has been used in most warehouses since the Second World War. Before that, pallets of products were often stored on warehouse floors, but this was not a very effective use of space. Pallet racking allows businesses to use the maximum amount of space possible for storing products.
The basic principle of pallet racking is that it allows pallets to be stored in rows on multiple levels,
If you are considering installing a pallet racking system in your warehouse, then your first step is to get in touch with us for free and independent advice. We have experienced and helpful staff who can discuss your needs with you to make sure you get the right type of racking to suit your needs, and not just a one size fits all product. Here are just a few examples:
Wide Aisle Racking
Wide Aisle Racking is the most popular type of pallet racking. It is highly versatile and easy to modify and relocate, with beam levels fully adjustable in 50mm increments. It is cost effective, quick and easy to install, and allows for the storage of a wide range of different products at the same time. The wide aisles mean that all pallets are easily accessible using standard forklift trucks and without having to use special equipment. In fact, each and every pallet is 100% accessible if placed on Wide Aisle racking.
Very Narrow Aisle
Very Narrow Aisle pallet racking is ideal for warehouses with limited storage space. The narrower aisles between the racking means that floor space is better utilised, giving you a much more efficient storage solution. To access the pallets, narrow aisle forklift trucks must be used, but like the wide aisle racking above, pallets are still 100% accessible and allow for very fast throughput speeds.
Drive In / Drive Through
This type of pallet racking system is designed for storing large amounts of the same products. Pallets are stored behind or on top of each other, maximising storage space. Forklift trucks drive directly into a bay to collect pallets rather than through traditional forklift truck aisles. Drive in has entry and exit all at one end, so pallets are stored on a Last In First Out (LIFO) system, whereas drive through has an entry at one end and an exit at the other, with pallets stored in a First In First Out (FIFO) system. This is not the best solution if you need to access individual pallets, but is perfect for high density, bulk storage.
Dynamic Push Back
This is a Last In First Out (LIFO) system and is also designed for large amounts of identical products. Pallets are loaded from the front and “pushed back” as they are loaded, and when the front pallet is unloaded, the next pallet takes its place. It allows for an excellent use of floor space due to the depth of storage.
Logical Storage Solutions was formed in 2011 by an industry professional with many years of experience in the storage industry, and provides a number of services to businesses, with a particular focus on warehouses. We aim to be a “one stop shop” providing all the solutions to your storage, workspace and maintenance needs. We can offer a full warehouse fit out and refurbishment, or just specific services depending on the needs of your business.
A key part of Logical Storage’s business is providing a fit out service for warehouses. This includes installing the most appropriate type of racking systems or shelving systems for a warehouse to suit a business’s needs. Logical Storage uses a wide range of different pallet racking systems in warehouses, which includes wide aisle, narrow aisle, double deep, drive through, dynamic push back, dynamic pallet flow, mobile and shuttle. We also offer different types of shelving, including carbon flow, office, industrial, longspan and mobile. We will be profiling some of these in future blogposts, but the key point is that every business is different and has different storage needs, and these different types of racking and shelving systems provide solutions for a wide range of different needs.
Once you have the most appropriate racking solution for your business installed, it is vital that it receives regular annual inspections and maintenance. If not, companies and organisations can be found guilty of corporate manslaughter under the Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide Act 2007 because of a gross breach of a duty of care. The Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 (PUWER) demands that work equipment such as warehouse racking must meet relevant standards. What may appear as minor damage could reduce the load bearing capacity of your racking by up to 40%, exposing your workers to great risk. This is why Logical Storage offers rack inspections and a full racking repair service, to ensure that companies meet their Health & Safety obligations, protecting themselves from the law and their employees from danger. With our online shop offering everything from stepladders to storage bins, you’ll find everything you need on our site for your warehouse storage needs.
Logical Storage also designs and installs mezzanine floors, creating a huge amount of extra space for businesses, whether that is for offices, retail, production space or storage space. Often in a warehouse there is a huge amount of wasted space above the warehouse floor. Installing a mezzanine floor allows a business to double its floor space without having to extend the building or move premises.
Finally, your warehouse probably doesn’t just consist of storage space, but is also likely to contain offices. We offer a full office partition service, including space planning, to allow you to get the very best out of your office space.
If you think we can help you, please get in touch today!
In the business world, it is all about the bottom line. Business owners and operators are ultimately concerned with making money at the end of the business day. In the pursuit of this, it is important that the actual building that houses the company or business is fully functional, meeting all of the various needs of the business at hand. Without proper function, efficiency and productivity is low and therefore the bottom line is negatively affected.
One of the many things that can help a business maximize efficiency is fully utilizing the building space already available. Mezzanine flooring is a definite plus in this area. Mezzanine floors, sometimes referred to as lofts, are those floors that are suspended between the roof and the ground floor of buildings. These floors provide additional space for numerous things and are accessible via staircases or lifts. The building can gain double the space if mezzanine floors are in use.
Some specific benefits of mezzanine flooring are:
- Low cost- this flooring option is affordable and much cheaper than remodeling or purchasing a larger building space for the business at hand.
- Avoids relocation- most people are aware of what a huge hassle and challenge moving can be. Moving a business with the myriad numbers of employees and equipment is a virtual nightmare in many ways. Adding functional, low cost mezzanine flooring can add whole levels to the space, providing additional office space or storage space.
- Flexibility- mezzanine flooring is versatile in that it can be rearranged in both small and big ways without incurring a lot of extra costs.
- Fast- the set up for mezzanine flooring typically takes much less time for companies or businesses to accomplish. A matter of days or weeks in comparison to weeks or months if remodeling or completely relocating takes place.
- Space- all in all, mezzanine flooring can double the space a business has. As a business grows, often more employees are hired and the need for more office space grows. Mezzanine floors can easily provide multiple offices. In the growth process, a business often needs more space to bring in additional equipment or perhaps needs more storage space for products at hand. This flooring option can take care of those needs without remodeling or relocation hassles and expense.
Mezzanine flooring makes good business sense, giving businesses room to grow and saving money in the long run by avoiding costly upgrades or relocations. Not just for warehouses, this flooring is being found more and more often in offices and stores everywhere. By using this previously empty space, businesses are adding space while cutting costs at the same time–heating and cooling the same amount of space yet producing and holding more employees, equipment and product.
As with anything in life, things can get old, not operate properly and have just generally seen better days. People get old and can’t do the things they used to, technology gets old and needs replacing and general items might not operate exactly as they should due to the passage of time. With all of these though there are some preventative measures that can be taken to improve and delay the effects of time.
Your racking is no different and general use can lead to it slipping in terms of racking safety. You need to ensure that your warehousing and storage facility is operating efficiently. This involves ensuring all the correct working practices are being enforced and that mechanical equipment, floor marking, signage, lighting and layout are all appropriate to maintain the safety of all your racking.
If something does go wrong with anything in your warehouse then it can have a detrimental effect on your business. An example is if you have one poor component on your racking, it could have a big impact on your operations if left untreated and you don’t ensure its safety it could lead to bigger problems. Preventative Maintenance is the best course of action with regards to making sure your warehouse continues to operate.
Logical Storage offer many services to help you with your storage needs. Here’s a look at some of the main solutions we offer.
Mezzanine Flooring
The mezzanine floor is a flooring level that is installed within an area to make use of the wasted space above you within a warehouse or retail store. Sometimes extending a building outwards is not an option due to land or budget restrictions. Mezzanine flooring is a cheaper alternative that will create a new floor level within your existing premises. There are many instances where this could be useful such as storage in a warehouse or offices within retail buildings. Since adding in a mezzanine level is also very flexible, you can have complete control on its size, design and location.
An Office Partition
If your company is based within an open plan office but you require some quieter areas such as for a meeting room or managers office, an office partition is an ideal solution. Either glass or normal walls can be used depending on your privacy requirements. Partitions can be created that are permanent as well as temporary structures where the partition may need to be moved.
Warehouse Refurbishment
Running a large warehouse or industrial property can be hard work so a complete warehouse refurbishment could help you in organising and maintaining your premises. A refurbishment could involve dismantling current structures, moving them or adding to them with new racking systems.
There are several reasons why a company has requirements for an office partition. One of these is the benefit of sound proofing or noise control within the office. Offices that have HR departments based within the main office would need sound proofing for confidential reasons. Meetings associated with staff as well as phone calls need to be conducted in the strictest confidence.
The other reason for sound proofing is that you may have office machinery that is running throughout the day. This can get noisy, especially if you have printers running. Even if they are in a separate space, they can be noisy and distracting for employees.
Meeting rooms are also important to be sound proofed.Often meetings might be internal or external with customers or potential clients. If you are holding a meeting on office premises, there is nothing worse than external guests able to hear the day to day office conversations and noise. It can be distracting for the guest, but also from a confidential perspective.
Kitchens are also another room which ideally needs to be separate from the office. In situations where this is not always an option, the noise from a kitchen can be distracting as often it includes kettles boiling, washing up and the general noise from plates and cups being used. Office partitions with sound proofing within them, or as additional partitions would reduce background noise and contribute towards a better working environment.
There are many different work environments that people spend their day working in; from a construction site, to driving a bus and from a supermarket checkout to at a desk in an office. The office is a common workplace for millions of people but even the office can come in a diverse range of environments.
Some offices consist of a number of different rooms linked by corridors. Staff may not have much interaction between rooms but if they are located in an office with their team then this isn’t a problem. The mangers of the company can also have their privacy in their own offices. The opposite of this is an open planned office which will have all employees in the same large sized room. This is a great working environment for when ideas need to be shared between people and communication is often required. This kind of office environment can be a problem though if privacy is required.
A solution to this problem could be to use an office partition to divide the room up into different areas and have different departments within a larger floor space. This can be taking even further and an office partition can be used to create completely spate rooms within the space. This is a great way to have management offices and meeting rooms.
Many large retail companies will use different types of racking systems to store their goods and products. This can either be in the warehouses or store rooms or in some shops you may find that they use racking systems on the shop floors. Stow racking systems can either be made of metal or wood and are solid structures capable of holding very heavy loads. Racking systems can also be used in some offices as a solution to storing large quantities of items in confided spaces. Examples of stow racking include:
If you have an open plan office then it can help with work atmosphere and creativity as people are allowed to talk, discuss and contribute ideas openly throughout the working day. This is very beneficial for industries where the discussion of ideas and interaction between different departments happens during the day. A good example of this is a web design agency. There may be different departments to the agency, for example the design department responsible for the look and appearance of the website, the development team who do the building and coding of a site and the SEO team who work to get the site ranking within Google. Since all these elements have to come together to form one website, it makes sense for an open office as this allows the teams to talk easily and openly.
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