Should I Install Mezzanine Flooring in My Warehouse?
When it comes time to expand your warehouse, office or production facilities, there are a great many options available to you. When you sit down with all the decision makers involved to discuss those options, mezzanine will inevitably come up, and for good reason. Mezzanine floors provide a cost-effective, practical, bespoke solution to your spatial limitations.
That being said, there is reasoning behind the multitude of options, and as such it is always wise to take a proper look at exactly what is on offer. Here, we hope to talk you through the various considerations to help you to decide if a mezzanine floor is the right path to take for your business.
Cost
Of all the various solutions available to create that much needed extra space, mezzanine is among the most cost effective. Thanks to comparatively inexpensive materials and low labour costs due to quick assembly, the ROI for mezzanine flooring solutions is truly remarkable. As a result of the way in which they are designed, assembled and placed, you are often able to remain functional in unaffected areas of your facility, further reducing the associated expenditure. If money is a concern, as it is among many SMEs, mezzanine could be your saving grace.
Spatial Considerations
Obviously, if you are considering an expansion of any kind then space is an issue. The best option for you will depend heavily on your particular needs and concerns. Mezzanine is a great way to expand your useable floor space without the need for a full-on construction project, but it will only be possible if your existing facility has the height to accommodate the structure. Without the vertical space to expand into you may find your new ceiling height is far too low to be safe and practical, or you may not have the space to consider it as an option at all. In those circumstances, you may need to look at relocation or constructing a full extension. Of course, extensions will require the land space around the building into which to construct.
Ease of Assembly & Construction Time
The installation of mezzanine floors carries many benefits as a direct result of its quick and simple assembly. First and foremost, the rapid completion time for the build allows you to get up and running to maximum capacity as soon as possible, severely reducing the financial losses during the expansion. As mentioned in an earlier segment, this also reduces labour costs by a substantial amount, further saving you money. When compared to other expansion methods, mezzanine easily trumps the competition in this regard.
Versatility & Adaptability
As a direct result of many of the aforementioned points, mezzanine floors offer exceptional versatility and adaptability. Due to their tailor-made design, they can be built from the ground up in order to maximise the space saving potential of the construct. Carrying on from that, if your requirements were to change at a later date they are much simpler to alter than brick built extensions. All of this will save you both time and money down the line should you need to make rapid adjustments.
Aesthetics
If your premises regularly experiences professional visitors, such as client representatives or partner companies, having a clean and modern facility will help to dramatically boost your brand image. A disorganised warehouse suggests a disorganised company. For this purpose, mezzanine is often highly praised for its visual appeal and connotations of professionalism. It is often favoured over extensions as it represents your brand as an ever-growing endeavour experiencing a healthy flow of success.
Legalities
Now for the part we all dread, legal concerns. In terms of health and safety laws, it is difficult to promote one option as better than any of the others. All expansion solutions will, rightfully so, require stringent checks to ensure they are safe for use, which will cost time and money. With this in mind, any required legalities that you can simplify or streamline will be a bonus, which is where mezzanine wins the battle in our book. Due to the lack of external construction and extra land requirements, it is unusual to require planning permission for a mezzanine upgrade, building regulation compliance is normally sufficient. Legal advice and representation is highly expensive, so any measures you can take to cut down on this expenditure will be of massive benefit to your company.
In Conclusion
Taking into account all of the various factors that must be taken into consideration during this kind of project, mezzanine flooring is our top pick. As long as you have the vertical space to accommodate it, there are very few reasons not to make use of such a solution. It benefits from low costs, high efficiency, exceptional versatility and good visual appeal.
Contact Acorn Warehouse Solutions on 01799 532024 or email [email protected]