Effectively utilise all the available space in your warehouse through the usage of overhead space in order to achieve an increase in usable warehousing whilst maintaining the same footprint.

This is what integrated materials handling calls multiple flooring. By using a mezzanine floor usable warehouse space can be significantly increased without incurring all the costs that accompany building a new warehouse or building warehouse extensions. Warehouse operations can significantly increase the amount of storage, handling, production and automation through inserting a number of levels.

How does this work?

Integrated materials handling allows a box or product to be scanned and automatically assigned to the correct level. The automated system then manages using a mixed floor system, efficiently using each floor to store, manage and despatch products.

What’s the benefit?

Multiple flooring is one of the most efficient ways of increasing utilisation of your warehouse. It increases usable space and is simple to manage. Using a multiple flooring option also prevents any difficulties in communication that may occur between two separate warehouse operations and prevents any duplication costs such as administration, security etc.

The success.

Keymas recently worked with a company that used a multiple flooring system to effectively combine two warehouse operations under one roof. This meant that the costs of running two independent warehouses were cut to operate one warehouse utilising multiple floors.

For more information about multiple flooring visit www.keymas.co.uk/mezzanine_floors

James Cropper Plc a leading manufacturer of a wide range of specialist paper products, invited Keymas Controls and Automation to tender for the creation of a new raised production area and pallet handling method. After surveying the site and observing the restrictions on available space, Keymas presented a proposal that would create additional floor space by utilising the existing building height to the full and positioning a new mezzanine floor over the top of an existing mezzanine.

Previously a fork lift truck could service the needs of the first floor mezzanine, but the additional height demanded a much safer alternative method for handling pallet loads, and a two stage pallet elevator was installed to link all floors to ground level. Required to smoothly transport heavy loaded pallets of different sizes, the elevator is fully guarded and fitted with safety features to protect operatives. The drive unit is fitted with an overload device which holds the pallet elevator in position should a fault trigger the safety device, and sets of limit switches at the various levels ensure stability of load as the motor is automatically slowed to a pre-set stop position.

The time for manufacturing and delivery was very tight, as Croppers had a restricted installation period scheduled for over the Christmas shut down. The system had to be completed within this ‘window’ to avoid disruption to ongoing production requirements. Apart from various structural difficulties they encountered on site, by liasing closely with the customer throughout, Keymas did complete the project two days behind schedule but to the complete satisfaction of the client.