Although it can feel great to be shipping orders out the door left, right and centre, a dramatic increase in sales can put immense pressure on your company infrastructure. Luckily there are ways to help ease the stress as you meet increasing demand from your customers and clients.
While working overtime can seem a short-term fix, tired workers can be less productive than their well-rested counterparts, while sub-contracting can damage your brand if quality is not up to your usual standards.
A versatile and cost-saving answer can be to install a mezzanine.
#1 – Make the most of your space
Mezzanine floors are a convenient way to maximise your productivity by using overhead space that would normally be wasted – at a fraction of the cost of finding new premises to relocate to.
A mezzanine floor can double, triple or quadruple usable space, and can be engineered to take any load. There are a wide variety of designs and bespoke mezzanine solutions available, from the robot-ready flooring systems we have installed in distribution centres to the stringent demands of laboratories.
Your mezzanine can be used for manufacturing, storage or as additional office space and a canteen for new managers as your production increases. Our superbike clients GB Racing were at breaking point. With an imminent move into the marine sector they needed more space for machinery and staff – a two-tier mezzanine has provided space for a production and processing area on the first floor, with storage on the second. Read our case study.
#2 – Improve your layout
When you are feeling stretched it makes great sense to optimise your current operations by improving your layout. Mezzanine floors can allow you to reposition entire assembly lines, create new areas for picking and packing, and provide plenty of flexibility.
The current shortage of warehouse space means that some expanding businesses find a single-tier mezzanine is not enough and are instead installing two or three-tier mezzanines.
We have just been commissioned to design and build a multi-tier mezzanine on three levels for a large High Street retailer’s new sortation facility, which will have a mixture of robots, conveyors and shelf storage to cope with its growing online orders.
Multi-tier mezzanines are a way to future-proof your premises. You can move onto one floor now, but benefit from efficiencies and minimise future disruption by installing extra space you can use later. For more examples, see our blog on multi-tier mezzanines.
#3 – Increase output
Mezzanines give you the space to install new sophisticated conveyor systems, machinery or racking, as well as the scope to hire new staff to help greatly increase your output.
They are perfect for businesses looking to diversify and grow, because staying in your current premises rather than moving to a new building will both save money and help retain staff who might prefer not to travel to a different location. You can benefit from the productivity advantages that come from an experienced workforce, as well as avoiding upheaval to your logistics planning.
As well as helping you increase output immediately, mezzanines add value to your property despite the upfront investment and therefore put your business in a stronger position in the long term.
#4 – More storage capacity
Once you have increased your production capacity and are serving new clients, having additional storage space on your mezzanine can prevent supply chain disasters.
Before Brexit, Covid and the war in Ukraine, we lived in a world of Just in Time (JIT) stockholding, but shortages and interruptions to supply chains have led many companies to opt for a Just in Case (JIC) model holding large inventories.
JIC can be a buffer against uncertainty, allowing you to hold enough stock to meet demand despite fluctuating supply.
A single or multi-tier mezzanine helps you gain maximum value from your space, and is a far more cost-effective answer than bigger premises with a higher rent.
Get in touch with us today – Request a quote or call us on +44 (0) 1730 237 190
