The more successful a business becomes and the more it expands, the more pressure is generally put on its warehouse storage capacity.

Now there’s a temptation to relocate to larger premises, but this can be a complicated business and will usually prove to be expensive.

The problem is that businesses often fail to spot that the solution to the problems is right there in front of them. What they should be doing is utilising the available space more effectively. Not only will such a strategy prove to be less problematic: it will also be cheaper too. Rather than looking to expand elsewhere, maybe businesses should be looking upwards for inspiration.

What are the benefits?

Mezzanine floors can provide a simple solution for storage problems by drastically increasing the usable space within existing premises without expanding the base footprint. Much of the upper area of a warehouse is often quite literally wasted space. More often than not it is almost impossible to stack pallets from floor to ceiling without running the considerable risk of collapse and injuring employees. Mezzanine floors will not only provide an additional area for storage, they can also improve the overall health and safety of the working environment too.

Installing a mezzanine floor can also offer the potential to construct additional space for picking and packing operations within the warehouse, office space for warehouse management and administrative staff and facilities such as canteens and kitchens. If picking and packing operations and additional staff can be accommodated under the same roof, this will lead to improved logistical efficiency, which should be a key focus in any warehouse environment. Mezzanine floors can be linked to the ground floor by conveyors, stairs and lifts, and this will improve the overall quality of service, efficiency and speed of operations, and will lead to cost cuts in the longer term.

What are the costs?

The installation of a mezzanine floor will be cheaper than relocating to new or larger business premises. It also comes with the added advantage that expansion can be carried out in stages, rather than all at once. This means that warehouses can continue to trade through the development phase with minimal disruption to business, thus reducing the impact on bottom line figures. Mezzanine floors will result in a better and faster return on investment, and save both money and time, and importantly, in an age of economic recession, will add value to the existing warehouse and future-proof the warehouse operation.