"Sometimes called catwalk systems , these mezzanines are supported by rack uprights instead of structural legs. The walkways are your rack aisles. They let you store product above and below the platform, and can also be part of a pick module system. You can use flow storage, hand stacked beams or other storage concepts for the rack, both above and below the catwalks. Want to know more? Send us a request or call today."
For more information, please visit racking supported mezzanine supplier.
Mezzanine framing members (joists and stringers) bolt to the upright columns to create the decking of the mezzanine. With pallet rack below the floor, the frequency of support columns is higher, making the mezzanine stable and firmly anchored.
The advantage of this type mezzanine is the efficiency of using space above your pallet rack to add square footage to your facility. You now have additional floorspace in which to place more pallet rack, office space, work zones or just about anything you like. You gain formerly unusable space by accessing vertical space in your facility to extend your storage or manufacturing processes.
Your rack supported mezzanines will be designed by qualified engineers who understand live loading and who make sure the structures they design meet appropriate building code standards. This means the columns must be rated to support both the weight of the mezzanine and the contents stored on the rack at any given time. The framing members will be structurally sound and meet the requirements of ASTM A570-75 Grade E standards. Stringers are directly supported by the pallet rack upright columns, while joists are factory welded to the stringers to retain rigidity and safety. All these design standards lead to a stable, sturdy mezzanine you will find great benefit from for many years to come.
Other design elements to consider are stairs, handrailing, catwalks, pallet gates and decking materials. Safety factors like enclosing the mezzanine with handrail, having kick guards and welded steel stairs, all help prevent falls that could result in injury or death. Choosing fire-proof decking materials that allow air circulation help reduce fire hazards as well as allow sprinkler systems to penetrate to all layers of stored items. Pallet gates and catwalks make loading, unloading and accessing goods more convenient while saving time and labor.
Additional methods of moving materials such as chutes or conveyors should be considered in planning your mezzanine. Traditional forklift placement may not be feasible or wise depending on whether you move by pallet loads or less-than-pallet loads to and from your mezzanine.
Rack supported mezzanines give you so many options in how to use the space above the pallet rack in your facility. It is an economical choice compared to structural mezzanines, and install fairly quickly, meaning you'll have less downtime and fewer interruptions in your production process. Above all else, you will have increased active floor space available - valuable floor space that lets you expand, improve and optimize.
Article Updated: 05/26/2022 Back to Blog
As a business grows, additional space is needed to accommodate this expansion. Unfortunately, adding on to a building or moving to a new building is often an expensive investment that can halt operations for an extended period.
One way to add space to your building while avoiding an addition is a rack supported mezzanines, also known as a mezzanine racking system. They are a cost-effective solution that add additional capacity to a warehouse or distribution center by utilizing vertical space.
The number of levels varies from between operations. These systems can be up to 5 or 6 levels tall if there is vertical space.
Read below to learn more about rack supported mezzanines, including key benefits and features.
A mezzanine racking system offers many important advantages to a distribution center’s operation, including:
High Throughput
Rack supported mezzanines allows for multiple loading and unloading locations of pallets and/or cartons simultaneously within the system. This can be accomplished via conveyors, VRCs, and pallet drop areas, as described in the next section.
High Density
A major advantage of rack supported mezzanines is that they provide additional vertical storage. It allows for your entire storage space to be utilized.
High Selectivity
Can be accessed by multiple employees at once. This can often eliminate ‘downtime’ during the picking process.
Something you’ll have to consider when going from a one-level system to a multi-level rack system is how you’ll move your items from the upper levels to the ground level for distribution.
There are several material handling systems that can be integrated into rack supported mezzanines. Each will successfully get your items to the ground level. Which one works best for you will depend on factors including your budget, your current picking process, and how drastically you’d like to change your picking process (such as if you’d like to semi-automate your operation).
Here are material handling options that work well with rack supported mezzanines:
VRCs are ‘elevator-like’ systems designed specifically to bring pallets or cartons of material to and from the upper levels of the mezzanine system.
A conveyor system can be integrated into the catwalk system to transport products to and from the upper levels of the system.
Pallet drops are platforms located on each level of the mezzanine system. Pallets are placed on this platform by a lift truck so that employees can load products on that level of the system from the pallet. The pallet drop typically has a safety gate to ensure employees can’t fall from the pallet drop area.
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Chutes allow the picker to efficiently move any product from the upper level of the system to the floor level.
Rack Supported Mezzanines can have a variety of components implemented into the system, including:
Staircases: numerous models and options available including number of rails, angles, risers, tread, and step width.
Handrails: integrated to keep employees safe.
Flooring: several options available resin board, corrugated decking, bar grating, open steel planking, and concrete. Each type of floor is better suited for different functions and operational features.
Gates: We can incorporate gates into your mezzanine to expedite proper material handling. Options include single swing gate, double swing gate, sliding gate, lift-out safety gate, and safety pivot gate.
Safety Netting: The netting can ensure the safety of your stored materials and employees. The netting can stop your stored items from falling off the upper level to the lower level
Flue Keepers: Flue keepers can be attached to the uprights to maintain correct transverse flue space. The flue keepers will prevent pallets and cartons from impinging into the transverse flue space.
Kickplates: Can be Implemented to prevent personnel traveling on the upper levels from tripping by eliminating space along aisles and row ends. Kick plates are recommended to be installed on the upper levels of the system at all aisle row ends and along all main aisles.
There are many operations that are a good fit for rack supported mezzanines.
As discussed, these types of systems allow you to utilize unused vertical warehouse space, thereby increasing your storage footprint in the same space. Because of this, if your operation is considering moving buildings to add storage space, this system may be a good alternative.
If you store many cartons, this type of system is typically a good fit. This type of system allows for high density and selectivity of carton storage on all levels.
The third point we’ll touch on is if you have certain types of bottlenecks in your picking process, this type of system may be right for you. For example, if pickers are often waiting on other pickers to complete a pick. This type of system will allow your pickers to be in the same aisle at the same time. Also, due to the increased space utilization you can better separate SKUs based on what items are typically picked together.
REB is highly knowledgeable and experienced in designing, project managing, and installing rack supported mezzanines.
As a systems integrator, we’ll work with you to provide a turnkey system. From design, products procurement, subcontractor management, install, and permitting support, REB handles it all for you.
REB has a talented team of in-house project managers and project designers, all highly experienced in the material handling industry. We’ll work with you to make sure that your system is the best fit for your operation, installed and completed on-time and within budget.
We’d appreciate the opportunity to help you further, whether that be more information or a quote. Fill out the contact form on this page or call (800) 252-5955 to get in touch with a REB representative.
CALL TODAY CONTACT US NOW
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"Sometimes called catwalk systems , these mezzanines are supported by rack uprights instead of structural legs. The walkways are your rack aisles. They let you store product above and below the platform, and can also be part of a pick module system. You can use flow storage, hand stacked beams or other storage concepts for the rack, both above and below the catwalks. Want to know more? Send us a request or call today."
Mezzanine framing members (joists and stringers) bolt to the upright columns to create the decking of the mezzanine. With pallet rack below the floor, the frequency of support columns is higher, making the mezzanine stable and firmly anchored.
The advantage of this type mezzanine is the efficiency of using space above your pallet rack to add square footage to your facility. You now have additional floorspace in which to place more pallet rack, office space, work zones or just about anything you like. You gain formerly unusable space by accessing vertical space in your facility to extend your storage or manufacturing processes.
Your rack supported mezzanines will be designed by qualified engineers who understand live loading and who make sure the structures they design meet appropriate building code standards. This means the columns must be rated to support both the weight of the mezzanine and the contents stored on the rack at any given time. The framing members will be structurally sound and meet the requirements of ASTM A570-75 Grade E standards. Stringers are directly supported by the pallet rack upright columns, while joists are factory welded to the stringers to retain rigidity and safety. All these design standards lead to a stable, sturdy mezzanine you will find great benefit from for many years to come.
Other design elements to consider are stairs, handrailing, catwalks, pallet gates and decking materials. Safety factors like enclosing the mezzanine with handrail, having kick guards and welded steel stairs, all help prevent falls that could result in injury or death. Choosing fire-proof decking materials that allow air circulation help reduce fire hazards as well as allow sprinkler systems to penetrate to all layers of stored items. Pallet gates and catwalks make loading, unloading and accessing goods more convenient while saving time and labor.
Additional methods of moving materials such as chutes or conveyors should be considered in planning your mezzanine. Traditional forklift placement may not be feasible or wise depending on whether you move by pallet loads or less-than-pallet loads to and from your mezzanine.
Rack supported mezzanines give you so many options in how to use the space above the pallet rack in your facility. It is an economical choice compared to structural mezzanines, and install fairly quickly, meaning you'll have less downtime and fewer interruptions in your production process. Above all else, you will have increased active floor space available - valuable floor space that lets you expand, improve and optimize.
Article Updated: 05/26/2022 Back to Blog
As a business grows, additional space is needed to accommodate this expansion. Unfortunately, adding on to a building or moving to a new building is often an expensive investment that can halt operations for an extended period.
One way to add space to your building while avoiding an addition is a rack supported mezzanines, also known as a mezzanine rackmezzanine racking system. They are a cost-effective solution that add additional capacity to a warehouse or distribution center by utilizing vertical space.
The number of levels varies from between operations. These systems can be up to 5 or 6 levels tall if there is vertical space.
Read below to learn more about rack supported mezzanines, including key benefits and features.
A mezzanine racking system offers many important advantages to a distribution center’s operation, including:
High Throughput
Rack supported mezzanines allows for multiple loading and unloading locations of pallets and/or cartons simultaneously within the system. This can be accomplished via conveyors, VRCs, and pallet drop areas, as described in the next section.
High Density
A major advantage of rack supported mezzanines is that they provide additional vertical storage. It allows for your entire storage space to be utilized.
High Selectivity
Can be accessed by multiple employees at once. This can often eliminate ‘downtime’ during the picking process.
Something you’ll have to consider when going from a one-level system to a multi-level rack system is how you’ll move your items from the upper levels to the ground level for distribution.
There are several material handling systems that can be integrated into rack supported mezzanines. Each will successfully get your items to the ground level. Which one works best for you will depend on factors including your budget, your current picking process, and how drastically you’d like to change your picking process (such as if you’d like to semi-automate your operation).
Here are material handling options that work well with rack supported mezzanines:
VRCs are ‘elevator-like’ systems designed specifically to bring pallets or cartons of material to and from the upper levels of the mezzanine system.
A conveyor system can be integrated into the catwalk system to transport products to and from the upper levels of the system.
Pallet drops are platforms located on each level of the mezzanine system. Pallets are placed on this platform by a lift truck so that employees can load products on that level of the system from the pallet. The pallet drop typically has a safety gate to ensure employees can’t fall from the pallet drop area.
Chutes allow the picker to efficiently move any product from the upper level of the system to the floor level.
Rack Supported Mezzanines can have a variety of components implemented into the system, including:
Staircases: numerous models and options available including number of rails, angles, risers, tread, and step width.
Handrails: integrated to keep employees safe.
Flooring: several options available resin board, corrugated decking, bar grating, open steel planking, and concrete. Each type of floor is better suited for different functions and operational features.
Gates: We can incorporate gates into your mezzanine to expedite proper material handling. Options include single swing gate, double swing gate, sliding gate, lift-out safety gate, and safety pivot gate.
Safety Netting: The netting can ensure the safety of your stored materials and employees. The netting can stop your stored items from falling off the upper level to the lower level
Flue Keepers: Flue keepers can be attached to the uprights to maintain correct transverse flue space. The flue keepers will prevent pallets and cartons from impinging into the transverse flue space.
Kickplates: Can be Implemented to prevent personnel traveling on the upper levels from tripping by eliminating space along aisles and row ends. Kick plates are recommended to be installed on the upper levels of the system at all aisle row ends and along all main aisles.
There are many operations that are a good fit for rack supported mezzanines.
As discussed, these types of systems allow you to utilize unused vertical warehouse space, thereby increasing your storage footprint in the same space. Because of this, if your operation is considering moving buildings to add storage space, this system may be a good alternative.
If you store many cartons, this type of system is typically a good fit. This type of system allows for high density and selectivity of carton storage on all levels.
The third point we’ll touch on is if you have certain types of bottlenecks in your picking process, this type of system may be right for you. For example, if pickers are often waiting on other pickers to complete a pick. This type of system will allow your pickers to be in the same aisle at the same time. Also, due to the increased space utilization you can better separate SKUs based on what items are typically picked together.
REB is highly knowledgeable and experienced in designing, project managing, and installing rack supported mezzanines.
As a systems integrator, we’ll work with you to provide a turnkey system. From design, products procurement, subcontractor management, install, and permitting support, REB handles it all for you.
REB has a talented team of in-house project managers and project designers, all highly experienced in the material handling industry. We’ll work with you to make sure that your system is the best fit for your operation, installed and completed on-time and within budget.
We’d appreciate the opportunity to help you further, whether that be more information or a quote. Fill out the contact form on this page or call (800) 252-5955 to get in touch with a REB representative.
CALL TODAY CONTACT US NOW
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