Professionals in the industrial sector face specific constraints, particularly in logistics. Manufacturers must therefore find suitable solutions to store their goods in the best conditions. Also known as a storage platform, the industrial mezzanine is the ideal solution for increasing the storage space of a warehouse, a workshop or a shop.
Would you like to double or triple the storage space of your warehouse?
This article tells you more about the industrial mezzanine and its uses.
What is an industrial mezzanine?
An industrial mezzanine is a steel structure that increases the racking and storage capacity of a business space, whether a warehouse, a hangar, a unit, a workshop or a shop.
The industrial mezzanine is a free-standing modular structure. This means that it can be fully dismantled, and that its stability does not depend on any other support.
Most industrial mezzanines are made of steel (usually epoxy-coated or galvanised). It is the most widely used material, because it offers the best guarantees of strength and safety over time. Steel industrial mezzanines are designed to last for several decades.
The deck of an industrial mezzanine can be made from several materials (steel, grating or timber), depending on the hygiene standards of your sector, the loads to be stored and the specific features of your industrial environment.
The uses of an industrial mezzanine
The main benefit of an industrial mezzanine is to make use of the vertical space of a warehouse in order to gain floor space. The racking and storage capacity of a warehouse can double or triple depending on the number of levels of the mezzanine. With one floor, the initial storage space doubles; with two floors, it triples.
As the industrial mezzanine uses the height of a warehouse, storing goods at height must be done with suitable handling equipment, in particular forklifts.
Industrial mezzanines are designed to let businesses store their goods in the best conditions. They are fitted with storage racks that fully meet the safety standards in force in industry. They are suited to all types of racking:
- Horizontal storage on cantilever racking
- Storage of individual products
- Storage of pallets on pallet racking
Different types of industrial mezzanine for every need
An industrial mezzanine can take different forms to suit your specific needs. The main types of storage platform are:
- The mezzanine on through racking: it is installed on existing racking.
- The rack-supported mezzanine: it is installed on racking (existing or new) to which a deck is added to create a storage area at height.
- The free-standing mezzanine: a modular platform that can be installed anywhere, thanks to its quick and simple assembly.
The industrial mezzanine, a storage platform suited to industrial businesses
The industrial mezzanine is the preferred racking solution for manufacturers. For industrial businesses, it is a sound investment to optimise and organise the storage space of their warehouse.
Depending on their needs, managers of industrial companies can install an industrial mezzanine with one or two floors, and so double or triple the storage capacity of their building without investing in new premises. They can make the most of their existing premises by using the clear height of their warehouse.
The advantages of an industrial mezzanine
The industrial mezzanine is an ideal solution for increasing the storage space of a warehouse at height. By using the clear height of your building, you can optimise the layout of your existing storage area. You gain square metres without having to invest in new premises to store your goods.
The industrial mezzanine is also an ideal way to make the most of the cost of buying or renting your warehouse. A custom storage platform lets you quickly increase the storage space of your industrial premises at a lower cost.
Here is a summary of all the advantages of an industrial mezzanine:
- It makes use of the clear height of a warehouse.
- It doubles or triples the racking and storage capacity of a building, depending on its number of levels.
- Free-standing and modular, it is quick and easy to assemble: installing an industrial mezzanine does, however, require qualified professionals, because of the technical knowledge involved (standards to comply with, calculations to assess how loads are distributed across the structure, etc.).
- Fully dismountable and modular, it adapts to all types of warehouse, whatever their size and specific features.
- It fits in with existing storage solutions as well as with completely empty spaces.
- It is installed without structural works. Note, however, that as it creates floor area, a prior declaration or a building permit may be required in France depending on the area created. See our article building permit or prior declaration.
- It is a cost-effective investment, given the storage space it provides compared with its installation cost.
The standards to comply with when installing an industrial mezzanine
Installing an industrial mezzanine is subject to a number of standards, relating in particular to the sizing of the structure and the safety of workers.
The French Labour Code
In France, installing an industrial mezzanine must first of all comply with the relevant articles of the Labour Code, in particular article R. 4211-2 on work equipment and articles R. 4216-5 and R. 4216-6 on the design of escape routes.
Standards for sizing the mezzanine
Industrial mezzanines must comply with the Eurocodes, which apply to the sizing of storage platforms. The Eurocodes are the European standards for the stability and sizing of building elements.
Safety standards
Industrial mezzanines must also comply with all the standards relating to the safety of workers and stored goods:
EN ISO 14122, which covers the mandatory protective equipment for access, such as stairs, walkways and guardrails.
EN 1090, which governs the manufacture and installation of steel structures, setting out in particular the requirements for design, materials and quality control.
Do you have a project? Request a free quote: our engineering office studies your building and proposes the right solution.
