Also known as platform mezzanines, industrial work platforms are now common in many manufacturing facilities and other industrial sites. Mezzanines have been around for a long time, although they were often installed on an ad-hoc basis. Starting in the 1960s and 70s, as manufacturing advanced in terms of technology, the modern industrial work platform emerged.
Turns out, these platforms offer a lot of benefits in many situations. Let’s take a closer look at some of the many benefits offered by industrial mezzanines. Of course, we can’t cover everything and the exact benefits for you and your organization will depend on the specifics of your facilities and operations.
Keep Stuff Out-of-the-Way but On Hand
Industrial work platforms are often used to store stuff that is seldom needed. This might include spare parts for a piece of machinery, for example. You might also store inputs or semi-finished goods (perhaps waiting to be finished). A platform mezzanine offers some clear advantages for storing things like parts.
First, you can get the parts out of the way, which means you can keep floor space clean and free from clutter. Among other things, this can increase safety, which should always be a priority. Cluttered workspaces increase the chances of collisions, people tripping, and various other accidents. It’s also easier for people, forklifts, and everything else to navigate a less cluttered space. This can increase efficiency.
At the same time, when a machine breaks down, you’ll want to be able to access repair parts, tools, etc. as quickly as possible. If the tools and parts are stored on the other side of the plant, it could take skilled trades workers twenty minutes or more to simply reach the storage area and find the parts. Having everything on hand helps ensure that things can get up and running much more quickly.
Likewise, if you have semi-finished goods you’re waiting to finish, if they’re stored on a nearby mezzanine, you can access them quickly. The same for raw materials. Mezzanines are great at keeping stuff both out of the way but also easily accessible.
Get a Bird’s Eye View of Your Facilities
Often, plant managers, supervisors, and other leaders can benefit from a bird’s eye view. With mezzanines placed at strategic points, you can more easily keep an eye on production and other operations. This can help improve efficiency and ensure that leaders have a good grasp of everything.
Mezzanines can often be reconfigured and moved as well. So, if you install new machinery, you may be able to move your industrial work platforms to accommodate them. You may even be able to use the mezzanine to start parts or whatever else for the new machinery.
At the end of the day, the flexibility offered by platform mezzanines makes them very popular and useful. If you haven’t set up industrial work platforms yet, you should closely consider how your organization might benefit.
