Influence of Mezzanine on Cargo Handling in Warehouse
MAGAZINE №1 (90) February 2019
AUTHOR PENZEV V.N.
CATEGORY Logistic infrastructure Warehouse logistics
ABSTRACT
The significance of the topic in question lies in the fact that during warehouse maintenance there arise such issues as increased equipment purchase costs, loss of productivity at loading and unloading operations and goods receipt and shipment, which can be connected to installation of a mezzanine above dock zones (loading/unloading, receipt and expedition zones). In this respect the article reveals influence of mezzanine on warehouse cargo handling and partially its influence on warehouse structural elements.
Practice of modern warehouse design and construction allows construction of a mezzanine above dock zones (loading / unloading zones). At the same time there appear two key questions – the installation height and the width of a mezzanine. However, the following issues are never considered: construction costs, warehouse structural elements and, which is
important, cargo handling processes, amount of weight-handling equipment, number of employees etc.
Taking warehouses of companies specializing in warehouse design and construction as examples, the author describes how a mezzanine together with a warehouse topology will influence cargo handling in a warehouse:
1) Types of structural mezzanine;
2) Height of mezzanine construction above the floor (mark 0,000);
3) Width of mezzanine construction;
4) Column space below a mezzanine;
5) Installation of dock equipment below a mezzanine, in particular, installation of sectional doors;
6) Cargo handling, amount of weight-handling equipment and number of employees in any variant of mezzanine construction;
7) Warehouse structural elements influence on variants of mezzanine construction.
Research methodology is based on the author’s study of space-planning decisions of warehouse complexes with the aid of AUTOCAD software and design of logistic operations map for each warehouse under consideration.
Based on the undertaken study the author makes the following conclusions:
1) Mezzanine height to the floor bottom is to be no less than 4.80m;
2) For optimal work space organization, it is necessary to use sectional doors with high lift with a mezzanine, or with vertical lift without a mezzanine;
3) For compact arrangement of stair flights, it is necessary to use four-flight stairs.
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