Mezzanines from W.A. Schmidt, which were built closely to working areas, save one auto-parts maker 200 hr of daily production.
Its only breakroom was located at the front of the building, so an auto-parts manufacturer near Chicago granted its employees an additional 10 min during each break for walk time. With 400 production staff taking three breaks per day, the extra time amounted to 200 hr/day for the whole plant. To recover this lost production time, the company consulted with Indoff of Bourbonnais, Ill., a material handling and office-interior distributor that recommended installing three structural mezzanines.
The mezzanines, from W.A. Schmidt, have in-plant offices from Starrco and are built over existing restrooms located near the immediate vicinity of the employees' work area. This eliminated all the lost time from walking the distance to and from the front of the plant.
Each roughly 1,000-ft 2 mezzanine includes two sets of stairs and smoke air clean-ers for designated areas. The structure's support columns fit around existing piping and ductwork. There is also a 2,000-lb vertical mechanical lift from Custom Industrial Products for raising vending machines and daily supplies to each area. Complete project installation took six months by C&P Installations.
W.A. Schmidt Inc.
Souderton, Pa.