MANUFACTURERS OF MEZZANINES, PLATFORMS, CATWALKS & STAIRS
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AUTO PARTS MAKER TAKES A SHORT WALK To Recover 200 Production Hours Per Day An auto parts manufacturer near Chicago employs 400 production staff at their location and offers employees three breaks per day. Because the only breakroom was located at the front of the building, employees were granted an additional 10 minutes during each break to walk back and forth. This occurred three times daily. The "extra" time amounted to a half-hour of lost production per employee, or 200 hours per day for the whole plant.
In an effort to recover this lost production time, the company investigated the cost to create breakrooms more central to the employee work area. There was no room left on the main floor of the plant, though, and additions to the building were cost prohibitive. In search of ideas, the company contacted Dave Dickerson at Indoff, a material handling and office interior distributor based in Bourbonnais, IL. Dickerson recommended installing three structural mezzanines with in-plant offices over existing restrooms, which were located in the immediate vicinity of the employees' work area. Each mezzanine included two sets of stairs and, most importantly, was close to the local employee population. This virtually eliminated all the lost time walking the distance to and from the front of the plant. The three 1000 +/- sq. ft. mezzanines provided additional floorspace without new construction. Dickerson's plan called for completing each installation with an in-plant office/enclosure covering the entire mezzanine area. Smoke air cleaners were provided for designated areas. A 2000 lb. vertical mechanical lift was installed for raising vending machines and daily supplies to each deck. In addition, a capital equipment lease provided significant additional cost savings through tax advantages. Mezzanines by Schmidt were designed with column supports to fit around existing piping and ductwork in the restrooms. Schmidt provided PE-stamped drawings to meet City Building Department structural codes. Starrco provided the in-plant rooms. Custom Industrial Products supplied the lifts. Installation was completed within six months by C&P Installations. The entire project was completed on-time and on-budget in January 2002. Most importantly, the customer was very pleased with the cost-savings it achieved. |
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