Running Out of Factory Space?

What the customer was dealing with

A fast-growing electrical equipment manufacturer had a good problem — their business was growing, but their factory was running out of space. The obvious answer was to look for a bigger factory.

What we found on the ground

When we studied their operations, we noticed a large share of their floor was occupied by materials that were light in weight but high in volume — boxes, electrical modules, small assemblies and packaging. None of it needed to sit on valuable ground-floor space alongside fabrication and heavier materials.

What we recommended

Instead of a bigger factory, we used the height they already had. A mezzanine floor was built for an additional working and storage level, connected by a pit-mounted scissor lift with approximately 12 feet of lifting height. Lightweight materials and packaging moved up to the mezzanine; the ground floor was freed for core fabrication and heavier production activity.

• Mezzanine Floor
• Pit-Mounted Scissor Lift (~12 ft lifting height)
• Platform Trolleys
• Hand Pallet Trucks

What changed

Approximately 40% more usable space within the same premises. Departments interfered less with each other's work, and based on the improved workflow we estimate overall productivity improved by approximately 25%* — the customer accommodated business growth without moving to a larger facility.

*Productivity improvement is an indicative estimate based on the improved process flow and was not independently measured through a formal productivity study.