Moving Up – Rideable Lift Advantages
Enhance your mezzanine's efficiency and improve the movement of your workers
Mezzanines are a tried and true method of increasing space usage in your facility. We’ve all seen a warehouse tap into its vertical cube by adding a mezzanine or pick module solution. The results are increased storage and product movement while gaining more control of unused areas.
Once you’ve got a mezzanine in place, the journey to more efficiency doesn’t end! With an existing mezzanine, you want to consider all avenues of movement when on it or when transporting to it. Enhancing these methods only increases the ROI of your investment, while helping throughput. With this in mind, how your workers access your mezzanine is a prime area for consideration.
How do your workers move up and down a mezzanine?
Most mezzanines allow for movement in (usually) one of two ways. Workers can take the stairs, and the product rides up in another mechanized way like a VRC. Now, both means of getting to the top work just fine, but there is another solution…one that offers the best of both worlds.
A rideable solution
So why take the stairs when you can enjoy the ride (pun completely intended)? Imagine you’re carrying a heavy box up the stairs. Now, imagine doing that ten times a day. Not very appealing, right? Employees accessing a mezzanine are doing this every day for most operations.
You could add a rideable lift and end all the extra movement! Unlike their no-ride cousins, the VRCs, these lifts aren’t just about moving goods; they’re about moving people with their goods. It’s like having an elevator at a fraction of the cost and compliance headache. See, while a VRC is categorized and regulated as a vertical conveyor, a rideable lift adheres to the stricter guidelines set for elevators by ASME codes. Designed for exclusive access, it transports just one person at a time and is restricted to authorized users. This targeted functionality avoids the hefty costs typically associated with full-scale elevators.
Protecting valued inventory with a rideable lift
In industries where security can’t be compromised—think pharmaceuticals, aerospace, and high-value manufacturing—the ability to keep an eye on valuable or sensitive materials can’t be understated. Any way to add an extra layer of security from risks like pilferage or misuse is important.
With rideable lifts, your most trusted asset (your employees) can stay with your physical assets, from the ground floor to the mezzanine. This is like adding another level (so to speak) of protection! While the time added under a watchful eye is limited, every second counts when keeping your product safe.
Read more: Loss prevention and warehouse security
Saving Time, Saving Backs
Why separate the journey of goods from the journey of those who need them? Rideable lifts cut out the middleman—yes, those tedious stairs and ladders—and allow for an integrated approach to material handling. Less time climbing stairs means more time doing productive work.
Plus, it’s a back saver, literally. Less time moving up and down stairs also means less time holding something potentially heavy while moving. A good safety operation is always looking for ways to cut out ergonomic stress, and rideable lifts can do just that. With workers being harder to come by with each passing year, any advantage to reduce physical stress is good.
Read more: Warehouse ergonomics & productivity: Unbreakable connections
In the bustling rhythm of modern commerce, efficiency is king, and safety is queen. Rideable lifts marry the two in a union that promises not just to elevate materials, but the quality of work life itself. So next time you think about going up, remember—it’s better to ride.
Download our Mezzanine Guide
The space you already have is more valuable than the space you could acquire. Adding a mezzanine to your facility can rapidly increase your vertical space available, and provide added efficiency and long-term value to your operations. Check out our guide for mezzanine specifications, styles, accessories and applications. You will find quick, useful information on mezzanines and how you can use them more effectively.
Download the guide today
Tags: mezzanine lifts, mezzanine
Evan Fleishacker