In order to remain competitive, modern businesses must do more with less.
Mezzanines are built for that precise purpose. By creating extra floors within a warehouse or facility, they maximise the use of vertical space. These platforms can be used for storage, order processing, office space and more.
Another way to do more with less is through automation, which, in a warehouse context, typically involves using technology like conveyors to transport goods from A to B.
Careful warehouse mezzanine design is critical to achieving optimal efficiency and productivity through conveyors. In order for these systems to work together well, they need to be strategically planned and implemented.
In this guide we’ll break down mezzanine-conveyor integration in warehousing: why it’s important, how it works, and the factors to consider when implementing a system within a warehouse or facility.
Understanding conveyor integration in warehousing
Before we get into the whys and hows, let’s first gain an understanding of the systems at play.
Mezzanines are relatively self-explanatory: elevated platforms designed to host storage or usable workspace.
Conveyors can be a slightly more complex consideration. Conveyor systems will typically need to integrate with the mezzanine, not the other way around. The correct type of conveyor will also need to be chosen from a surprising number of different options:
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Belt conveyors: Flat or troughed belts typically used to move cartons, parcels or bulk goods.
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Roller conveyors: Gravity or motor-driven rollers for handling boxes and pallets.
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Incline/decline conveyors: Belted or cleated systems that move items between different heights.
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Overhead conveyors: Suspended tracks for hanging or carrying goods above floor level.
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Chain conveyors: Durable chains for heavy loads like pallets or containers.
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Spiral conveyors: Compact vertical systems for moving goods up or down floors.
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Flexible/expandable conveyors: Portable, extendable rollers or belts, most commonly used for truck loading and unloading.
But when the right conveyor is chosen and integrated well, goods flow particularly smoothly through a warehouse, distribution centre, logistics hub or production facility. Conveyors enable efficient multi-level picking, quick dispatch, and enhance warehouse safety by significantly reducing manual handling.
Load-bearing requirements for conveyor-ready mezzanines
Before integrating conveyors into a mezzanine, you first need to ensure that the structure is strong enough. Key load-bearing mezzanine requirements include:
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The ability to handle static and dynamic loads: Different forces are imparted on the structure by stationary loads versus weights that move around, such as those travelling on a conveyor.
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The necessary strength for distributed and point loads: While your material handling processes should ensure that loads are distributed evenly across any surface, you need to ensure your conveyor and mezzanine systems can handle concentrated loads.
Load capacities vary depending on the system:
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A light-duty mezzanine might be designed to hold 250-500 kg/m², while a heavy-duty option might be capable of handling 2000 kg/m² or more.
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Light belt and roller conveyors might be capable of handling 50-200 kg per metre of belt, while heavy duty conveyors might handle pallets weighing two tonnes or more.
Your system must be designed to handle loads that are far beyond those that it’s likely to encounter. This forms a safety margin and grants you the opportunity to expand your system into the future.
Clearance and layout planning
Consider the paths and required widths of the conveyors you plan to install, and the amount of clearance that the goods on the conveyor will need as they move. Snagged or trapped goods can create serious disruptions, so it’s once again critical to include a safety factor in any calculations.
Peripheral conveyor mezzanine safety should also be considered, such as how you’ll work around the conveyors. Plan forklift and AMR traffic in and around your conveyors and mezzanines. Integrate pathways, staircases, walkovers and emergency egress.
Think how your system might grow into the future too. Poor clearance planning today can restrict automation scalability tomorrow, so opt for greater room wherever possible.
Compliance and safety standards in Australia
You understand the potential of conveyor-ready mezzanines, and you’re keen to capitalise on them. The next step is to design and implement a solution that will perform, while ticking all necessary boxes in terms of mezzanine compliance in Australia.
Key design and compliance considerations include:
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Codes and regulations: Your systems must comply with all relevant standards, including AS1657 (fixed platforms, walkways, stairways and ladders) and AS1755 (conveyors).
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Fire regulations: Mezzanines and conveyors must comply with local fire safety regulations, such as smoke detection, sprinkler coverage, emergency egress and the use of fire-resistant materials.
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Permit and certification requirements: You need to work with a provider experienced in compliance and the process of gaining CDC approval. The earlier you engage with an expert, the smoother and swifter certification will be.
Structural integration with other automation systems
Conveyors form just one element of a modern warehouse automation system. Others that a forward-thinking facility should consider – whether now or into the future – include:
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Sorters: Automated systems that direct items to different locations based on size, barcode or destination.
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AGVs/AMRs: Mobile robots that transport goods around a facility. Automated guided vehicles follow fixed paths, and autonomous mobile robots navigate dynamically.
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AS/RS: Automated storage and retrieval systems feature mechanised racks and cranes that store and retrieve pallets or bins automatically.
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Conveyor-integrated robotics: Robotic arms or pickers mounted along conveyors for sorting, picking or packing items.
You should consider the ways in which your facility might automate into the future, and design mezzanine systems that can evolve as your needs and systems change.
Why architects and engineers should partner with specialists
Structural design for warehouse automation is a specialist discipline.
The seemingly simple process of attaching a conveyor to a warehouse mezzanine has a wealth of potential dangers: structural overload, vibration and fatigue, inadequate support points, access and egress hazards, compliance risks and maintenance issues, to name but a few.
The most efficient and productive warehouses are built on strong, well-planned foundations. Whether you’re an architect, engineer or industrial facility designer, engaging with a structural partner early can save a huge amount of time, effort and money on your next warehouse project.
The earlier you bring in an expert structural partner like Unistor, the more successful your project and the happier your client will be.
Unistor: warehouse mezzanine design experts
At Unistor we bring the technical precision and compliance expertise that architects and engineers need to create truly difference-making warehouse systems for their clients.
Taking on the role of principal contractor, we offer a turnkey design-to-certification process powered by our proven expertise in automation-ready structures.
We take all relevant considerations into account – loads, clearance, compliance, integration and more – to create structures that elevate the facilities that they are built within, and that allow businesses to do more with less.
Ready to collaborate? We are too.
