As C.B. Sullivan Inc. found out all too quickly, 30,000 square feet of warehouse space wasn't enough to support its growing business. "We just ran out of room," says Rick Sullivan, inventory control manager at the Hooksett, N.H. company.

In fact, the space crunch got so bad, that some inventory was completely displaced. And that was after pallet rack locations were subdivided to accommodate multiple stock keeping units (SKUs).

Fortunately, the building had a 32-foot high ceiling. That made it possible to install an 8,300 square foot mezzanine (Cogan Industries, 800-567-2626) above an existing primary pick line and small items storage area. Total installation time was just under two weeks, Sullivan says.

"We were able to get smaller overstock items off pallet racks and on to smaller overstock shelves staged on the mezzanine," he says. "Any small overstock left on the dock is now worked into the mezzanine." Displaced inventory found a home.

Initially concerned that the company would have to increase its work force to accommodate the new installation, Sullivan notes that the existing work force has not expanded despite the larger work area.

The mezzanine's increased storage area also resulted in the clearing of pallet locations for full pallets. Sullivan explained that once ten pallets of overstock accrue on the floor, a pallet truck will deliver the pallets up to the mezzanine. Riding a specially designed, manual 4-wheel cart, the receiver on the mezzanine will deliver the pallets to desired staging locations throughout the mezzanine.

The supplier's picking operations now flow more smoothly as well, Sullivan comments. The installation "opened up breathing room on the floor," he explains, and has helped make throughput at the supplier more efficient. "We replenish and pick from it now as well—it's been a big plus."