Quality Bicycle Products, Bloomington, MN

Bicycle manufacturer finds space solutions with freestanding mezzanine

9,000 sq. ft. freestanding mezzanine with composite deck, personnel elevator and equipment lift.

Jeff Burton, of Quality Bicycle Products in Bloomington, MN, faced the responsibility of increasing the quantity and the volume of bicycle parts stocked within a distribution center, which was already using the maximum available floor space. In addition, the owners of Quality Bicycle Products were looking to expand production and light assembly of their custom bicycle wheels.

This distributor of bicycle components supplies anything from bicycle tires to water bottles. At a time when the sport of biking is on the rise with no slow down in sight, they had to be certain the direction they took was adaptable to inevitable changes in the near future. Quality Bicycle Products expected their business to virtually double over the course of just a couple of years.

In order to increase the amount of available floor space without expanding the existing operation, they were able to incorporate a 9,000 sq. ft. freestanding PortaFab mezzanine into their existing operation. Although the facility was full of existing shelving and rack, they could not afford to miss one day of operation due to the installation of the mezzanine.

With the requirement of utilizing pallet jacks to move pallets of materials from place to place on top of the mezzanine, Quality Bicycle had serious concerns regarding the long-term durability of the mezzanine floor surface. PortaFab designed the mezzanine to incorporate a dense composite decking material to withstand the constant abuse of pallet jacks. This material was installed over a 20 gauge steel deck to assure adequate structural capability. The steel deck was provided with a white underside to receive maximum light reflectance beneath the mezzanine, therefore decreasing the quantity of lights required for installation.

Due to the existing equipment layout, the mezzanine was required to incorporate clear column spacing up to 35' and cantilever to an existing wall along one side. The location of each mezzanine column was critical to assure the column would not interfere with traffic aisles or the flow of existing operations. In addition to the existing equipment, Doug Burn added additional conveyor, along with an equipment lift and personnel lift to transport materials and people to the top of the mezzanine. PortaFab's mezzanine drawings were able to be coordinated with the conveyor supplier and the lift manufacturers to assure the proper fit and location.

Upon receiving approval from Quality Bicycle to proceed, complete field dimensions were obtained to layout the exact locations of existing walls, shelving, rack, electrical components and carousels. Upon reviewing these dimensions, a complete set of detailed drawings was provided by PortaFab and submitted by Jeff Burton for approval to the building department. Quality Bicycle Products made certain they were buying a product designed to meet the National Building Code requirements to avoid delays during the process of obtaining a building and occupancy permit for this project.

The largest concern of Quality Bicycle's was the ability to expand this mezzanine to meet future distribution requirements. PortaFab solved this dilemma by designing the mezzanine to allow for future expansion along one side. Since the original installation, an additional 4,800 square foot expansion and a 6,000 square foot expansion have been added to the original structure.