mega-multi-store-warehouses-construction

Mega Multi-Store Warehouses: Construction

Case Study:

How Alpha Platforms Helped Amazon Build Two Mega-Warehouses

What was the challenge?

The Amazon mega-warehouse construction team in Windsor, CT was looking for a boom lift operator to help install metal siding panels on the second floor and trim around the roof of the 3,800,000-square-foot building. Due to the massive building size and the 105-foot-high flat roof, using a dropped basket or scaffolding would have been costly, and potentially risked damaging the walls, the roof, and the roof edges. Therefore, the project manager searched for a contactless height access solution to reach the upper floors to minimize the risk and control costs.

  • The warehouse walls that needed panels and trim were situated above and over an 80-foot-tall, 130-foot-deep first-floor buildout that wrapped around the entire building. Neither the JLG nor United Rentals lifts available onsite were capable of a required side reach of up to 130 feet.
  • During our initial consultation, the client did not believe that our boom lift could have such an “insane” side reach. However, when our estimator met with the client’s construction engineer, they analyzed the blueprint-based numbers and Alpha’s boom lift’s working envelope and concluded that the majority of the surface was within our reach.
  • Subsequently, Alpha Platforms’ boom lift was hired for two months to assist with this installation.

What was the solution?

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1
Alpha Platforms dispatched its A-250 boom lift with a 250-foot height reach and 130-foot side reach with an IPAF-certified, full-time operator.
2
During the site planning visit, our estimator identified the optimal setup locations for the truck-mounted platform to maximize its reach. However, other contractors working onsite occupied these setup locations.
3
That’s where the Alpha operator’s expertise paid off–creating an awkward but suitable configuration of outriggers to avoid damaging these installations, while safely maximizing the side reach.
4
The specs of our state-of-the-art A-250 lift:
Details

What was the outcome?

The A-250 was able to reach 95% of the required surface of the second floor up and over the roof. Also, Alpha installed a custom sunroof attachment to the lift cage, keeping workers in the shade during the hot, sunny days of summer.

Upon project completion, we were referred to the next Amazon construction site in North Andover, MA, where we completed the same job at a virtually identical construction site, solving the same extreme side reach problem for a different construction team.

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Our precise German-made lifts have become the height access method of choice for those who try them, as they combine unmatched productivity, safety, and reach.
Notable 250 Foot Boom Lift Capabilities
  • 12-foot extra large cage
  • 1,322 lbs lifting capacity for crew, equipment, and materials
  • Cage rotation 2 x 200°
  • Side reach up to 130 feet
  • Unique "under and up" or "up and over and back" access
  • Smooth controlled motions to move close to and around glass and fragile structures
  • Jib length 49’2’’

Alpha Platforms has helped hundreds of teams like yours


Customer Testimonials
from Case Studies

Mike P.
Building restoration services family business owner

We wanted to give it a try and see what this boom truck could do. We loved the idea of a wide basket that could reach up to 30 feet and get to the brick wall over the roof. The main reason we loved the truck was how it maneuvered the boom to lower the bricks inside a dumpster, which was located behind the truck. It saved us at least one extra day of work. It all went great.

Joseph A.
Head stone mason, national cathedral

The project was performed successfully, and we were really glad to have contactless means of reaching the building, as we all know that pipe scaffold might damage the structure, in this case, very very sensitive.

Jason A.
Director of operations, family-owned regional electrical services provider

Alpha has the most efficient and leanest site setup time I’ve ever seen. My brother, who is the top climber of our group, first struggled to understand how this cage could go around the tower better than the crane - and when it did the whole 360°, he became a believer. Also, each laborer said how incredibly safe they felt - very different from the small crane basket. We were able to secure and push back the panels in place without the basket ever moving.

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