© MiTek 2024
Industry: Automotive
Application: Storage & Warehousing Systems
Location: Port Chester, NY
Objectives:
Penske Automotive Group is the world’s second largest automotive dealership group. With 327 retail franchises representing over 40 different brands, Penske is an authority in the automotive world. When Penske was looking to add space to park an additional 100 cars at their BMW Port Chester, NY location, they sought out help from AME for Auto Dealers. The dealership aims to have a large inventory of new cars with varying options available so that, in most cases, their customers can leave with the exact car they want, any day of the week. This meant that every square foot of valuable space needed to be maximized. AME turned to MiTek Mezzanine Systems to make this tricky project a reality.
This project had several sizable challenges. The first major challenge was coming up with a column layout that would maximize available parking spaces and avoid the need for footings. Second, it was extremely important to find a decking option that was light enough to decrease the amount of footings needed, but be able to withstand the wear-and-tear of the weather and the strain of holding the cars. Moving the cars from the first floor to the second floor was another challenge, since any configuration using a ramp eliminated valuable parking spaces. Finally, the limited space, winter conditions, and short timeline made installation a challenge.
The teams at MiTek and AME worked tirelessly to find appropriate solutions for all of this project’s challenges. Columns were placed near the building’s existing supports to avoid taking up valuable parking spots and custom designed steel plates were created to cover the seismic gap required around the building’s columns. Concrete was considered as a decking option, but it’s weight, expense, and it’s proclivity to crack made it a less than ideal choice. A lightweight, painted ResinDek over N deck was decided on because of it’s corrosion resistance and ability to handle the high wheel loads of the cars. The issue of high loads was also addressed through the use of 18 inch c-channel framing. With a ramp out of the question as a means of moving vehicles from one floor to the other, the team decided to fit a vertical reciprocating conveyor into the design. To accommodate the tight installation schedule, the installation team worked three shifts around the clock and therefore eliminated disruptions to the dealership’s normal operations. As David Easterbrook from AME put it, “The MiTek team went above and beyond to accommodate all of our needs and our customer’s needs. We asked them to do impossible tasks and every time they would perform the impossible without complaint.”
MiTek and AME worked together to bring this project in on time and on budget. “Not only was the work done in an efficient timely manner, the quality of the decking and materials overall is excellent. Additionally, the price per square foot was substantially less than building from scratch.”- Jeff Anderson, PAG
