BHS, Inc., a leading manufacturer of custom material handling solutions, has completed an upgrade to a portion of its 148,000-square-foot manufacturing campus in St. Louis, Missouri. The updated area includes a dedicated 34-foot-tall testing space for vertical reciprocating conveyors (VRCs). This investment underscores the company's commitment to improving quality assurance and reducing installation burdens for customers.
The dedicated VRC testing area supports a more efficient quality assurance process while providing space for testing, inspection, and calibration of fully assembled VRCs. By assembling and pre-calibrating VRCs before shipment, BHS helps customers reduce installation time, limit disruption, and cut the cost and complexity of on-site assembly. According to Trent Boothe, Technical Sales Manager at BHS, "Assembled and pre-calibrated VRCs can install in half the time, or even less. That can save tens of thousands compared to on-site assembly."
The updated testing area was designed specifically for VRCs and vertical material lifts. It features modular wall bracing that allows the BHS team to test VRCs of multiple heights, including custom-sized models. A separate area also enables BHS technicians to test custom control system integrations for multiple VRC configurations. This flexibility is crucial as BHS continues to expand its product line, which includes Hydraulic Cantilever VRCs, Mechanical Straddle VRCs, and custom VRCs designed for applications such as mezzanine access, multi-level storage, production facilities, and distribution centers.
Boothe emphasized the ongoing innovation at BHS: "We're always testing new design features. For example, we added wheels to our pre-assembled hydraulic VRCs. That one small change lets a single forklift move the whole VRC through your facility to the point of installation, then stand it up. It saves time, labor, and equipment needed during installation." Such improvements directly address customer needs for faster and more cost-effective material handling solutions.
As demand for vertical material handling solutions continues to grow, the enhanced testing area provides BHS with the flexibility and capacity to support future product development and customer requirements. The investment reinforces the company's long-term commitment to delivering reliable, innovative solutions that meet the evolving needs of industry. For more information about BHS and its products, visit https://www.bhs1.com.
