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 supports a more efficient quality assurance process while providing space for testing, inspection, and calibration of fully assembled VRCs before shipment.
By pre-assembling and calibrating VRCs at the factory, BHS helps customers reduce installation time, limit disruption, and lower costs associated with on-site assembly. "Assembled and pre-calibrated VRCs can install in half the time, or even less," said Trent Boothe, Technical Sales Manager at BHS. "That can save tens of thousands compared to on-site assembly."
The new 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 technicians to test custom control system integrations for various VRC configurations. This upgrade will help BHS continue to develop, validate, and expand its line of VRCs, including Hydraulic Cantilever VRCs, Mechanical Straddle VRCs, and custom VRCs designed for mezzanine access, multi-level storage, production facilities, and distribution centers.
Boothe emphasized the company's commitment to innovation: "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."
As demand for vertical material handling solutions grows, 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. For more information, visit https://www.bhs1.com.
