Since its introduction as an alternative to paternoster racks, the vertical storage lift has enjoyed strong growth in the global market. With a crane in the centre and shelves on each side of the crane, it is mainly the flexibility of being able to store goods of very different sizes in a compressed manner that has made it a good solution for many warehouses, storage rooms and factories. If you want to read more about the difference between vertical storage lifts and paternosters, you can find it in our guides. Confusion of terms can sometimes be a reason for not knowing what you’re looking for – vertical storage lifts specifically are also sometimes referred to as warehouse lifts, storage lifts and picking machines.
Used vertical storage lifts
If you are looking for a used vertical storage lift, we at Relevator sell storage lifts in the best possible condition. Vertical storage lifts that have been serviced by the original manufacturer and operated with normal wear and tear can usually be used for 20 – 30 years. There are new innovations in vertical storage lifts, but when it comes to storing a lot of goods in a small space, a used storage lift can give you just as much value as a new one, and sometimes at half the price.
What to look for?
If you’re looking for a good second-hand vertical storage lift, there are a few things worth checking. First and foremost, it is quite natural that the lift machine should fit in your premises. An automatic lift can be rebuilt in height with relatively simple steps, but the width and depth are fixed – so height, width and depth must be checked. In addition to the dimensions, it is also important to check how much goods you can get into the storage machine, this is easiest to do by looking at the dimensions of the lift machine’s shelves, as well as how many shelves it has in total. If you can provide us or another supplier of storage machines with how many items you have, as well as an estimate of your goods volume, we can estimate how much of your goods a lift machine can store.
Who manufactures vertical storage lifts?
There are several manufacturers of vertical storage lifts that are established in the Nordic region. The most common solutions you come across in Sweden’s industries and warehouses come from Weland Solutions, Kardex Remstar and Constructor. Weland’s vertical storage lift is called Compact Lift, Kardex is called Shuttle XP and Constructor’s is called Tornado. In addition to the above manufacturers, Hänel, Modula, Jungheinrich and SSI Schäfer also supply vertical storage lifts in Sweden. Hänel is represented in Sweden by AJ Products and Modula by Edge Technology. Jungheinrich has its own sales force but sells lifts manufactured by Kardex. SSI Schäfer has its own sales force and manufactures its vertical storage lifts in Germany.
Common models of vertical storage lifts
In terms of models of vertical storage lifts, it is usually the weight capacity and width of the machine that determines the model name. For example, a “Kardex Shuttle XP 250-3050×816” means, somewhat simplified, a vertical storage lift that can handle 250 kg per shelf, and where the shelves have the dimensions 3050×816 mm. For Weland’s storage lifts, a distinction can first be made between the Compact Lift and Compact Twin models – where Twin differs from Lift in that the lift itself can transport two shelves simultaneously. Then, as with Kardex, it is the width that determines the model name, e.g. Weland Compact Twin 2440 – a vertical storage lift with a shelf width of 2440 mm (approx.). Weland’s shelf depth is usually 820 mm as standard.