BHS, Inc, a leading manufacturer of custom material handling equipment and warehouse solutions, has completed a significant enhancement to its manufacturing campus in St Louis with the addition of a dedicated testing center for Vertical Reciprocating Conveyors (VRCs). The upgrade forms part of the company’s ongoing commitment to improving product quality, streamlining installation processes, and supporting future innovation in vertical material handling systems.
Located within BHS’s 148,000-square-foot manufacturing facility, the new testing area includes a 34-foot-tall dedicated space designed specifically for the inspection, calibration and performance validation of fully assembled VRC systems before shipment. The investment enables the company to conduct comprehensive testing under controlled conditions, ensuring equipment arrives at customer sites ready for efficient installation and operation.
The new facility supports a more rigorous quality assurance process by allowing technicians to assemble and pre-calibrate VRCs in-house. This approach reduces the amount of on-site assembly required at customer facilities, helping organizations minimize downtime, simplify installation logistics and lower project costs.
According to Trent Boothe, Technical Sales Manager at BHS, pre-assembled systems can significantly improve project efficiency. “Fully assembled and calibrated VRCs can often be installed in half the time required for conventional systems,” said Mr Boothe. “By reducing the amount of field assembly, customers benefit from faster commissioning, lower labor costs and fewer operational disruptions.”
Designed with flexibility in mind, the testing center features modular wall bracing that accommodates VRCs of varying heights and configurations, including custom-engineered systems. The facility also includes a separate area dedicated to testing control system integrations, enabling technicians to validate performance across multiple conveyor designs and customer-specific requirements.
The expanded testing capabilities will support continued development of BHS’s portfolio of vertical material handling solutions, including Hydraulic Cantilever VRCs, Mechanical Straddle VRCs and custom-designed lifting systems. These products are widely used in manufacturing facilities, distribution centers, warehouses, mezzanines and multi-level storage environments where efficient movement of materials between floors is essential.
The enhanced facility is also expected to accelerate product innovation. BHS engineers continue to refine system designs to improve installation efficiency and operational performance. One recent enhancement involved integrating wheels into pre-assembled hydraulic VRC units, allowing a single forklift to transport the system directly to its installation point and position it with minimal additional equipment. As demand for automated and vertical material handling solutions continues to grow, the new testing center strengthens BHS’s ability to support customers with reliable, high-performance equipment tailored to evolving operational requirements.
BHS, Inc. is a St. Louis-based manufacturer of custom material handling equipment and warehouse solutions. The company designs and builds systems that improve workplace ergonomics, operational efficiency and productivity across a broad range of industrial and commercial applications.
