VSR Equipment
VSR is an acronym for Vertical Storage & Retrieval. This type of VSR equipment (also called vertical carousels) is excellent for businesses that need to expand their storage capacity without hurting their budget.
Many agencies, companies, and facilities face inventory control issues, ranging from hospital labs challenged with storing samples to law enforcement agencies holding crime scene evidence. For example, when law enforcement agencies collect evidence, they must keep it indefinitely for homicide cases and the length of the statute of limitations for all other cases. The accumulated items take up much space in evidence storage areas.
Another example is a hospital’s requirement to keep adulterated, invalid, positive, or substituted results for a minimum of one year. Storage for other specimens can be up to 10 years. Because many agencies, companies, and facilities face long-term storage challenges, VSR equipment helps organize, secure, and store what workers need within arm’s reach.
Understanding VSR Equipment
Vertical carousels feature automated storage solutions for a wide variety of companies. These systems include automated rotating shelving that moves up and down a guided track. With the push of a button, the vertical carousels deliver stored items to operators at ergonomic workstations. This solution eliminates wasted time from searching for items and walking through facilities needlessly.
Companies can find VSR equipment available in over 7,000 configurations. For example, if a company has a service counter, these configurations allow the operator to retrieve items automatically while remaining visible to customers. This ergonomic solution means operators don’t have to bend, lift, or reach when retrieving items. Therefore, picking is more efficient, and workplace injuries are minimal.
VSR equipment features a design that’s ideal for the following industries:
- Automotive
- Distribution
- Electronics
- Hospital and medical
- Kitting
- Manufacturing
- Pharmaceutical
- Refrigerated and freezer storage
- Tooling storage
- Warehousing
Why Facilities Should Use VSR Equipment
An ASRS carousel is a high-density storage rack system using inventory management software. These automated storage systems bring stored materials or items to operators automatically. That means there’s no need for operators to search for these items.
These systems include plastic bins or shelves that rotate on a track when operators “call” them for retrieval. Operators can run vertical carousels manually or by using automated controls or software. When facilities incorporate vertical carousels into their building design and floor plans, that means they must also consider the four goals of ASRS LEAN Storage Solutions. Those goals include:
- Adaptability for the facility’s current and future needs
- Functional floor design layout and space configurations
- Comfort and safety for operators and all other employees
- Sustainable practices and technologies
Incorporating vertical carousels helps facilities achieve each of these goals. That way, it’s possible to achieve space efficiency while managing a productive inventory storage facility. Compared to a standard storage solution, vertical carousels help facilities save up to 80% of their floor space.
There’s no value in a facility wasting space. Inventory is the backbone for many agencies and facilities beyond those working in manufacturing industries. Efficiently accessing inventory includes keeping inventories moving in businesses in the technology sector on up to industrial facilities.
When facilities embrace vertical storage carousels’ benefits, having quick access and managing inventory control is part of an operator’s everyday routine. Here are some additional reasons why facilities should incorporate VSR equipment solutions:
- Maximize Storage Capacities: Vertical carousels are storage systems featuring an enclosed construction that includes vertical trays that rotate and deliver items to workstations. These systems feature a vertical design that allows facilities to take advantage of unused overhead space. These systems’ small footprint makes them ideal solutions for point-of-use storage that helps free up floor space.
- Improve Worker Productivity: One of the most notable features of vertical storage carousels is that they deliver items directly to workstations. Therefore, operators can complete tasks or fulfill orders without searching up and down aisles for items. This type of efficiency helps improve employee morale, which, in turn, improves productivity. A facility can see a 40% increase in workload efficiency when incorporating vertical carousels.
- Control and Monitor Inventory: The incorporation of vertical carousels with automated software means the facility’s inventory has automated inventory tracking. That means supervisors can control and manage each operator’s rights or other groups of users. Because there’s monitoring and tracking for each inventory item, managers can receive real-time data for these items and materials.
How VSR Equipment Improves Efficiency
Because VSR storage towers provide automated storage to various facilities, operators are more efficient and productive. Organizational strategies using vertical storage carousels helps a company’s operators efficiently store and retrieve items they need when they need them. That means there’s no unnecessary searching or product movement that could reduce efficiency.
For example, because medical facilities need to improve their storage efficiency, they must focus on handling large lab pathology quantities. Efficiency for medical facilities also expands to utilizing vertical storage carousels featuring temperature controls. That way, IV bags, medications, and more have proper refrigeration.
As another example, if a facility is housing a large inventory, it’s impossible to expect employees to know where to find items they need to retrieve to complete specific tasks. Typically, employees don’t know the most efficient way of traveling the facility to retrieve everything they need. Vertical storage carousels help eliminate these issues.
It’s possible to locate, access, and retrieve items with the push of a button. This type of efficiency means employees aren’t wasting time walking back and forth to find and retrieve the products and materials they need.
Benefits and Features of VSR Equipment
In today’s business environment, professionals are facing many challenges regarding tracking and picking storage items. For example, busy warehouses have many moving pieces, making it challenging to determine an inventory’s contents or items’ location. That’s where vertical storage carousels are beneficial. Not only are items and materials easy to access, but the storage system is also efficient and secure.
Additional benefits include:
- Save up to 80% of the company’s floor space
- Increase productivity by up to 600%
- Create ergonomic retrieval workstations and storage areas
- Improve the company’s inventory management control
- Incorporate password protection on inventory and lockable doors
- Includes dust protection
In addition to increasing productivity and maximizing space, vertical storage carousels also have features that improve inventory control and employee safety. For example, when an operator needs an item, they can “call” it for retrieval, and it comes directly to their workstation.
Additional features include:
- Dual motor drive
- System controls and software
- Heavy-duty and load-bearing roller chain
- Ergonomic design for operator safety and comfort
- Locking doors
BIM Pathology Blood Slide Storage Vertical Carousels
How Military Personnel Benefit from Vertical Storage Carousels
Vertical storage carousels are beneficial in many company settings, including those for the military. These storage systems benefit those who are working in the government, military, or private sectors. For example, vertical parts carousel helps keep parts, tools, weaponry, and other items in an efficient storage system. Then, each time military personnel needs one of these items, they’ll receive it automatically. That helps improve efficiency because the staff isn’t wasting time searching for the items they need.
Maximizing storage space is critical on military bases, in armories, and within other military facilities. Examples of vertical storage towers and other vertical carousels include:
- A vertical parts carousel for military parts storage
- Automated storage systems for parts in the automotive service department
- Vertical carousels for weaponry storage
- Vertical lifts for military weapon and ammunition storage
Technical Specifications and Design
With the proliferation of e-commerce consistently growing, companies require better material-handling systems. Most companies use in-house engineering teams to come up with these retrieval and storage solutions. Architects and designers provide innovative solutions to various industries, including those in the athletic, educational, law enforcement, medical, military spaces, and more.
Automated Storage Solutions
It isn’t uncommon to see companies and facilities struggle to maximize floor space. Implementation of vertical carousels means that there’s less or no wasted space. Depending on the solution that the facility needs, the vertical carousel technical specifications are going to vary. Because there are expert designers on-staff, facilities can easily incorporate automated software when implementing vertical carousel storage solutions. Incorporating a vertical storage carousel into a business involves various architectural and design phases.
Architectural and design phases:
- Creating specs following a thorough site evaluation
- Developing CAD drawings
- Presentation of design plans
- Project integration with existing storage or software systems
- Installing the vertical storage carousels
Contact Us for VSR Equipment Solutions
Southwest Solutions Group is a leader in innovation for VSR equipment and vertical carousels. Our design team is available to help determine which configuration is optimal for your facility’s floor space. Contact one of our expert design representatives for more information by calling us at 800-803-1083, or send us a message.
