Interior and drawers for vertical storage systems

A vertical carousel or a vertical lift module normally has empty shelves with no subdivisions. To create compartments or storage spaces on the shelves, boxes, dividers, bins or other specially designed solutions are therefore used. Furnishings for vertical storage systems are not only an easy way to create compartments / storage spaces, with the right furnishings you can also generate both better ergonomics and fill rates. In this guide, you will find some tips and thoughts from us regarding interior design for your vertical carousel and Vertical Lift Module (VLM).

Furnishings for Vertical Lift Modules

All vending machines have basically clean shelves when sold second-hand or from the factory. In cases where the shelves are very wide and have to withstand a lot, there may sometimes be stabilizing strips across the shelves, but otherwise clean. Below we list some of the most common interior design options along with the pros and cons of each solution.

Corrugated cardboard boxes

An option offered by almost all suppliers of vertical storage systems is to buy corrugated cardboard boxes. Corrugated cardboard boxes are available in a variety of predefined sizes and usually the ready-made solutions are sufficient to cover your needs. Should you need completely customized dimensions, they can be ordered, but at a higher cost.

+ Low cost
+ Can be customized for the goods

– Dirt sticks (not good with oily/greasy items)
– Not flexible, ordered dimensions of the boxes apply

Existing plastic boxes

If you go from using shelf racks to buying a vertical storage system, it is very likely that you already have existing plastic boxes you can use. Of course, this is a simple solution, but it may not be the best.

+ Low / no cost
+ Easy to move with the goods

– Drawers are usually not adapted to the shelves (low fill rate)
– Drawers are not always adapted to the goods (low fill rate)

Sumobox

Sumobox is a subsidiary of Kardex Remstar and is the only known manufacturer to create boxes specifically for Vertical Lift Modules. Sumobox is a flexible and modular plastic interior for VLMs. Learn more at www.sumobox.se.

+ Customized as standard for VLMs
+ Height adjustable with modules
+ Light in weight
+ Flexible dividers that can be moved to meet changing needs

– High cost
– Only available to buy new for Kardex Vertical Lift Modules
– Takes some time to assemble

Metal interior

One option offered by most Vertical Lift Modules suppliers is to purchase customized and flexible metal shelving. The design of this type of shelving usually allows you to move the compartments in order to have flexibility in the compartment sizes.

+ Very durable
+ Flexible
+ ESD safe
+ Dirt does not stick

– High cost
– Not flexible in height
– Relatively heavy

Tape

In fact, tape can be, and is, used to divide shelves into compartments and storage spaces. In particular, it can be useful if you are storing whole boxes/bulky goods in your VLMs and do not need much storage spaces per shelf.

+ Low cost
+ Don’t take up space

– Does not prevent goods from moving around
– Unclear subdivision

ESD interior design

Some products need to be stored in so-called ESD-protected areas. ESD stands for Electro Static Discharge and means that the material is sensitive to static electricity that can arise from the friction of different materials. To deal with this, there are therefore ESD-safe solutions, something that most suppliers of shelf interiors know and offer. If you need ESD safe drawers or storage solutions, look no further:

• Sumobox drawers in ESD design.
• Filter boxes
• Plastic trays in ESD design
•Metal interior

Interior for vertical carousels

For vertical carousels, there is a slightly wider range of standard drawers and manufacturers – largely because solutions adapted for shelf racks work well in vertical carousels. The most important thing to consider when looking at drawers for your vertical carousels is to get the most out of the depth of the shelf. Standard depths for vertical carousels are 400 mm, 500 mm and 600 mm. Which drawers and how you utilize them can have a huge effect on the fill rate of your vertical carousel.
If you are buying boxes for your vertical carousel, the following suppliers are common:

• Arca-boxes
• Stemo
• Perstorp
• AJ products

High fill rate in comparison to low fill rate due to improper furnishing