Purchasing a Vertical Lift Module is a major step toward improving how your facility stores and retrieves inventory. But a successful VLM installation starts long before the equipment arrives.

A Vertical Lift Module, or VLM, is an automated storage system that stores inventory vertically on trays and delivers the requested tray directly to an operator. At Bradford Systems Corporation (BSC), we believe the best installations are won in the planning phase.

That planning starts with understanding your facility, continues through the project handoff, and finishes with a clear pre-installation plan everyone understands before technicians arrive.

Start With a Thorough Site Survey

One of the most important steps in Modula VLM installation planning is the site survey. A machine may fit on a drawing, but every facility has conditions that can change the final solution.

During a recent site survey at Fresenius Kabi in Melrose Park, Illinois, our team evaluated a potential VLM location for consolidating MRO and spare-parts inventory. The visit quickly surfaced several important considerations. The proposed machine needed to fit within approximately 20 feet of available height while maintaining required overhead clearance. Existing piping, HVAC equipment, and sprinklers also had to be considered.

The biggest technical question was the floor. The existing slab was reportedly only four inches thick, while the proposed VLM could eventually carry significant weight from motors and other heavy parts. That meant floor loading needed to be validated before the solution could be finalized.

Those are not details you want to discover on installation day.

A good site survey should answer questions such as:

• Is there enough clear height?
• Are sprinklers, piping, lighting, or HVAC in the way?
• Can the floor support the fully loaded machine?
• Is there enough room for installation equipment and technician access?
• Where will power and network connections come from?
• Does the proposed configuration fit the customer’s workflow and future growth?

At Fresenius, the survey also helped us better understand the application itself. Inventory accuracy and control were more important than raw picking speed, the parts ranged from small components to heavy motors, and the facility uses SAP. All of that affects machine configuration, tray capacity, software requirements, and the final project plan.

What Happens Once the Project Is Sold?

Once the equipment moves from an opportunity into an active project, the focus shifts from selecting the solution to executing it successfully.

At BSC, that means coordination between Sales, Project Management, Operations, the customer, and Modula. One process we are developing is a simple pre-installation kickoff meeting to make sure the basic requirements are confirmed before installation.

For a recent Coca-Cola project in Fort Worth, we built the kickoff around a 15-minute conversation:

• Is adequate staging space available?
• Will power be live before installation?
• Who is the onsite point of contact?
• Who should be contacted if an issue needs to be escalated?

We also defined responsibilities between Coca-Cola, Bradford Systems, and Modula so everyone understood who owned each part of the project.

It is a short conversation, but it can prevent a surprising number of problems.

Confirm Site Readiness Before Technicians Arrive

A technician arriving onsite should not be the first person to discover that power is unavailable, staging space is blocked, or the customer is unsure who should meet the crew.

Before installation begins, we want to confirm the basics: staging space, power, delivery timing, site contacts, technician access, unresolved site-survey items, and each party’s responsibilities.

These are simple items, but they are exactly the kinds of details that can turn a planned installation into a last-minute fire drill.

Establish Clear Ownership

Good communication does not mean including everyone on every email. It means knowing who owns the next step.

Once a project is in execution, the primary communication should generally flow between the customer’s main point of contact, Bradford Systems Project Management, and the technicians completing the work. Sales remains available when needed, but the project team should have the relationships and information required to manage the day-to-day work.

That creates clearer ownership and fewer handoff issues.

Build a Visible Installation Schedule

A Modula VLM installation has several moving pieces: production scheduling, site preparation, transportation, delivery, technician scheduling, installation, startup, testing, and training.

A clear, visible schedule helps everyone understand where the project stands and what happens next. If site readiness changes, we want to know before the truck arrives. If production timing changes, we want to adjust the installation plan before it becomes an emergency.

Our goal is simple: More proactive. Less reactive.

What Should a Successful VLM Installation Feel Like?

For the customer, a well-planned installation should feel organized.

You should know who your contacts are, understand your responsibilities, and have a facility that is ready when the equipment arrives. Our technicians should arrive with the information they need to complete the work successfully.

Most importantly, you should end the project with exactly what you purchased: a completed Vertical Lift Module that is installed, operational, and ready to support your business.

At Bradford Systems Corporation, we continue to improve our VLM installation planning process because better preparation leads to better execution.

The equipment may arrive on installation day. But the work required for a successful installation should begin long before that.

Author: Blake Fletcher