Industrial warehouse interior with tall metal structure and yellow safety railings along mezzanine level

Mezzanine Lifts and Vertical Reciprocating Conveyors (VRCs)

Pallets Up Without the Forklift.

PFlow VRCs, from 100-lb package lifts to heavy four-post machines, sized, permitted, and installed by our own crews across the Southeast.

Call: 770-529-0418

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Find the Right Lift

Blue multi-level vertical lift tower with mesh gates beside orange pallet racking and a scissor lift

What a Mezzanine Lift System Does for Your Floor

Quick answer

A vertical reciprocating conveyor, or VRC, is a material-only lift that moves loads between levels on a guided carriage. It is not an elevator, it is not rated to carry people, and it is governed by ASME B20.1 rather than elevator code, which is what makes it far cheaper and faster to install.

Buyers often search for a material elevator. What they usually need is a VRC: same job, classified as a conveyor rather than an elevator, at a fraction of the installed cost.

Capacities from 100 lbs to more than 200,000 lbs depending on series.
Moves pallets, carts, and product between a floor and a mezzanine.
Riders are prohibited on all VRCs, by design and by standard.

Why a VRC and Not an Elevator

The comparison

Getting a pallet to the next level, in the order most people arrive at them. A VRC is not a cheaper elevator, it is a different class of machine.

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What you do now

A forklift on a ramp

No capital cost and the highest running cost. Raising a pallet above head height is where the near misses happen, and every trip ties up a truck and a driver.

What you assume you need

A freight elevator

Rated to carry people, so it is built to elevator code, inspected as an elevator and priced like one. Most plants need none of that to move a pallet.

What usually fits

A VRC, material only

Governed by ASME B20.1 instead, because nobody rides it. That single distinction is what takes the cost, the lead time and the inspection regime down to a fraction.

When a VRC Pays You Back

The payback

Three things change the day it goes in, and each one shows up somewhere specific on your floor.

Blue mesh vertical lift gate at floor level with warning labels, yellow bollards and racking behindIndustrial freight elevator in a warehouse with talue mesh vertical lift gate at floor level with warning labels, yellow bollards and racking behindll metal shelving and stored boxes in the background

Elevated Handling Removed

Safety

Interlocked gates, full-height enclosures and the DeckLock carriage lock keep people away from the moving carriage. Elevated forklift handling and carrying loads up stairs both disappear, and those are two of the most common causes of handling injuries.

Industrial freight elevator with metal mesh doors and a pallet inside a warehouse facility.

Fewer Handling Steps per Pallet

Throughput

A full pallet moves between levels in a single cycle. The multi-person handling that stairs and inclined conveyors need goes away, and your forklifts stay free for horizontal work.

Industrial warehouse interior with metal mezzanine, yellow railings, storage boxes, and safety elevator lift.

Upper-Level Square Footage in Use

Space

Storage mezzanines, replenishment feeding multi-level pick modules, raw material and finished goods reaching upper-level production. Usually far cheaper than expanding the footprint or leasing more space.

Which PFlow Series Fits Your Load?

Capacity, travel, levels served, duty cycle

Preliminary series selector Indicative: confirmed at design

What is moving, and how far?

Heaviest load (lbs)

Vertical rise (ft)

Load length (in)

Load width (in)

Load height (in)

Levels served

Installed

Cycles per hour

How the load arrives

Indicated configuration

Drive
Capacity
Rise

Get This Quoted

A starting point, not a specification. Final selection follows a site review of structure, power, loading pattern and duty cycle.

Lifts We Have Installed

Recent work

Lifts we have supplied, permitted and installed across Georgia and the Southeast, from package units handling totes to four-post machines carrying machinery and oversized loads. Capacities on recent work run from 6,000 lbs serving a mezzanine storage level to 15,000 lbs over 15 ft of travel. Industries include healthcare products, manufacturing, distribution and food processing.

Read about the projects

What Buyers Ask Us at This Point

FAQ

If yours is not here, call the shop.

770-529-0418

Do we have to stop production to install one?

Rarely for the machine itself. The pit or floor penetration and the deck opening are the disruptive parts, and we schedule those around your run. Our own crews do the install.

Can people ride on a VRC?

No. VRCs are material only conveyors under ASME B20.1, and riding the carriage is prohibited. Interlocked gates and enclosures are part of every installation to enforce this.

What does a VRC cost compared with an elevator?

A fraction, for the reasons above. Capacity, travel, gate count and guarding drive the number.

Do you handle the permit and inspection?

Our lift installations include the permit, the inspection and the load test, so the lift is approved before it goes into use.

What happens if it goes down?

We service what we install and hold the manufacturer relationship, so parts and support come through one number.

How big a lift can you handle?

PFlow machines run from around 100 lbs to over 200,000 lbs, and multi-stop configurations are routine. Send the load, the travel and the cycle rate.