Here’s how automation helps bridge the skilled labor shortage.
The Dual-Tower Sheet Metal VLS from Vidir is different.
It retrieves heavy sheet metal within a fully contained system and delivers it safely to ground level, reducing risk, labor costs, and wasted space in one move.
What’s the ROI? Let’s Run the Numbers.
A Vidir customer installed a single-tower sheet metal VLS in their 24/7 facility and saw immediate impact, saving over 34 labor hours per day. Before automation, each sheet metal pick required two employees and took six minutes. After installing the system, picks took under 60 seconds, with just one employee.
Over the course of a year, they saved:
- $212,784 in labor costs
- $15,950 in reclaimed floor space
- $228,734 in total annual savings
With over $228,000 in annual savings, the system paid for itself quickly (and continued to deliver value every year after).
Install a dual-tower VLS instead of a single-tower, and you’ve doubled capacity and recouped even more floor space.
(Your investment doesn’t end at purchase. Consider the total cost of ownership.)
Eliminate Risk – and the Need for Certified Operators
Protect your team. Most sheet metal bundles weigh thousands of pounds. With traditional racking, one wrong move could be fatal. These hidden hazards are more common than you might think. The dual-tower VLS eliminates forklift traffic and high lifts, making every retrieval safer.
Simplify staffing. You have two options: keep chasing certified forklift operators (who are in short supply and demand higher wages) or install a system that doesn’t require them. The Dual-Tower VLS delivers materials at ground level, so you can hire from a broader labor pool, pay lower wages, and keep your operation running.
Get Inventory Under Control (and Floor Space Back)
Gain back up to 80% of your floor. The dual-tower VLS leverages vertical space, freeing up valuable square footage for revenue-generating equipment; something a conventional sheet metal storage rack simply can’t offer.
Know what you have. Static racking hides materials from view. How many times has your team discovered they’ve been reordering metal they already had in inventory? The dual-tower VLS improves inventory visibility and organization, minimizing costly reorders and production delays. Compared to a traditional sheet metal racking system, it’s a more controlled, more accessible way to store and retrieve materials.
Minimize product damage. Every time a forklift touches sheet metal, there’s a risk of bent corners and gouges – unacceptable in aerospace and defense, where even a scratch can mean rejected materials. The dual-tower VLS protects your product at every step of handling and retrieval.
Built to Address Single-Tower Limitations
A standard VLS stores up to 32 sheet metal bundles, which is sufficient for some operations, but not for all. Many manufacturers need more. Until now, that meant buying two single-tower VLS systems. The dual-tower VLS changes that.
- Double the capacity, not the cost. With up to 68 storage positions and a single shared elevator, this system gives you more flexibility and a smaller footprint.
- North American-built and supported. The Vidir dual-tower VLS is manufactured in Canada and backed by U.S.-based service, so you get faster delivery, easier maintenance, and responsive support when you need it.
Hear it from the floor: Watch how Brenco Industries uses their single-tower sheet metal VLS to save space, streamline access, and reduce risk. For operations that need even more capacity, the dual-tower system delivers at twice the scale.
See It for Yourself at Fabtech
The dual-tower VLS will be live and in action at Fabtech 2025 in Chicago.
Talk to a Vidir sheet metal storage specialist before the show to prep your visit or book a demo. If you’ve been searching for a smarter sheet metal rack system (or rethinking how to approach metal sheet storage), you can see it live, ask questions, and picture it in your facility. Stop by to see how safer, smarter sheet metal storage could transform your facility.
Ready to Take the Next Step?
Waiting costs more than you think: lost revenue, wasted space, and avoidable injuries.
Speak to a Vidir sheet metal storage specialist to find out if the Dual-Tower Sheet Metal VLS is right for your facility. When safety, space, and productivity matter, the dual-tower VLS delivers.
Speak to a Vidir sheet metal storage specialist
(And if you’re still on the fence, this blog might change your mind.)
