Authorized Hänel Dealer
Uses the height you already have
The cabinet can be built to the clear height of the building, including units that pass through a floor, so overhead air becomes usable storage.
Authorized Hänel Dealer
Hänel Lean-Lift® vertical lift modules (VLMs).
A Lean-Lift is a vertical lift module: two columns of trays and a center extractor that brings the requested tray to an ergonomic opening. IMC, an authorized Hänel dealer in Hudson, WI, helps facilities in Wisconsin, Minnesota, and the Twin Cities specify, install, and support these systems.
How a VLM works
The tray comes to the opening. The operator stays put.
Inside the cabinet, trays sit in a tall grid on either side of a central extractor. When an item is requested, the extractor retrieves that tray and presents it at a comfortable working height. Empty the need, confirm the count, and the tray returns to a fitted slot in the tower.
Because each tray can be positioned according to the height of the goods on it, the machine packs storage more tightly than fixed-shelf rack of the same footprint. Hänel states that a Lean-Lift can reduce the floor space required for storage by up to 85% compared with conventional shelving, depending on the application.
Hänel Lean-Lift modules. Photo courtesy of Hänel Storage Systems.
Why teams choose a Lean-Lift
Flexible tray heights, protected inventory, a smaller footprint.
Trays matched to the goods
Tray size and payload are specified around what you actually store — from small electronic components to heavier tools and fixtures. Final capacities come from Hänel’s configuration for your job, not a generic catalog number on this page.
Safer, more ergonomic picking
Work happens at the access opening, which reduces ladder use and low-level bending. Light pointers and pick displays are available on Hänel controllers to guide the operator to the right compartment.
Inventory behind doors
Stock is enclosed, which helps with cleanliness, shrinkage, and controlled access — useful in tool cribs, electronics stores, and spare-parts rooms.
Room to grow
Additional Lean-Lift units can stand beside the first and share a workflow, so a first cabinet does not have to be the last one in the room.
Dealer support nearby
You buy from IMC in Hudson, not only from a distant catalog. We stay involved through delivery, installation, operator orientation, and service.
From Hudson to the Twin Cities
What working with IMC looks like.
We start with the parts, the building, and the pick process — not with a stock machine. That usually means a site conversation about ceiling height, floor loading, fire protection, power, and how trays should be subdivided.
As an authorized Hänel dealer, we then coordinate the Lean-Lift configuration with the manufacturer, plan the install, and support the system after it is running. If the rest of the warehouse needs rack, a mezzanine, or a cage around the same project, our material handling crew can handle that work as well.
- Application review and system recommendation
- Manufacturer coordination and delivery planning
- Installation and operator orientation
- Ongoing service and support
Small-parts storage in a Lean-Lift. Photo courtesy of Hänel Storage Systems.
Typical uses
A VLM worth considering when…
- You are out of floor space but have unused height in a Wisconsin or Minnesota plant.
- Parts vary in height and you want the machine to pack around the goods, not around a fixed shelf pitch.
- Tooling, electronics, or spare parts need to be secure, clean, and easy to count.
- Picking travel time is eating into production or order turnaround.
If your profile is high-frequency picking of similar-size goods in a compact tower, a Rotomat vertical carousel may be the better match. We will help you compare the two.
Technical capacities, cabinet colors, and options are defined on each Hänel proposal. The photo below is Hänel’s published overview of Lean-Lift configurations.
