Until this summer, an older, two-story self-storage facility in San Diego used a forklift to move tenants goods to second-floor units. The sites new owner wanted to eliminate the risk and expense of this bulky equipment by installing lifts. He chose Placencia, Calif.-based AJAY Equipment Corp. for the job based on numerous local references and its extensive experience. The company has been an industry provider of vertical-reciprocating conveyors (VRCs) for more than 23 years.

Because the owner didnt wish to eliminate storage units to provide lift space, VRCs were chosen as an economical alternative to passenger elevators. A site assessment revealed two ideal locations on the exterior of the building where a concrete pad could be dedicated to the lifts. This cost-saving design meant the owner didnt have to relinquish any interior building space, says AJAY President Randy Vander Hill. In the end, they used a lift with a 6-by-8 foot platform and 2,000-pound capacity, a popular product that accounts for about 95 percent of the companys sales.

The 100 percent turnkey project, which took only two weeks to complete, included building and enclosing new shaft-way towers and installing access ramps for each VRC. AJAY lifts require no concrete piers, footings, load-bearing walls or special overhead roof extensions. They can be built in almost any size, and they carry a 10-year warranty on the mast and two-year warranty on parts and labor.

Our lifts arrive at the jobsite already built, having been assembled at the factory using accurate tooling fixtures, says Vander Hill. Prior to shipment, each VRC is factory tested to ensure the manufacturers critical design and operating tolerances are met. This way, our customers can rest assured that little or no on-site assembly is required. Many other lift companies ship their lifts unassembled, requiring structural building components for assembly support.

The facility owner also selected AJAYs new automatic Power-Roll-Doors for customer convenience. In addition, each VRC is equipped with an exclusive roof-mounted car light on the interior. Integrated with the door, the light features an automatic on/off function. At night or on overcast days, it illuminates the inside of the carrier car for customers safety.

AJAY, a pioneer in its field, caters primarily to the self-storage industry. The companys custom-made liftsengineered for safe, floor-to-floor transport of customers goodsare an inexpensive alternative to passenger elevators in new or existing two- and three-level facilities. To date, the company has installed more than 700 VRCs in 41 states.

We feel our company has no equal, says Vander Hill. At AJAY, we take great pride in providing our customers with more storage-lift knowledge and experience than any other distributor in North America. For more information, call 800.521.AJAY; visit www.ajaystoragelifts.com.