Industries / Warehousing & Intralogistics
Engineering the movement and storage systems behind efficient operations.
GMD Engineering designs custom conveyors, vertical lifts, storage equipment and transfer mechanisms that connect receiving, production, warehousing and dispatch. We develop practical mechanical solutions around your loads, layout and operating sequence.
Intralogistics covers the movement, handling and storage of materials within a facility. A product may travel from receiving to storage, from storage to a production line, between floors, or from finished goods to dispatch. Each handoff needs equipment that matches the load and the surrounding operation.
GMD Engineering supports warehouses, manufacturers and equipment builders with mechanical design for internal material handling systems. Our work can range from a single conveyor or lifting mechanism to the mechanical development of connected equipment across a larger process.
We design around the actual constraints of the facility: load dimensions and weight, transfer height, travel path, available floor space, structural interfaces, operator access and required throughput. The agreed engineering handover can include 3D CAD assemblies, manufacturing drawings, bills of materials, STEP files and PDFs.
Standard equipment can cover many storage and transport tasks. A custom design becomes useful when the load, facility or process does not fit a standard arrangement.
Common situations include:
The suitable equipment depends on the real load cases and operating sequence. We establish those inputs before developing the design.
Conveyors move products through receiving, storage, production and dispatch areas. The design needs to consider the item being transported as well as the route it follows.
Depending on the application, GMD can develop mechanical designs for:
We review product stability, load distribution, transfer gaps, conveyor height, access and the connection to neighboring equipment. Drive selection and structural checks are developed from the agreed duty and load requirements.
When goods need to move between levels, the lift must fit the building layout and the way loads arrive and leave. A design may need to accommodate a pallet, cart, tray or custom carrier.
Our mechanical design work can include the lifting arrangement, load platform or carrier, guidance, frame, access openings and interfaces to conveyors or other equipment. The load, travel, duty cycle, floor levels and applicable safety requirements must be defined for each project.
For facilities considering this type of equipment, link this section to GMD’s dedicated Vertical Material Lift Design Services page.
Vertical lift modules can store items in trays and present a selected tray at an access opening. The mechanical design involves more than the lift drive: tray dimensions, storage positions, access height, transfer clearance and equipment configuration must work together.
GMD can support the design or development of VLM-related mechanical assemblies, tray handling arrangements and configurable equipment. Where included in scope, Autodesk Inventor iLogic can help manage product variants and associated documentation.
A VLM, a vertical material lift and a goods lift serve different operating purposes. The correct concept depends on whether the main goal is storing and retrieving items, moving a load between levels, or connecting two material flow routes.
Pallets and heavy assemblies create different mechanical demands from small packages. The design may require suitable support across the load, controlled positioning and interfaces for a forklift, conveyor or lifting device.
GMD can develop custom mechanical arrangements for pallet transfer, positioning, lifting and handoff between stations. Required capacities are determined from the actual pallet, load distribution, operating conditions and agreed design criteria.
A conveyor often needs another mechanism at the point where the load changes direction, stops for an operation or enters a different machine.
Potential equipment includes:
We select the approach based on the product geometry, travel, accuracy, available space and intended operating sequence.
A warehouse may need equipment that presents stored materials to an operator or transfers them to another system. GMD can work on the mechanical aspects of custom storage equipment, tray movement, guidance, supporting frames and related interfaces.
If the project involves a complete automated storage and retrieval system, responsibilities for controls, inventory software, commissioning and overall system integration must be assigned in the project scope. Our core offer on this page is mechanical engineering design and documentation.
Material flow often crosses the boundary between a production machine and the warehouse. An item may leave a fabrication, assembly or packaging line and then need to be conveyed, lifted, accumulated or prepared for storage.
We can design the mechanical handoff between these stages, including equipment footprints, transfer heights, product guides, supports and access envelopes.
We begin by identifying where each load starts, where it needs to go and what happens at every transfer point. This includes the existing equipment, operator actions and available routes.
We review dimensions, mass, load distribution, handling unit, throughput, travel, elevation changes, duty cycle and the facility environment. We also identify any required product variants or future capacity provisions.
The available footprint, column positions, doors, openings, mezzanines and neighboring machines can determine the feasible equipment arrangement. We compare concepts against these constraints before detailed modeling.
We establish the main mechanism, transfer sequence, load path, guidance and maintenance access. Concept reviews allow the client to confirm that the proposed arrangement fits the intended operation.
We develop the agreed assemblies and parts in Autodesk Inventor. Depending on the project, the handover may include manufacturing drawings, a BOM, STEP models and PDF files. Engineering calculations, FEA or motion simulation can support specific questions when included in scope.
Is the system handling individual products, boxes, totes, trays, carts, pallets or irregular equipment? Dimensions and mass alone may not describe how a load should be supported or restrained.
A lift that operates occasionally has different requirements from equipment that cycles continuously. The target operating pattern informs mechanism selection, drives and component sizing.
A small mismatch at a handoff point can affect product movement. Transfer levels, load overhang, building openings and required clearances should be checked together.
Operator loading, forklift routes, cleaning and maintenance access all affect layout. A compact machine still needs room for safe operation and service.
If several load sizes or equipment configurations are expected, the design should define which elements are adjustable and which require different components.
Lifting and automated handling equipment may be subject to project-specific regulations, standards and site requirements. The applicable requirements, responsible parties and validation activities should be established before detailed design and implementation.
| Facility need | Potential mechanical design scope |
| Move cartons between areas | Conveyor layout, guides, transfers and supports |
| Move pallets along a production route | Heavy-load conveyor and transfer mechanisms |
| Transport goods between levels | Vertical material lift, carrier, frame and interfaces |
| Store products in trays | VLM mechanical assemblies and tray handling |
| Connect two existing machines | Custom infeed, outfeed and positioning devices |
| Work around limited floor space | Vertical transfer or compact handling arrangement |
| Adapt equipment for new products | Modification of trays, carriers, guides or mechanisms |
These are examples of potential applications. The final arrangement and performance requirements are established from the client’s actual facility and loads.
A GMD project can include:
The deliverables depend on whether the project involves concept development, detailed equipment design, a product variant or modification of an existing system.
Read more: Lifting System Design Services: https://gmd.engineering/lifting-system-design-services/
GMD has experience developing mechanical assemblies and configurable designs for a vertical storage machine. This type of work involves equipment variants, tray handling, access openings and the coordination of CAD models with the bill of materials.
Suggested link: Explore our Vertical Lift Module Design Services
Projects that move goods between elevations require attention to load support, travel, guidance and the handoff at each level.
Suggested link: See Vertical Material Lift Design Services
Conveyor projects provide examples of how mechanical layout and transfer details support a larger production or handling process.
Suggested link: Explore Conveyor & Material Handling Design
GMD focuses on practical mechanical design for custom machines and material handling equipment. Our team has more than 10 years of mechanical design experience and works extensively with Autodesk Inventor.
For warehousing and intralogistics projects, we look at both the equipment and its connections: how a load arrives, how it is supported, where it travels and how it leaves. We prepare the agreed CAD models, drawings and BOMs so the design can be reviewed and passed to the teams responsible for fabrication and integration.
We can collaborate remotely with equipment builders, manufacturers and warehouse operators. Project confidentiality, ownership and technical deliverables are defined in the agreement.
An initial inquiry is more useful when it includes some of the following:
Preliminary information is enough to begin a discussion. We can identify the remaining inputs during the technical review.
Intralogistics concerns how materials and products move, are handled and are stored within a facility. For this page, GMD’s role is the mechanical design of equipment that supports those activities.
We can discuss the mechanical design of equipment or connected handling systems. A complete warehouse automation project also needs clearly assigned responsibilities for controls, software, site integration, commissioning and validation.
Yes. We can develop custom conveyor and transfer equipment around the specified products, loads, layout and interfaces.
Yes. We can assess the mechanical requirements for a vertical material lift or other suitable lifting arrangement. Capacity, openings, travel, usage and applicable requirements must be defined for the specific site.
A VLM is primarily arranged to store and retrieve items, commonly using trays. A vertical material lift is primarily arranged to move a load between elevations. A project can include additional handling functions, so equipment selection should follow the required operating sequence.
Yes, subject to review of the installed equipment, available CAD or drawings, condition information and the proposed new requirements.
These disciplines are included only when expressly agreed. A mechanical design assignment can define interfaces that the client’s controls and software teams use during integration.
Depending on the scope, we can deliver Autodesk Inventor files, STEP models, 2D manufacturing drawings, PDFs and a bill of materials. File versions and handover requirements are confirmed before work begins.
If you need to move goods between levels, connect production equipment, develop a custom conveyor route or design a vertical storage mechanism, GMD can help turn your handling requirements into a reviewable mechanical design.