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Whether or not you work in a business that uses an overhead conveyor system, you’ve probably seen at least seen one in action. Most people’s first exposure to an overhead conveyor happens on a visit to the dry cleaners. While dry cleaners have used overhead conveyors for decades, we all still marvel at how cool it is that, simply by pushing the ‘stop’ and ‘go’ buttons, the attendant can have our clean, crisp outfits automatically ‘brought around’.

Their humble and ubiquitous installations in dry cleaning businesses give the world insight into a lot of what overhead conveyor systems can do.

1. Overhead Storage

You may notice that some dry cleaners have their conveyor lift the finished garments up over the work area, essentially turning the overhead area into valuable storage space.

2. Ceiling to Floor

Those same systems also demonstrate how easily overhead systems move stock from the overhead storage. To the point of sale by automatically conveying the stock down and back up again.

3. Double Tier Systems

In busier dry cleaners, you can see examples of ‘stacked’ overhead systems. Literally working one on top of the other, to double the capacity of the overall system.

The fact that overhead conveyors are a staple piece of equipment in the majority of dry cleaning establishments is just one part of their varied and long history in the garment industry.

You may have seen some of the others in your local shopping mall or favourite men’s’ or ladies’ wear stores.

1. Clothing Displays

A visit to any mall will show you the highly competitive nature of the retail clothing industry. With seemingly endless clothing stores, many side-by-side. So imagine the advantage for any one of them if they could display their fashions in a dynamic, always-in-motion display of different styles as they are carried around the store on an overhead conveyor.

2. Garment Manufacturing

What better way to deliver finished outfits to packaging and shipping stations?

3. Clothing Inventory Displays

Don’t you hate it when the size or colour of shirt you’re looking for isn’t in stock? Retailers can keep a larger stock of clothes in-store by using a vertical conveyor rack that keeps stock overhead and ready to become part of the display at the push of a button.

Overhead conveyor systems are popular in many industries. But few have used them as often or in as many different ways as the garment trade.