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PFlow Industries – The VRC Industry's Leader​

PFlow Industries designs and manufactures industry-leading equipment to vertically move material loads weighing from 10 pounds to more than 100,000 pounds far more efficiently and safely than by other means, and at a greatly reduced cost.

Our products are commonly known as vertical reciprocating conveyors (VRCs), material lifts or dumbwaiter lifts, and are only intended to move materials, not people.

The VRC industry basically did not exist when Bob Pfleger started the company in 1977. Through ingenuity in product development and a persistence to get states to regulate VRCs strictly as material lifts and not as elevators, the company grew to its current stature, and remains the industry leader.

PFlow Leads in Research & Development, and Engineering Knowledge

Along with taking the lead on state codes relating to material lifts, PFlow Industries is the leader in research and development, resulting in numerous patents for material lifts and related products.

Our  engineering team is the largest in the industry. With a culture focused on innovation, PFlow continues to create new breakthroughs in vertical lift performance and safety.

We are a 100% employee-owned company, and are committed to being a great place to work and a place where employees stay for many, many years. PFlow Industries employs approximately 150 people who primarily work at our Milwaukee facility. Everyone on our staff is highly knowledgeable about VRCs.

We also are committed to the material handling industry, as evidenced by company and employee membership and participation in numerous trade and business associations.

We have built more than 20,000 VRCs since our founding, with installations throughout the world – many for very unique applications.

PFlow's Firsts in Elevated Lift Systems:

There’s a reason PFlow is the VRC’s industry leader – we have consistently been an innovator of elevator lift system solutions for material handling needs.

Our Firsts Include:

  1. First to offer custom, safe, efficient VRCs
  2. First manufacturer to sit on the ASME B20.1 Standards Committee
  3. First to guarantee code approval in every state
  4. First manufacturer with continuously active R&D and testing programs
  5. First to offer a mechanically driven unit employing lift chains
  6. First to offer the four-post design for added capacity and size
  7. First to offer automated VRC systems
  8. First to introduce the patented DeckLock safety system

Have a unique vertical material handling need? Contact our innovative engineers to design a solution. Call us in Milwaukee at 414-352-9000.

Management Team

  • Ted Ruehl, Chairman of the Board
  • Pat Koppa, President
  • Chuck Cobb, Vice President- Sales, Marketing, and Customer Support
  • Jeff Seymour, Finance Director
  • Mike Reilly, Director of Engineering
  • Scott Banwart, Director of Manufacturing
  • Mark Beggs, Director of Cartveyor and Strategic Accounts
  • Stephanie Schmidt, Director of Customer Support
  • Dan Hext, National Sales Director
  • Ted Young, Director of Quality, Continuous Improvement and Learning
  • Diana Kuemmerlein, Human Resources Director
  • Beth Mueller, Marketing Manager