Tips to Follow When Buying Mortuary Equipment

When your institution is looking for new mortuary equipment, you have several options to consider. Whether opening a new mortuary or simply updating a beloved funeral home, you need dependable equipment.

Your equipment should be durable and safe, meeting regional regulations. Additionally, we offer some tips to follow when purchasing mortuary equipment to ensure that it is long-lasting, efficient, and affordable.

Mortuary and funeral homeowners should:

•     Consider the available space in their facility.
•     Find mortuary equipment made with high-quality materials.
•     Choose the right equipment for their unique mortuary services.
•     Opt for customised mortuary equipment that can grow with the business.

Continue reading for to explore detailed tips to follow when buying mortuary equipment.

Consider the Available Space of Your Mortuary

Your first consideration in purchasing mortuary equipment is the amount of space available in your mortuary or funeral facility. The amount of space available will often dictate the design of your mortuary equipment.

Each mortuary facility will feature unique challenges to outfit. Limited mortuary spaces will require creative customisation to ensure the usability and efficacy of your workspace. Even if you have a large mortuary, the equipment should still be adaptable for your needs.

Modular mortuary equipment is optimal for mortuaries with limited space and minimal storage area within their facility. Versatile mortuary equipment can adapt to each facility and is easily expandable when your undertaking business expands.

See this case study by Sova for more about how Sova can exceed your expectations as a high-quality mortuary equipment manufacturer with custom-built equipment options. Our team of expert engineers are always dedicated to designing dignified equipment for the mortuary industry.

Many mortuary manufacturers tend to offer one-size-fits-all solutions. These solutions don’t always address your unique building space. In contrast, Sova offers complete customisation options or mortuary equipment built to fit your space while keeping client needs in mind.

Find High-Quality Materials for Mortuary Equipment

Mortuary equipment needs to be lightweight for staff to handle while still maintaining a high load-bearing capability for safely transporting bariatric bodies. The equipment must also be long-lasting and ready to withstand the demands of every undertaking that you facilitate.

There are hundreds of material options for manufacturers to choose from for building their equipment. The best materials for high-quality mortuary equipment are highly durable, easy-to-clean, and can last for years to come. They can also serve following generations of mortuary professionals.

Investing in the ideal materials for your mortuary equipment today will save money and prevent the unwanted stress of worn-out and outdated equipment. Some of the best materials used in mortuary equipment manufacturing that meet these requirements can include:

•     304 stainless steel—easy to clean and highly durable for body trays and trolleys used for autopsies and embalming procedures.
•     Zinc-treated mild steel—resilient framework for trolleys, lifts, and racks.
•     PVC—durable mortuary trolley toppers that won’t scratch or mark caskets during transfers.
•     Composite aluminium/plastic—allows for quiet operation of drawers and doors on instrument trolleys while being affordable to replace over time.
•     Professional powder and epoxy coatings—prevents chipping, peeling, and other gradual damage to mortuary equipment.
•     Powerful electronic systems—increase safety for lifting, transferring, and easier handling of cadavers between each procedure.

These high-quality materials and parts are designed with your mortuary staff and mourners in mind. Each material contributes to strength, durability, and aesthetics to the mortuary equipment you use daily. Some equipment can additionally feature concealment for privacy.

Choose the Right Mortuary Equipment for Your Unique Needs

Many types of mortuary equipment exist to serve various purposes in the preparation of a cadaver for burial. Undertakers need reliable tools to provide these preparatory services for each client they serve.

Every individual deserves dignified transport, respectful handling, and safe storage before and during their burial services. High-quality mortuary equipment can help undertakers reach these goals more easily and safely while providing dependable functionality.

Depending on the mortuary or funeral services you might offer, your mortuary equipment list may include:

•     Mortuary trolleys and chapel trolleys
•     Body trays in standard and wide sizes
•     Embalming and autopsy trays
•     Instrument and procedure trolleys
•     Electronic or manually operated lifting hoists
•     Casket transferring trolleys
•     Modular mortuary racking
•     Casket lowering devices

These vital tools of the undertaking trade should be durable, easy-to-clean, and appropriately sized for both your workspace and your clientele. Mortuary owners will need to carefully plan their workspaces and equipment purchases to maintain a streamlined and efficient work area.

Sova offers a wide variety of mortuary equipment in a helpful range of sizes and layouts. Our standard and customised equipment options range from free-standing workbenches and dressing trolleys to electronic trolley lifts, hoists, and additional accessories.

Opt for Customised Mortuary Equipment Built for Your Business

Customised mortuary equipment is ideal for all undertaking services, including mortuaries, funeral homes, and hospitals. Whether your mortuary business is just getting started or is looking to adjust, update, or expand, customised equipment is the ideal solution.

Conventional mortuary equipment manufacturers often rely on standard sizing and cannot provide custom equipment due to a reliance on set specifications. At Sova, we know that each mortuary facility needs a unique arrangement to better suit their workspaces and efficiency.

Sova can carefully design and craft mortuary equipment to create a workspace that genuinely fits your facility and effectively optimises your storage and work areas. We can build mortuary equipment meant to meet and exceed its purpose.

Our options for custom builds of mortuary equipment include:

•     Dressing, tool, and procedure trolleys
•     Electronic lifting trolleys
•     Electronic hoists
•     Workbenches
•     Racking
•     Trays
•     Mortuary, coffin, and body trolleys

The Sova Design Difference for Mortuary Equipment

Sova’s engineers create intuitively designed and manufactured mortuary equipment for all your undertaking services. Here, we will describe some of our most popular pieces of mortuary equipment, including lifts, instrument carts, storage racks, body trays, and more.

Electric Lifting Trolleys

Electric lifting trolleys enable the easy and safe transportation of cadavers for your mortuary staff while meeting all regulations and requirements. These electric lifting systems can adjust height as needed for transporting and moving bodies without straining your staff.

Our craftsmanship aims to instil purpose and longevity in every mortuary tool we engineer and create. This dedication to productive designs and practicality allows our team to excel in high-quality mortuary equipment.

Take our 4H803 Range Mortuary Trolley, for example:

•     A safe working load of 300 kilograms
•     Heavy-duty rollers for moving coffins and body trays
•     Heavy-duty ball bearings in each roller
•     Epoxy powder-coated frames
•     Height-adjustable push handle
•     Electric-powered high/low operation
•     A rechargeable battery pack
•     Electric body tray and coffin brake
•     Electric body tray to enable a drain angle function
•     150-millimetre locking castor wheels
•     Drive unit for driving rollers
•     End-loading and side-loading capabilities
•     Concealment cover ensuring privacy during transportation

This electric lifting trolley weighs only 90 kilograms while holding a safe-load capacity of up to 300 kilograms. The trolley is easily adjustable to ease down to 520 millimetres or reach up to 1680 millimetres.

We also offer a heavy-duty electric lifting trolley, known as the 4H801 Range. This model features many of the same specifications, with the addition of:

•     500-kilogram safe working load capability
•     Variable speed electric lifting
•     Stainless steel top and bottom frames
•     Front corner buffers
•     Safety horn
•     Belly stopper
•     Fingertip control panel
•     Total item weight of 230 kilograms

These are just two examples of our selection of mortuary lifts and trolleys. Check our product listings to explore more options.

Mortuary Carts and Trolleys

Every mortuary needs a variety of medical tools and embalming items that are easily accessible. Rolling carts and trolleys make tool access instant and easily manoeuvrable.

Take our Procedure Cart, for example, which features:

•     125-millimetre anti-static locking castors
•     Adjustable push handle for ergonomic comfort
•     Corner buffers
•     Raised drawer handles
•     Four drawers with a 140-millimetre depth
•     One drawer with a 190-millimetre depth for medication storage
•     Slide-out shelf for flexible working space
•     Soft-close runners for minimised noise
•     Recessed ABS plastic top for easy containment and cleaning
•     Removable wire basket
•     IV pole
•     Removable waste bin with lid
•     Sharps container holder (container not included)
•     Total dimensions—535 millimetre x 740-millimetre x 1050 millimetre (height)

For a simpler instrument cart, consider the two-drawer Instrument Trolley with:

•     304 stainless steel with TIG-welded construction
•     Gap-free construction style to simplify cleaning
•     Guard rails
•     2x 100-millimetre locking brake castors
•     2x 100-millimetre swivel castors
•     Soft-close drawer runners (when applicable)
•     500-millimetre x 800 millimetre x 995 millimetre (height)

Each Sova designed-and-crafted cart meets various mortuary needs, including easy storage and access to essential tools and medications that undertakers rely on.

Mortuary Cold Storage Equipment

Essential to mortuary equipment is the storage racks for body trays, coffins, and cremation containers. At Sova, we offer a versatile modular rack system in a wide array of tiers and weight capabilities.

Take a closer look at our 4H824 Series 4 Tier Rack here:

•     Stainless steel flatpack construction for easy installation
•     Adjustable levelling feet
•     Zinc-treated ball-bearing rollers
•     Five full-width rollers on each tier
•     Front retainer bracket
•     Rubber end-stops
•     The lowest tier features a weight capacity of 350 kilograms
•     The highest tier features a weight capacity of 200 kilograms

Looking for a heavy-duty storage rack solution for your mortuary equipment? The 4H823B Series 3 Tier Bariatric—Extra Wide Rack offers:

•     Stainless steel flatpack construction
•     Three tiers with 890-millimetre width
•     Zinc-treated ball-bearing rollers
•     Five full-width rollers per tier
•     Adjustable levelling feet
•     Rubber end-stops
•     500-kilogram maximum weight capacity per tier

This heavy-duty, 3-tier rack provides extra room and durability that can more easily accommodate bariatric clients. These racks also coordinate with our cadaver trolleys and lifts for easy transportation and safe lifting of body trays, caskets, and cremation containers.

Cadaver Trays

The cadaver tray, or body tray, is an essential piece of mortuary equipment that safely transport and carry the deceased from one location to another. Sova offers a range of standard, bariatric, and custom-engineered cadaver trays.

Among our standard mortuary trays are the 600-millimetre-wide trays for body transportation and storage which feature:

•     304 stainless steel construction
•     Push/pull handles on both ends
•     Angled sides for easier side transfers
•     Angled corners for easier cleaning and sanitation
•     Rigid stainless steel sub-frame
•     20-millimetre-deep recess
•     2000-millimetre length
•     600-millimetre, width
•     Item weight of 24 kilograms
•     Safe working load of 350 kilograms

Looking for a larger cadaver tray? In addition to our custom build option, we offer a Bariatric Cadaver Tray with a Drain Plug. This item features all the above features with the additions of:

•     Drain plug for easy fluid removal
•     An extra 150-millimetres width (for a total of 750-millimetre width)
•     An extra 150 kilograms to safe working load (totalling 500-kilograms of weight capacity)

The Bariatric Cadaver Tray offers additional width and weight capacity for the safe transportation of the body around the mortuary or funeral home. These trays function best when used with our rack and trolley systems with matching roller guides which prevent lateral movement.

Custom Mortuary Equipment Engineering and Crafting

Unlike some other mortuary equipment providers, Sova designs and manufactures mortuary equipment without relying on outside crafters. Because we engineer and build our own products, we are capable of meeting unique design requirements.

We can accommodate small and large mortuaries, funeral homes, and even hospital cadaver storage and transfer. Contact the Sova team to share your ideas and begin a custom mortuary equipment order that will exceed your expectations. 

Sova offers a full range of custom-designed and manufactured mortuary equipment to meet your unique mortuary needs. Call Sova today at (08) 9302 4757 to discuss your mortuary equipment needs.