materialhandlingupdate CONVEYORS
Control issues
Ruehrdanz and others in the industry also report that
they’re fielding more requests for equipment that offers
higher throughput and accuracy. “Essentially, that’s about
controls,” he says, referring to the electronic devices that
monitor and manage everything from conveyor speed to
maintenance. “Control technology has to drive the air out
of the system—the gaps between loads,” Ruehrdanz adds.
“We can design systems so that they actually run at a slow-
er speed but offer a higher rate of throughput.”
Tim Kraus and Kevin Klueber,
product managers for Intelligrated,
say their company is doing much the
same thing. “We’re keeping through-
put up by keeping machine speeds at
a minimum and improving handling
and predictability,” says Kraus. He
adds that controlling the actual speed
of the conveyor extends machine life,
reduces energy use, and minimizes
noise. By employing technology that
reduces gaps, improves predictability,
and eliminates errors such as side by
sides, those goals can be achieved, he
says.
John Clark, director of marketing
for TGW, says his company is also
focusing on controls. Improved controls, he says, provide greater visibility into the operation of a customer’s
system and enhance the customer’s
ability to manage it. “They make the
conveyor smarter,” he says. He adds
that enhanced controls help accelerate return on investments in conveyors because the resulting improvements in throughput, accuracy, and energy efficiency can reduce power and labor costs.
Conveyor makers have responded with adaptations that
include segmented belt conveyors, which can handle polybagged items better than traditional long belts can, and
sliding shoe sorters that turn light goods carefully before
diverting them to the designated lane.
Handle with care
Another trend noted by several companies was the emerg-
ing demand for conveyors that can handle a greater variety
of goods. A spokeswoman for Intelligrated writes, “There
has been a trend in the industry for [material handling
equipment] systems to handle pieces rather than cases. This
results in a demand on the [equipment] providers to
improve small carton handling on all types of technologies
used throughout a system, the goal being to reduce the
number of non-conveyables without sacrifices to system
throughput or capital investment budgets.”
Klueber notes that the technological challenges have been
further complicated by changes in packaging. “We have to
handle more and more diverse products and carton types,”
he says. “The range of conveyables continues to expand.”
These include smaller and lighter cartons and polybags,
which historically have proved a challenge for conveyors.
Get more from what you have
Not all buyers are focused on new equipment, however.
Many DC managers, even from some of the nation’s largest
and best capitalized companies, have focused on getting
more out of existing systems before
investing in new equipment. Michael
Bozym, director of engineering for
HK Systems, says, “We’ve devoted a
lot of effort to the aftermarket. With
capital so tight, even big customers
are looking for small cost projects
that will improve throughput or
reduce damage.”
Ruehrdanz says, “There is a contin-
ued requirement to upgrade existing
material handling or conveyor sys-
tems. Customers are asking if there is
a way to go back in and upgrade con-
trols and maybe make some mechan-
ical upgrades. There are a lot of
installed systems, and customers
want to get the most out of them.”
The decision whether to upgrade
older equipment or invest in new
systems can be a challenge. “A lot of
automation technology investment
happened 20 years ago,” says Kraus.
As a result, a large number of facili-
ties are wrestling with that decision today, he explains.
Kraus says Intelligrated is in the process of completing
system audits for several customers to aid with those
determinations.
Whatever adaptations or investments DC operators
make, energy conservation is likely to appear near the top of
their priority lists. “There is much more sensitivity toward
designing systems with energy-efficient controls and technology,” Ruehrdanz says. That has led to the development of
both mechanical and control technologies that reduce energy use, including low-voltage motor-driven rollers and controls that can idle conveyor segments when no products are
detected.
Finally, conveyor makers, like other players in the material handling equipment industry, continue to invest in
their own operations to boost efficiency and control costs.
For instance, Bozym reports that HK Systems has implemented “lean” principles in its own operations. “We’ve
found ways we can execute jobs more efficiently and cost
effectively,” he says. “[That allows us to] offer goods at a
more competitive cost.”
PHOTO COURTES Y OF DEMATIC
