At the same time, it’s also important to recognize when to
bring in outside experts. John Clark, director of marketing
for TGW Systems, notes that modern conveyor systems,
much like modern automobiles, are significantly more
complex than models made just a few years back. Those
advances may put some maintenance issues outside the
expertise of in-house maintenance personnel, he warns.
Annual maintenance by the manufacturer or dealer can
help identify and prevent problems. “They can take care of
things like worn parts and lubrication and help extend the
life of the system,” he says.
▪ Keep it clean. There are lots of reasons to keep a DC as
spotless as possible, and those include keeping your conveyor running at peak efficiency. For one thing, dirt and
“carton dust”—the residue from the tens of thousands of
corrugated cartons that run across conveyors—can gum up
the units’ mechanical systems.
For another, a clean system and clean floors make it easi-
er to spot problems. “Carton dust can create a maintenance
nightmare,” Blair says. “You can clean an area, and two days
later, it looks like it’s never been touched.” The problem, she
explains, is that the dust could conceal a visual clue like
powder on the floor underneath the conveyor—an indica-
tor that belts are rubbing because something is not aligned
properly.
Taking your conveyor’s vital signs
Conveyors generally don’t break down without some
warning signs, whether it’s something visible on the belts
and rollers or a change detected by electronic monitoring
devices. Since a quick response can head off more serious
problems down the road, conveyor experts recommend
keeping close tabs on the system’s vital signs.
How do you go about monitoring your conveyor’s
health? One of the primary ways is to keep a close eye on
uptime and throughput, the experts say. “Throughput is
one of the surest measures of conveyor performance,”
says John Clark, director of marketing for TGW Systems.
“It’s also one of the easiest to monitor,” he adds.
Throughput problems can have multiple causes, including
scanning issues that may have nothing to do with the conveyor itself. But any drop in performance is a warning sign
worth heeding, he says.
Boyce Bonham, director of integrator services for
Hytrol, says for his money, one of the best ways to track a
system’s performance is through operational reports. “If
you have them, use them,” he says. “If you are not getting
them, get them. What is your throughput throughout the
day? What read rate are you getting through your scan-
ners? These reports can … give you some clues on when
equipment may need attention.”
Diane Blair, director of field operations for
Intelligrated, urges users to take advantage of the diag-
nostic tools built into most modern conveyor systems. She
tells her customers to watch for indicators like an increase
in shifts of freight to divert lanes, an increase in time-outs,
or a growing number of side-by-sides (cartons positioned
two abreast rather than single file).
