BY VICTORIA KICKHAM, SENIOR EDITOR
CONVEYORS AND SORTERS
Material Handling
CONVEYOR SYSTEMS HAVE LONG BEEN EMBEDDED
with sensors and connected to remote monitoring systems for maintenance and troubleshooting, but advancing technology is quickly taking things to the next level.
Sophisticated sensing technology and Internet-enabled
connectivity are delivering more detailed information to
the DC floor, allowing organizations to move beyond routine preventive maintenance schedules and into the realm
of predictive maintenance, where downtime is minimized,
equipment availability is maximized, and productivity can
reach new heights.
Conveyor equipment manufacturers and systems inte-
grators are making this possible with solutions that emulate
the “smart factory” movement, also known as Industry
4.0, in which automation, data exchange, and other tech-
nologies merge to create leaner, more productive manu-
facturing environments. In the DC, conveyor system solu-
tions that incorporate the same technologies can provide
greater visibility into mechanics and equipment usage,
helping organizations avoid equipment failure and allowing
them to take a more proactive approach to managing their
conveyor systems.
“The enhanced ability to take action based on real-time
information is what has transformed the performance of
conveyor systems and automated material handling sys-
tems,” says Ken Ruehrdanz, distribution systems market
manager for systems integrator Dematic. “More sophisti-
cated sensing technology, enhanced computing power, and
the reduced cost of data gathering and storage allow systems
integrators to track, identify, monitor, analyze, and opti-
mize the performance of convey and sort systems.”
And that translates to better all-around performance in
the DC, adds Diane Blair, senior manager, international
services and technical communications, for material han-
dling solutions provider Honeywell Intelligrated. Blair
emphasizes the pressure on today’s DCs to work smarter
and faster than ever before—while avoiding the lost reve-
nue and the blow to customer satisfaction that comes from
unplanned downtime.
“Everybody needs uptime, and they are trying to get
as much availability out of the equipment they have—
especially today,” she says. “You never want a surprise
Conveyor maintenance
goes high tech
Predictive maintenance takes hold in today’s increasingly connected distribution center, where
sensors, software, and the Internet converge to improve system visibility and reduce downtime.
