10 frequently asked questions about conveyor systems

A conveyor is a mechanical part of material handling equipment used to transport materials between different points. There are many types of conveyors that can redirect products in multiple directions, all of which are predefined paths.

If you are considering purchasing a conveyor system for your facility, you probably have a few conveyor questions in mind. For example, how exactly will your facility benefit from a conveyor system? Or how will you deal with conveyor repair? You may also want to determine the type of conveyor system that best suits your business applications. Join us to learn about conveyor systems and find answers to your questions.
 

What is a conveyor system?

A conveyor is a mechanical part of material handling equipment used to transport materials between different points. There are many types of conveyors that can redirect products in multiple directions, all of which are predefined paths.

Conveyor belts are used in the industrial, commercial, retail and agricultural and mining sectors. In addition, conveyors are making inroads into the hotel and construction sectors.
 

Top 10 frequently asked questions about conveyor systems

To answer your questions and give you a conveyor system overview at the same time, here are 10 conveyor system questions answered.

1 - What are the advantages of the conveyor system?

Despite the upfront costs, conveyor belts offer several benefits:

- Reduce labor costs:
Conveyor systems are more efficient than forklifts, trolleys or manual conveyers. They also reduce the number of people needed to move a certain item. Therefore, you will spend less labor to transport the goods.

- Higher throughput:
The constant movement of a conveyor system can certainly increase the number of items delivered for any given operation. This will help your facility meet production deadlines and quotas with ease.

- Efficient use of floor space:
Conveyor systems can be mounted on the floor, on the ceiling and on different floors of your facility. There are also vertical conveyors that can move items from one level to the next. Lay out your system properly and you'll free up floor space. Your only limit will be the height of your base.

- Fewer errors:
The standardization and grading capabilities of your conveyor system can streamline your operations by cutting down on rework and errors.

- Controlled speed:
You can increase or decrease the speed of goods moving along your assembly line with the use of a conveyor system. Use this to create a work buffer for stable production with minimal downtime or waste.

- Increased safety:
Install a conveyor system in your facility and you will be able to reduce forklift traffic on site. Your employees will no longer have to lift objects and stress themselves as much.

- Flexibility:
Depending on the specific equipment, a conveyor system can reverse direction, change height, or rotate items. You can also use conveyors to receive and return goods.

2 - How do I choose a suitable conveyor system?

You will choose between systems with custom solutions built from the ground up. The system brings the following benefits to companies:

- More cost-effective
- Easier and faster installation
- Many features by default
- Less risk for personnel lacking in-depth technology knowledge

However, custom solutions also have their own strengths:

- Suitable for each facility
- Competition due to customization
- Can be installed in stages (ie essential first, accessory later)
- Easy to extend and adapt

After deciding whether you will invest in a turnkey or custom solution, you will need to choose a specific type of conveyor system. Here are some questions to guide the selection of the right conveyor belt:

- What will the conveyor system be used for?
Will it simply ship goods, move items through sterilization processes, or sort finished goods? Your answer to this question will affect the type of conveyor your facility needs.

- What materials will be shipped?
Will you be shipping grain or fresh produce? The specific items you will be shipping will determine if you need special straps.

- How powerful must the engine be?
If you are transferring heavy loads or transporting goods at higher speeds, you will need a powerful conveyor system motor.

- Do I have floor space for a certain type of conveyor system?
Make sure that even with a new conveyor system, there will still be room for other processes in your facility.

3 - How often should I check my conveyor system?

Ideally, you should test your conveyor system at the start and end of each shift. Walk around and do a visual check while letting the system run. Watch for strange noises and vibrations, and pay attention to the condition of working components.

4 - Which conveyor system components need the most attention?

Consider the following conveyor components:

- Bearings:
They often wear out due to heat. If a bearing is hot to the touch, it needs servicing. In addition, if it lacks grease on inspection, the bearing needs to be greased.

- Belt:
Regularly check that your belts and chains have the proper tension to work properly. Clear stuck debris. Repair belt if less than 25% of its width is damaged. However, if a large part of the belt is torn or burned, you will need to replace it.

- Magnetic sliding bed:
An easy way to check for dents on a magnetic slide conveyor is to place a long straight edge on the surface. At first glance, you can also see prints or dents on the shoes. Other signs of damage are loud banging noises during conveyor operation. This sound comes from the magnets under the bed hitting the dents as they move.

- Engine cover:
Debris often accumulates on the engine housing. Regularly remove the covers.

- Engine:
A hot engine should still operate, while an overheated motor should be replaced. This component tends to fail without warning, but you can detect the smell of an overheating engine and replace it soon.

In some cases, the sound or vibration of conveyor belts in operation can cause underlying problems.

5- How long is the usage time of a conveyor belt?

The lifespan of your conveyor belt will depend on your application location. Conveyor systems in harsh environments may need to be replaced more quickly. On the other hand, belts can last more than 10 years under ideal operating conditions and with proper maintenance.

6 - How do I integrate a conveyor system into my existing operations?

By providing necessary information to the conveyor supplier, such as floor plans of the facility and specifications of existing equipment. Provide as much detail as possible to ensure a smooth integration.

7 - What are the most common problems with conveyor systems?

Conveyor systems can be affected by two main problems, both of which are easy to fix:

- Lack of foresight:
A poorly planned conveyor system will not be able to adapt to changes, process interruptions or new products. When choosing a conveyor system, be sure to include scalability.

- Poor maintenance:
Even the best systems will quickly break down if they are not well maintained. New personnel should know how to take care of the system and use it properly.

8 - How do I know if a conveyor system should be repaired or replaced?

Different companies will have different answers to this question. Some companies base their decisions on costs. For example, they will often replace the entire system if the repair exceeds 60-70% of the replacement cost. Others prioritize delivery time, choosing repair if they can't wait more than a month for replacement delivery.

You'll have to figure out what's right for your company. Start by determining whether you will put more weight on cost or implementation time. Then determine your threshold from there.

9 - How to handle the repair?

Follow these steps if your conveyor system needs repair:

- Find out the extent of the damage:
This will give you a rough idea of ​​how much time and resources the repair will take. A small tear in the belt can certainly be repaired faster than damage from a forklift crash. Consult with conveyor system experts in the Philippines for a more detailed assessment.

- Check your budget:
Do you have enough money for repairs? If not, try tapping into insurance and loans to cover costs in the meantime.

- Ask if supplies are available:
Your system's downtime will increase if supplies or equipment for repair still need to be shipped.

- Prepare bypass methods:
You may need to hire a replacement conveyor system to continue production despite repairs.

- Hire experts:
Although third-party specialists are an option, you should also ask your supplier  if they have a dedicated repairman available.

10 - How do I choose a reputable and professional conveyor system supplier?

There are many conveyor system suppliers in Vietnam today, but you'll want to make sure you're working with an industry expert. Here are some factors to consider:

- In-depth knowledge:
Find a conveyor system supplier that knows what they're doing. In addition to providing top-notch service, an insightful supplier can even direct you to rising trends related to the production line.

- Technical support available
You can contact the best suppliers in Vietnam whenever you need. They will also have ongoing 24/7 support technicians.

- Experience in your industry
Has your supplier worked with other companies in your industry? If so, they will know exactly what to do for your facility. They will also be able to advise you on the conveyor system problems you will encounter the most.

- Training experience:
This equips your staff with the skills they need to handle repair jobs quickly and train new employees with ease. It is also a good sign of a reliable supplier in Vietnam.
 

Ending

Anything beyond the basics will now depend on the specific equipment you will be installing in your facility. If you want to dive into the techniques, it's best to ask an industry expert who has personally dealt with conveyor systems.

Intech Group has been providing advanced technical equipment and services to customers in Vietnam for more than 10 years. Contact us today, and our experts can answer the rest of your conveyor system questions.
 

Choosing a conveyor system manufacturer is no simple task, particularly when you’re under a deadline. This guide with questions to ask, along with common answers from both Glide-Line and our competitors, can help you in your decision-making process as you select a partner. Jump to these sections:

SINODA are exported all over the world and different industries with quality first. Our belief is to provide our customers with more and better high value-added products. Let's create a better future together.

Lead Time Questions

Service Questions

Capabilities Questions

Cost Questions

Lead Time Questions

1. What are the manufacturer’s standard conveyor options?

Lead time will be greatly impacted by the number of standard versus custom conveyor parts you need in an applications system. If you need both short lead time and variations from the standard norms, look for a manufacturer with the greatest variety and flexibility in their standard conveyor system options.

2. What are the manufacturer’s lead times for standard conveyors?

Most conveyor systems manufacturers’ lead times from order to delivery are 6 – 12 weeks. Sometimes this can be expedited in return for a hefty fee.

Partnering with a versatile conveyor systems manufacturer like Glide-Line will do the most to shorten your lead time. Glide-Line’s manufacturing process is built for quick lead times; we can ship conveyors in 2 to 3 weeks, and devices such as lifts, lift and transfers, lift and locate stations, and more in 4 to 6 weeks. This conveyor lead time is cut in half from other manufacturers and saves your client significant time and money.

3. What is the typical lead time for customized or altered conveyor elements?

If you can’t avoid customizations in your conveyor application, the next step is to seek a manufacturing partner able to deliver customized elements as quickly as possible. Better yet, seek a partner with configurable or alterable options; they’re faster than customizations.

For example, Glide-Line’s 360 series conveyor is built to be as flexible and configurable as possible - the most flexible conveyor on the market today. So, instead of customizing a conveyor from scratch to meet your client’s goal, you’re configuring a standard, which significantly cuts down on lead time.

Even if your unique application requires true customization, an experienced flexible conveyor manufacturer will have built their manufacturing process to be incredibly efficient, making for quick conveyor lead times even for truly customized conveyor solutions.

4. Is there something different in the company’s manufacturing process enabling them to produce engineered designs quicker than most?

You’ll be able to gauge a manufacturer’s ability to innovate with new solutions, new processes, and new customer-focused initiatives based partially on this response. A traditional company will simply speed up their current process to accommodate a  shorter lead time request, often at the expense of your client (and possibly at the expense of attention to detail). However, an innovative company will employ a more efficient conveyor manufacturing process to address this frequent concern of applications engineers.

Contact us to discuss your requirements of Conveyor Top Chain. Our experienced sales team can help you identify the options that best suit your needs.

Glide-Line, for example, has designed their manufacturing process for conveyor systems around customers’ desires for a shorter lead time, effectively cutting lead times in half for all standard and configured orders.

5. Can the company expedite materials if needed?  

For some manufacturers, this answer will be ‘yes’. But, your follow-up question should be, “At what cost?” Paying twice as much for expedited delivery may not be worth it to your customer. Instead, look for a conveyor manufacturer with limited cost increases for shortened lead times to minimize the impact to your customer’s bottom line and increase overall ROI of the conveyor system.

Service Questions

6. How easy is it to maintain the conveyor belt?

Your client’s maintenance team will appreciate attention paid to the work they do, and how easy it will be to accomplish any maintenance on the conveyor. Easy maintenance impacts your client’s throughput and RO and improves positive employee relationships because their priorities were considered in the process.

Glide-Line’s belts can be removed from the top of the conveyor, meaning they’re generally easier to access than most other conveyor belts. Plus, we ship our belts endless, so they don’t have to be spliced on site by the customer.  Since splicing requires special training, a special tool, and a lot more time, changing a Glide Line belt is significantly quicker and easier.

7. How does service take place?

Service on your client’s conveyors can be provided by both internal and external sources, depending on their current set-up. However, it’s important for your conveyor manufacturer to also provide service and support when the need arises. More important still is the speed at which that service is provided, and in what format. The goal is to minimize downtime.

8. Is the manufacturer responsive to inquiries, requests, and service requirements?

A responsive manufacturer shows collaborative quality in their observable actions. Plus, it’s obvious a highly responsive manufacturer will be more responsive throughout the terms of the business transaction, making for an overall smoother experience. When your lead time is already short, you can’t afford to wait around for responses from a manufacturer who may not have the answers you’re looking for.

Capabilities Questions

9. What are the manufacturer’s standard conveyor options?

Lead time will be greatly impacted by the number of standard versus custom conveyor parts you need in an applications system. If you require both short lead time and variations from the standard norms, look for a manufacturer with the greatest variety and flexibility in their standard conveyor system options.

10. Which type of conveyor and controls will be the most productive for the materials I need conveyed?

This will depend on your specific situation. Your goal should be to find a collaborative conveyor manufacturer capable of delivering thought-provoking and unique solutions when necessary. Our recent post “Unique Assembly Conveyor Layouts and The Best Applications” gives examples of the most flexible and productive conveyor layouts we’ve designed for some of our clients’ most challenging applications. 

Cost Questions

11. How should I calculate the ROI of my conveyor? 

The return on investment of your conveyor or conveyor system can be measured via its throughput, energy costs/savings, and time cost/savings for manufacturing, operation, and maintenance.

12. How quickly can we get a quote?

Ideally, you can get a quote instantly using an in-context configurator, IMPACT! from Glide-Line. With a traditional configurator, calculating the cost of your multi-strand conveyor system frequently necessitates a discussion with the manufacturer’s sales representative. It could take hours or even days to receive pricing, and every time there’s a change to the system, there’s a change to the price. With an in-context configurator as your conveyor design software, all the system calculations are instant, available to you the moment you make the change. You’re able to find and quote pricing on your own, without waiting for a salesperson.  IMPACT! is Excel-based, so it’s easy to learn, and it can even drive models in SOLIDWORKS automatically.

Armed with these answers, now you can more easily compare competitive conveyor manufacturers and choose a partner that best fits your client’s needs. Learn more in our ebook, How to Cut Conveyor System Lead Time in Half.

For more information, please visit Tabletop Chain Conveyor.