Holste Says... |
 |
| A system operations audit done by the original conveyor vendor, a trusted advisor or independent consultant would be a good first step. |
 |
What do you say? |
 |
| Click here to send us your comments |
|
|
|
By determining the length of the average case you can calculate what the system is capable of delivering based on the speed of the metering belt. If that amount is less than what is required, consider increasing the speed of the metering/induction conveyor by simply changing the ratio of the drive sprockets. However, the conveyor provider should be consulted prior to making any such changes as this may require re-calibrating the sorter tracking controls.
There may be other problems that impact on capacity such as frequent bottlenecks which may also be eliminated by adjusting conveyor speeds.
Some problems appear to be obvious and easily fixed such as adding accumulation conveyor between picking and sorting operations to smooth out the surges without shutting down picking. However, while this may provide some temporary relief, it may not fix the underlining system problem.
Digging deeper will sometimes reveal the hidden or less obvious problems that sap system performance.
A good example of this can often be found at the central merge. Here cases of product from multiple picking lines are buffered and automatically merged into a single conveyor line that feeds product to the induction conveyor and on to the sorter. Even when the merge is operating at peak performance, the gaps between slugs of cases being released from the accumulation lines can reduce system capacity by 10 to 15 percent. Installing new merge logic can reduce the gap between slugs from the typical 3 to 5 feet to just a few inches regardless of line release sequence. Your conveyor system provider can advise if this control upgrade would be applicable in your operation.
Final Thoughts
No doubt there are shippers, both large and small that need to increase the throughput performance of their conveyor system. This is a case where a system operations audit done by the original conveyor vendor, a trusted advisor or independent consultant would be a good first step.
Any reaction to this Expert Insight column? Send below.
Your Comments/Feedback
|
