Conveyor systems installed twenty or thirty years ago are reaching the end of their working lives, leaving companies to foot the bill. Although keeping conveyors up to date and running efficiently is essential to most parcel handlers, funds to replace worn equipment can be difficult to source due to the current economic climate.

For businesses looking to reduce costs, there are other options. Old conveyor systems that have become inefficient may be eligible for refurbishment. With the proper engineering, refurbished conveyors run just as well as new ones, and come with extended guarantees to prove it. Compared to buying new equipment, refurbishing conveyor systems is cost effective and leads to substantial time savings. However, companies should carry out an assessment first to ascertain viability.

Refurbishment viability assessment

First, it must be established whether the existing conveyor layout will meet future needs. Anticipated business growth may increase throughput requirements and necessitate a bigger system. Companies should also survey existing equipment to check its condition and performance potential.

What constitutes a refurbishment?

If a refurbishment is viable, there are a small number of reputable can also supply brand new control panels and completely rewire equipment to ensure it meets current legislation. In the case of telescopic boom conveyors, they will replace all internal components, clean the machines down to bear metal and respray them to look as new.

Replacing control systems

Although the mechanical components of conveyors are easy to refurbish or upgrade, control devices and systems are different. Manufacturers used to fit units with binary flags, photocells and self adhesive reflectors – dated technologies that no longer meet the requirements of a busy parcel handler.

Companies should consider fitting refurbished conveyors with modern control systems, which use lasers, absolute encoders, and frequency inverters to detect the position of every item on the line. They route and divert parcels automatically, and manage the entire operation at high speed. Fitting modern control systems to refurbished conveyors can greatly improve their performance.

Modern software for efficient running

Businesses refurbishing conveyors may also need to replace the operating software. Operating software is extremely complex and performs a wide range of functions. These include matching orders to pallet loads, controlling pallets’ storage location, and keeping detailed records on the shelf lives of products and how long they have been in storage.

In the 1980′s and 1990′s, operating software for conveying systems was highly bespoke, time-consuming to develop, and cost many hundreds of thousands of pounds. It has advanced radically over the last ten years.

Today’s software features improved functionality at a lower cost – companies can buy standardised off the shelf packages for as little as £100,000. Plus, off-site commissioning leads to significant time savings. Using modern operating software to run refurbished conveyors helps ensure their efficient, smooth operation.

How safety legislation affects refurbishment

Health and safety at work has become increasingly important over the last thirty years. There are now comprehensive regulations and employers have a legal duty to protect their staff. They are also liable for accidents that occur.

Indeed, if someone dies as a result of an accident at work in the UK, companies can face criminal prosecution under the new Corporate Manslaughter Act (introduced in April 2008). This is punishable by an unlimited fine, which could potentially bankrupt a business. In the UK, conveyors fall under the Provision & Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998. These specify work equipment must be suitable for use, maintained in a safe condition and regularly inspected to ensure it stays this way.

Conveying systems built in the 1980′s and 1990′s may not comply with this legislation, so companies carrying out refurbishments must bring the equipment up to date. This includes making controls accessible and marking them clearly to allow operators to switch off a machine if an accident occurs, adding emergency stop buttons, and covering dangerous areas (e.g. the areas where the sections retract on a telescopic boom conveyor) with guard plates.

To conclude

The current economic climate is forcing businesses to scrutinize their budgets and reduce costs. Refurbishing conveyors is a viable, realistic option, and companies would be wise to consider it before scrapping old systems.

Conveyor systems are mostly used in factories where the overhead types are most commonly used. Such systems are very effective, and will prove their worth when there is limitation of space and also when the system needs to be suspended from the ceiling instead of on the floor.

These systems can transfer different kinds of material which include food, raw materials and chemicals as well as any other materials that is to be moved from one part of a process to another part of the process involving production or inspection and even packing and dispatching.

When it comes to picking conveyor systems, there are different options available and each will have its own type of conveyor. These conveyors can be belt, overhead, bucket, food, pivoting bucket and pendulum bucket as too vibratory conveyors. Each is normally driven by power obtained from electric motors or they can be powered with the help of vacuum or even air pressure.

Overhead conveyors are normally used when there is need to move items such as assemblies and foods. Though these types of conveyor systems are not cheap, they do help to ensure that the user does not require much manpower and this then means affecting lower operating costs. In addition to being cost effective, these conveyors also use less space and they are also safer to use. They are mostly used in conveying tires, white goods as well as in the car exhaust industry.

Overhead conveyors are normally hung from ceilings or walls that are constructed out of steel and they obviously are preferred because they do not take up much space. In addition, these systems enable the user to conserve manpower as the conveyor can handle all transportation needs and so there is no need to employ people to do the required work. Such systems are also very commonly used in assembly and manufacturing units as well as in warehouses and in distribution centers and they are also widely used in handling of food items.

The bucket elevator type of conveying system is mostly used when there is needed to move bulk materials (flow type) in vertical directions. Mostly, the materials that need to be conveyed using such conveyors are light or even heavy in weight and which can involve items that are very fine or which are large and lumpy.

Belt conveyor systems are mainly used for moving numerous bulky or even individual loads from one point in a processing system to another. These conveyors generally do not cost much and are also specifically designed for use with certain kinds of products and they can easily be controlled with the help of push buttons that can also be coupled with intelligent control systems to provide more accurate movement.

The roller conveyors are also versatile and cost beneficial and they have certainly evolved over time and are now widely being used in heavy duty environments. Examples of use of such conveyor systems include pallet handling and storage of heavier products as well as automotive requirements in which products need to be loaded onto conveyors with the help of machines or forklifts.