If you’ve ever been in the market for a new belt conveyor system or other industrial automation solution, you know how challenging it can be to find something that will meet your precise needs. Every application is different, and every business has different needs when it comes to conveyor design, cost, and other variables. While we’ve written before about how to choose the right conveyor system, this post will focus more specifically on a related issue: Choosing from among the long list of belt conveyor manufacturers.
As manufacturers look to stay competitive in the 21st Century, the need for businesses to stay nimble in a restless marketplace is more important than ever. Changes in technology or market demand may necessitate adaptations to existing production lines with speedy turnaround times that are difficult, or outright impossible, with many traditional manufacturing systems. That’s why modern manufacturing often relies on what are known as flexible manufacturing systems – those designed with swift changes in production lines and ease of adaptability in mind.
When it comes to conveyors and other material handling systems, it doesn’t always follow that bigger is better. This is especially true when an application deals with particularly small parts.
Medical products and pharmaceuticals, bottle caps, small vials, wine corks, flat washers, nuts and bolts, and others are just some of the small parts that may not be suited for larger conveyors. In particular, narrow-belted conveyor systems may be required to keep small parts and freight in a single-file arrangement for the purposes of quality control, assembly, product safety, and more.
For those in industries where small part conveyance is necessary, mk North America offers a number of options. Keep reading to learn more.
The SRT-P 2005 conveyor from mk North America combines the advantages of a table top chain conveyor with the performance of a pallet handling conveyor system.
Staying competitive in manufacturing is a difficult task these days. Costs are rising and margins are narrowing, all while demands for innovation in research and development increases across industries.
While some of the challenges inherent to modern manufacturing simply have to be lived with, there are some areas where manufacturers have a great deal of control. Among the most significant is in optimizing assembly production.
When one factors in labor, time, and other resources, assembly accounts for as much as three-quarters of total manufacturing costs for any given product. By making sure assembly production is optimized, manufacturers can make considerable gains in improving overall efficiency and lowering costs. But as with most things, this can be easier said than done.
“Use the right tool for the job.” This seems like pretty easy advice to follow, and quite often it is. If you need to drive a nail, you use a hammer. If you need to dig a hole, you use a shovel. But what about when you need something a little more complicated than a hammer or a shovel, like a belt conveyor system? How can you be sure you’re using the right one for your specific application?
