State of play – a look at the conveying industry

Conveyor Systems Ltd offers a combination of engineering skills and a wealth of experience in providing materials handling solutions tailored to suit individual requirements across a wide range of industries.

HSS: How has the conveyor sector been performing in 2016?

Steve Graham: We are aware that this has been a difficult time for industry in general and particularly for companies who are involved in projects involving capital expenditure. However, industry still has to be proactive and look to automation to achieve increased productivity and savings. By reducing manual handling and with the introduction of conveyors and dynamic storage systems to ensure products are conveyed to the required areas rather than personnel moving around unnecessarily, this can quickly achieve improvements and demonstrate a return on investment.

There has been no shortage of tenders for various conveying projects. Unfortunately, competition is fierce, margins eroded and some of these projects can take a long time to be sanctioned and final orders placed.

While there are big challenges facing many traditional businesses and retailers, strong growth in eCommerce is continuing to drive demand for strategically located distribution space and highly efficient handling systems.

Therefore, companies are now committing and gearing up, particularly with an eye to online shopping, so that they are prepared to meet the anticipated demand. This has a knock-on effect as companies look to invest in storage and automation, with particular emphasis on order picking, packing and sortation systems.

Sortation systems have continued to evolve and to provide impressive throughputs with unique control systems that support accuracy and traceability of product flow throughout the supply chain. Also we seem to be obtaining more enquiries from end users for conveying systems without the very high levels of sophistication normally employed by the very large material handling companies in the business, in an effort to avoid excessive downtimes and unnecessary risks to their business.

HSS: How has 2016 been for CSL and do you anticipate Brexit will have any effect on CSL?

SG: Conveyor Systems Ltd has increased turnover quite considerably in the last twelve months and by 300% over the last three years.

In planning and designing materials handling solutions to meet customer’s requirements, there appears to be a growing demand for system flexibility. As industry trends move forward at such a fast pace, the customer is always aware that product changes may necessitate systems to be easily adapted (sometimes referred to as “future proofing”) to meet future handling changes.

Also as our conveying equipment has been developed and improved over the years to have a longer life span with minimum maintenance and spare parts requirement, more end user companies are looking to upgrade systems as opposed to committing to new capital expenditure. 

Utilising a comprehensive range of cost effective modular and bespoke assemblies, it enables CSL to provide customers with maximum flexibility and design tailor made solutions to suit individual requirements and budget. 

As over 95% of our equipment is both manufactured and supplied within the UK, exchange rates are not a major issue for us irrespective of the final Brexit negotiations.

Our success at CSL can be contributed to our ability to service and maintain our existing customers and during the last 12 months, over 50% of our sales turnover can be attributed to this close association. 

As an integrator of “turnkey” systems, we are not limited to offering a standard range of modular conveyors, but can design and competitively engineer customised equipment most suited to meet individual handling applications. 

We not only provide customers with handling solutions but provide many with servicing and maintenance programs to ensure that equipment is properly maintained and working to maximum efficiency and safety, thus avoiding un-planned stoppages. 

HSS: What role is software playing in installations? 

SG: After understanding the client’s requirements and drafting a system layout, we instantly then consider how the system will be controlled. 

A correctly designed conveyor should only need simple controls, which in turn supports most client briefings of keeping simple ‘clean’ solutions that minimise costs, risk and maximise uptime.

Of course, more intelligent systems can allow for more compact solutions arising from additional criteria such as: where space is an issue; faster systems where throughput demands are high; where multiple usage is required but getting the right control for the right system is key. 

Advancements in Control Hardware and Communication Protocols is also allowing us to install more modular control systems, with standardised control platforms, which of course saves on design and installation time. As a result each system can be commissioned into full operation quicker and with with less disruption to the customers on-going site operations.

HSS: How important is it for companies like CSL to have software expertise? 

SG: For the reasons stated above, we need to understand the importance and workings of controls in order to design a successful conveyor system. The key is to fully identify with a client’s brief to establish how the system will be operated from the earliest possible opportunity, allowing us to advise and work with the client to install the agreed system, correctly controlled, on time and within budget.

CSL feel that using software to ‘correct’ or ‘mask’ conveyor system inadequacies is a false economy and as a result, commissioning time generally increases and costs spiral.

More customers are monitoring their systems performance for management purposes – reporting and logging downtime, planning maintenance, product traceability, etc. This can now be easily achieved with the advancements in web based technologies and other remote communications.

We have the ability to log into our control systems from our offices or anywhere we have a phone signal in order to assist our clients in fault finding, etc, 

Understanding the possibilities and capabilities of software controls allows CSL to advise on what is available and possibly required at the outset in order to achieve the customers’ requirements. 

HSS: What does software design leadership give you?

SG: Having software design leadership allows CSL to consider all options when designing a new or modifying existing layouts for our customers. This may be as simple as interfacing to existing machines or existing higher level management systems (in a warehouse for example) to give a fuller system.

We can advise on a solid control structure, so that the system as a whole works as one, with the right level of intelligence at the right level in the hierarchy to prevent over engineering and duplicated costs. 

We can advise on where spare capacity should be allowed for and where system expansion is likely in order to future proof a system and to minimise costs and disruption should additional or future changes be required. Our design ethos is based on modular components, but it’s the level of control that makes a modular design into a system.