5 Key Criteria for Selecting Filling, Palletizing and Conveying Systems-0602

An organization's committee responsible for selecting filling, palletizing and conveying systems often includes those with varying points of view.

The engineering manager may be interested in integrated functions and making the best use of space available. The operations manager may be focused on efficiency and controls — is the interface user friendly, and is data collection automated? The maintenance manager is usually concerned with durability — is the equipment rugged enough to provide a long life with maximum uptime and low maintenance? And, is the system well supported by replacement parts and factory service?

All those points of view are valid, of course, but the common denominator is that the committee is evaluating capital equipment vital to the efficient packaging of the company's products. To that extent, the selection of packaging systems should be based on system reliability and functionality rather than simply purchase price.

Specific criteria should include:

1. Ruggedness Pays Off

   Ruggedness of construction;

2. Maintenance intervals;

3. Availability of important options and accessories;

4. Customization and innovative approach to the application;

5. Reliability of equipment and vendor.

Not every filling, palletizing or conveying application is “heavy duty.” If an application involves drums, totes or pails being filled and moved at high-volume intervals, it most likely requires rugged, heavy-duty equipment, especially if the equipment is not maintained regularly. Don't underestimate the needs.

“This is a long-term decision, so a lot of consideration must go into the demands of the system,” advises Mark Yeck, operations manager at A&R Transport (Morris, Ill.), a nationwide provider of bulk transportation, warehousing and packaging services for the plastic, chemical, agricultural and food industries.

True Maintenance Costs

“For example, how much weight is going to be packaged, and how much load is going to be crossing the conveyor?” Yeck asks. “We're filling 1,500-pound IBC containers on our packaging line, and up to 2,400 pounds on the drum line. So, we need rugged equipment to consistently handle that weight.”

Sam Ammary, Los Angeles plant project manager for a global producer of gas, chemical and energy products, says it is important for systems that fill and carry totes and drums to be of robust construction to support a firm's continuous operations.

“It's best to design the system according to the requirements of the application, and that would especially apply to heavy duty applications,” Ammary says. “Conveyor rollers and bearings should be heavy gauge. The filler should definitely be of heavy construction, built to withstand repeated tasks required for the application.”

Significant Options

Houston-based Specialty Equipment, a provider of conveyor, liquid filling and palletizing systems, and supplier to both A&R Transport's and Ammary's firm, believes ruggedness is essential to companies that depend on 24/7 operation, especially when high-volume production and low maintenance of filling drums and totes are involved.