Integration and control provide the real value to conveyor systems

The real value from an integrated conveyor or sortation system is provided by the layers of control and the manner in which information is captured and integrated into a business system.

If you are looking at implementing a conveyor or sortation system into your warehouse, distribution centre or manufacturing facility, the key issue you should be considering is integration - by integration I am referring not only to the material handling aspect but, just as importantly, to the handling of the information flow.

Any decision to automate a manual handling environment, whether by implementing a basic conveyor or by making a significant capital investment in a fully automated sortation system, must not be looked at simply as a commodity purchase in isolation.

A solution-based approach is required for planned benefits to be realised.

All leading suppliers of integrated systems have access to a full range of best of breed equipment, enabling them to analyse the application and choose the appropriate technical configuration of equipment to best meet that application.

This may range from a simple configuration moving product from A to B, to a sophisticated order fulfilment and high-speed sorting system.

Certainly, a substantial degree of expertise and experience is required to design the layout and to determine what types of conveyor technology should be used in order to ensure that:

• The system will meet the defined throughput and capacity;
• The integrity of the physical condition of the packages that are being conveyed is preserved;
• An ergonomic environment is provided for operators working with the system.

From our perspective the mechanical configuration is the first step, one that will provide the foundation for an efficient system, however it is only an element of the whole exercise.

It's the command and control capabilities and features that are the keys to getting it to work.

The real value comes from the various layers of equipment control and the manner in which information is captured and integrated into the business system.

For example, there are various layers of control for a conveyor system.

At the lowest level, there is a layer that manages things such as start-up and shutdown, motor control and emergency stop systems to provide safe operating levels that comply with OH&S standards and regulations.

Then there is traffic flow monitoring and control, where there is a need to handle merges, accumulation, diverting and sorting of product - which leads us on to integration with other equipment such as cranes, weigh scales, printer applicators, elevators, work stations and so on.

This also requires a layer of intelligence to track and trace, and to optimise the flow of product through the system.

In line with this, perhaps the most important driver of supply chain performance improvement today is the alignment of the information flow with the material flow.

Tracking and tracing of product that's moving through the system is critical, from the moment it's inducted through to when it leaves at dispatch.

The aim should always be to keep the loop closed in terms of tracking and tracing the material, and ensuring associated information flows together in real time.

While the equipment must meet the required levels of performance and quality, just as much attention needs to be paid to the value that is driven from its configuration and how it is integrated with an overall solution.

This is not to say that the mechanical design is not important, or what accumulation method should be applied, or what kind of sorter technology should be implemented isn't important.

What we are saying is that there is much more than this for a conveyor system to deliver value to your business.

There might be a lot of common elements, however every application is unique in some way.

It's a performance issue. You are after a solution-based integration of the mechanical, electrical, controls and IT components of a system for the full potential of the planned benefits to be realised.

This all suggests it would be wise to select a partner with experience, expertise and track record of integration, not just a supplier of equipment.