How Conveyor Designs Support Line Production Workers

Increased manufacturing output will always be the common demand across varied manufacturing sectors. As line production worker shortages skyrocket in North America (and particularly in the US), conveyor designs that maximize workforce efficiency become vital. This has made the indexing conveyor and modular belt conveyor indispensable to meeting manufacturing throughput demands. 

As this need for line workers has increased, so has the need for conveyor systems that can accommodate automation and support the sorting and inspection needs of these workers. This has led to more manufacturers implementing newer conveyor systems in their production and warehousing facilities. The global market for Conveyor Systems reflects that growth with project conveyor sales of US$65.1 Billion by 2026. That’s according to a Global Industry Analysts Report

Market, mass production, and just-in-time supply chain needs continue to converge, making efficiency crucial to production flows. They often address this through a combination of automation and these newer conveyor systems and components. This allows manufacturers to meet workforce scalability needs based on these market and supply chain factors.

The adaptability of the modular belt conveyor has proven to its ability to support efficiency and throughput in manufacturing sectors. These sectors include food and beverage, electronic and industrial parts, pharmaceuticals, medical supplies and many more. Al these sectors share a need to sort, count and batch items of small or varied sizes for order production and fulfilment. 

Modular and indexing conveyors can accommodate these needs along with manufacturing footprint limitations. These conveyors play a big part in lean manufacturing methodologies where space, process and low waste efficiency are paramount.

The indexing conveyor is moves products in a series of steps rather than a continuous flow. This is common across all the manufacturing sectors mentioned in this blog. These manufacturers need time to allow other equipment and/or automation to fulfill a process function. That can include things like filling, dosing, lidding, labeling and more. The design of the indexing conveyor affects the speed at which they can complete the processes.

Automated production plays a big part in cost reduction, fluctuating workforce availability, and throughput. This requires production and warehouse facilities to work with highly experienced conveyor manufacturers to implement customized conveyor designs. The goal is to incorporate the eventual automation, workforce, process, and production flow needs into initial designs. This enables them to amortize and absorb upfront Capex spends through higher production and lower production costs. 

The development of new types of conveyors for use in conveyor systems is also aimed at simplifying the operations in various industries. More companies are using the modular belt conveyor to meet production line workforce needs for higher throughput, efficiency, and worker safety. 

Many manufacturing environments that are implementing automation and smart factory technologies must also implement low profile conveyors to accommodate cobots that pair line workers with robotics to complete production tasks. Low profile and indexing conveyor versatility make them partial answers to complex production and assembly line challenges in modern manufacturing.

Manufacturing and market needs will always change in unpredictable ways, that impact conveyor needs in different ways. The pandemic is the most recent example of the changing needs for conveyor handling. Therefore, the ideal conveyor manufacturer is always designing for long-term agility and flexibility. 

Production, manufacturing, and warehousing/fulfillment facilities need their conveyor system investments to respond to those changes over a longer lifecycle. The ideal conveyor manufacturer fully collaborates with their production facility/factory partners on flexible designs. This approach ensures that the factory can better meet future production/market landscape needs while accommodating their present needs.

To learn how Conovey can partner with you to deliver conveyor systems that can meet today and tomorrow’s supply chain/product needs, visit our QC Conveyors Page.

Share on social media:

Related Post

07
Feb
2025

Manufacturer

Rebranding or Starting a New Business?...

Effective branding plays a significant role in establishing a strong business identity....

05
Feb
2025

Manufacturer

The Future of Healthcare: How the...

The healthcare industry is constantly evolving, driven by technological advancements and changing...