Conveying Systems Need Simplification
A materials handling specialist is warning Australian companies that too much of their capital is being frittered away by over complicated design of conveyor systems.
Industrial Conveying (Aust) Pty Ltd, a supplier of handling systems to many industries including logistics, food, mining, warehousing and general manufacturing, often has to completely redesign drawings supplied by engineers working on projects beyond their capability level. This is not to criticise the intelligence of Australia’s engineers, according to ICA Design Engineer Mr Barry Thompson. It is more a case of specialised experience versus perceived experience.
“We work solely with conveyors and materials handling technology so we not only understand how the products work we can instantly understand the client requirements and design and build accordingly,” said Mr Thompson. “Our goal is to move product from point A to point B and we have the specialised skills to design and build for this."
“In our business, it is never about the cost of the conveyor component of a project - it is all about minimising the number of drive units. In the act of going from A-B, a drive unit can be worth about the same as 20 metres of conveyor. For every drive unit in the system you need a control system, wiring, a program, etc, and you have to commission it! The conveyor is actually the cheapest part of the component inventory but most drawings we are given don’t seem to indicate an understanding of this."
“A lot of times we are handed project drawings by inexperienced engineers or even directly by clients. Unfortunately, despite the abilities and good intentions of such sources, they often approach the challenge from the wrong direction and create unnecessarily complicated designs that extend well beyond what the maximum budget should be. Anyone can design a complicated materials handling system; the talent comes in breaking it down to bare bones and simplifying it. We are very good at understanding and making it simple.”
For example, the simple concept of breaking down a system to analyse components such as motors/drives can identify that the items proposed may not be suitable for the challenge. It may even be a case that far too many motors/drives are proposed, which drives up costs unnecessarily.
Other potential cost blowouts can come by way of over-elaborate conveyor design, unwise entry/exit points of a system, choice in control boxes – absolutely any part of the overall process.
“During the best of times it is important for our clients to conserve as much money as possible, so in this time of recession it is even more urgent to minimise mistakes in designing conveyor-based systems,” said Mr Thompson.
“Although most teams of engineers have many capabilities to serve the Australian industrial sector, our market space is often more on the practical solution and we frequently have to come in and change the entire philosophy of a project.”
