Operations By Jennifer Zegler

Advanced conveyor
technology moves in
Warehouse, TO KEEP UP WITH THE PROLIFERATION OF NEW PACKAGE SIZES AND INCREASING
SKUs, beverage warehouse and distribution facilities have turned to other industries
distribution
for inspiration. Beverage makers are choosing conveyor technology and systems
leverage proven that have been proven in other industries, such as retail and consumer products
applications from distribution centers, says Bryan Boyce, product manager for Intelligrated Inc., Mason,
other industries Ohio. The new solutions feature conveyors that can handle multiple material types,
offer automated options and make better use of the facility’s space.
Consolidation in warehouse and distribution also zones for its ArrowElite roller-less case conveyors. The
has affected the demands on conveyors, says Rich roller-less design incorporates both table-top and mat-
Rittermann, vice president of operations for Conveyor top carrying surfaces and is suited for reduced weight
Handling Co. Inc., Elkridge, Md. packaging and applications with more changeovers,
“The result is they need to convey higher volumes of says Pat Vincent, president and chief operating officer
product with faster conveyor speeds from the picking of Arrowhead Systems.
areas through accumulation, merging and sortation to Heavy-duty mat-top and table-top conveyors
the trucks,” Rittermann says. in stainless steel and mild steel also are available
from Arrowhead Systems. The conveyors use
UPDATED DESIGNS fewer components to reduce cost and maintenance,
High volumes require high-tech conveyor solutions, Vincent says.
including precision control, photo eye sensors and System Plast, a brand of Emerson Industrial
zero-pressure accumulation, Rittermann says. The Automation, St. Louis, has noticed a move away
industry standard used to be 1.9-inch diameter rollers from roller-based conveyors to reduce noise and
on 3-inch centers. Now the trend is to use 2-inch roller maintenance, says Tom Eure, business development
centers with precision bearings to handle high-speeds manager for System Plast.
and lightweight packages, he says. In addition, the “We have seen the trend of taking these conveyors
incline or decline angle has decreased from 20-degrees and retrofitting them to a modular belt or table-top
to 18-degrees or less, which helps reduce case tipping chain conveyor, utilizing the same side frames, just
when the conveyor runs at higher speeds, he says. taking the rollers out and then putting the necessary
Another trend is the conversion from sensing rollers wear strips and the necessary belt,” Eure says. “What
to photo eye sensors to detect product, Rittermann says. you get then, is a very quiet system and a very reliable
“This has been very beneficial to beverage system. You went from 15 to 20 moving parts to two
distribution because of noise reduction and the moving parts in a two or three foot section, so you
elimination of premature sensing valve failure due reduce your noise and you reduce your maintenance.”
to product spillage,” he says. “Another benefit to the
electronic sensors is the ability to program them to GROWING LARGER
control case rates during accumulation and release.” The proliferation of product SKUs caused warehouse
Conveyor Handling Co. also offers high-speed and distribution center operators to look for solutions
combiners equipped with scanners and sliding that can handle a large volume of products. Hytrol
shoe sorters with 20-degree angles or less that Conveyor Co., Jonesboro, Ark., developed Track-a-
can sort between 75 and 200 cases per minute. Pack technology that keeps tabs on packages and
The company also has noticed the need for zero- pallet loads as they move through a company’s system.
pressure accumulation that reduces case contact Track-a-Pack monitors a product or pallet through to its
and product breakage, especially for partial cases destination, and is able to transfer information through
that are popular in wine and spirits distribution, a gateway. The system also can help build custom pallet
Rittermann says. loads by providing information on individual products,
>>

Zero-pressure also is the focus of innovation for the company says.

Beverage warehouse and distribution operators are
opting to make better use of the space in their facility
through the use of vertical spiral conveyors, such as
those offered by AmbaFlex.
Arrowhead Systems, Oshkosh, Wis. The company Custom pallet loads also are more popular
offers its newly redesigned zero-pressure accumulation with larger distribution centers that handle many
continued on page 64

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 Operations
continued from page 62
products, Intelligrated’s Boyce says.
To best suit a line, Intelligrated offers
hybrid systems that combine roller
and mat-top conveyors, Boyce says.
The company also has options for
automatic side guides that have
multiple positions to handle the
various package sizes, he says.
Intelligrated also reports increased
requests for multi-line systems and
sortation systems, Boyce says. Its line
sortation systems incorporate patented
soft-touch software that gently diverts
products, which is suited for glass
bottles, he says.
Warehouse operators also are making
better use of their space by building
multiple levels of product storage.
“People want to use more of the
cubic space in the building, not so much
the flat square footage, but they are
going up and using as much room as
possible,” says Phil Miller, president of
AmbaFlex Inc., Bedford, Texas.
AmbaFlex manufactures spiral
conveyors that can reach multiple levels
of a warehouse, Miller says.
“We’ve been doing a lot of it with
facilities that have a whole lot of SKUs
and a lot of product moving through
there every day,” Miller says. “It really
helps them to have a more efficient
footprint, and it runs at the same speed
as the rest of the conveyor system, so
they still get the volume of product
flowing through the system.”
AmbaFlex also offers a model of
spiral conveyor with two 16-inch wide
tracks on one frame that allows for an
incline and a decline track side-by-side.
The company also has seen an increase
in the variety of materials transported
within one facility. It is developing
options with higher friction materials
that can reach high levels and handle a
range of materials, such as paperboard
boxes or plastic totes, Miller says.
Spiral conveyor-maker Ryson
International Inc., Yorktown, Va., has
64 | Beverage Industry | AUGUST 2010 | bevindustry.com
BI0810_Distribution2.indd 64
>>
Conveyor Handling Co. offers high-speed
sorting conveyors that are able to handle
high volumes of product.
upgraded its spirals to reach higher
elevations and handle more weight.
The company also has developed a
high-capacity spiral with multiple
in-lets, says Ole Rygh, president of
Ryson. Multiple in-lets are suited for
operations that are picking product
from several elevations, he says.
“In the beverage industry, a lot
of what we’re seeing now is a big
push for picking or sending out
mixed pallets,” Rygh says. “In some
of those applications where you’re
sending products from different
levels, this spiral conveyor will
certainly have an application.”
GREEN OUTLOOK
While operators continue to demand
higher speeds to accommodate the
growing list of products, conveyor
companies say sustainability will
be a top demand going forward.
Packaging trends, including
lightweighting, will continue to affect
conveyor solutions, Intelligrated’s
Boyce says.
“You can only assume that
packaging is going to get lighter,
thinner, etc.,” he says. “I believe also
that energy conservation – fewer
drives required – is going to be big.
As far as energy conservation that
could also include accumulation
conveyors that do not require the use
of air because air costs money, too.”
Companies also are looking for
more efficient power sources. Hytrol
has developed product lines for the
beverage industry that use 24-volt
decentralized drives, which provide
low-energy consumption, do not
require regular maintenance and are
simple to install, the company says.
Conveyor Handling Co. has tested DC
motor driven conveyors in beverage
distribution, Rittermann says. BI
8/4/10 8:53 AM
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