Industry: Specialty printed packaging industry in Charlotte NC
Challenge: Consolidate the work of 5 separate locations into one
Solution: Power saving packaging accumulation conveyor system
Result: Increased speed of process while freeing up workspace
Product: Hytrol 190-E24EZ Zero-Pressure Accumulation Conveyor
Specialty Printed Packaging Process Gets a Speedy Overhaul; a Charlotte NC Case Study
A multi-national powerhouse of specialty printed packaging processes approached Charlie Williamson of Advanced Equipment Company (AEC) about improving the productivity of their operations. Innovators in their field with printing houses on three continents, this client is always looking for opportunities to advance processes, improve quality and impress their customers.
They saw an opportunity to improve a palletizing system which was in operation at five separate locations within their facility. The client realized if they could consolidate this work to one location they could save a lot of time and money.
“Therein lay the challenge,” said Charlie. “The new system would have to accommodate five times the amount each single system was handling. And if it couldn’t be designed, installed and operated under a threshold amount, it wouldn’t be worth doing.”
Charlie Williamson’s initial proposal was for a minimum pressure system that could accommodate cases going through a packaging operation of six lines feeding tapers. But the technology involved required 10 drives ranging from .5 to 2 horsepower to handle the entire linear footage of about 200 feet. The cost of the electrical and controls put this proposal over the budget threshold and was rejected.
Cost-Savings Of The E24EZ Conveyor Line
Not one to shy away from a challenge, Charlie went back to the drawing board and instead explored the technology and cost-saving features of the Hytrol E24EZ conveyor.
An incredibly flexible design, the E24EZ could provide the customer with zero-pressure accumulation throughout the entire system. Inline controls assign priority to the feed lines and utilize EZLogic® module outputs to signal accumulation on the primary takeaway. The entire system requires only two main power drops for motor power and EZLogic control power as opposed to the ten drives and control devices in the original proposal.
“The 24-volt E24EZ is both powerful and safe,” said Charlie. “Enough power to work the system but you aren’t going to hurt yourself.”
Installed, On-Time & On-Budget
Charlie’s new proposal showed the client a huge savings in mechanical as well as electrical hardware and labor. The second proposal was exactly what the client was looking for. Installed and operating in two days and on budget, the client is very happy with their new consolidated process.
Charlie Williamson is a Material Handling and Conveyor Specialist for AEC since 1996. Prior to AEC, he spent an additional sixteen years in the material handling industry. Charlie invests his time and ingenuity into every project as well as gains a real sense of fulfillment to see all projects through to final working solution.
As an Integrated Systems Specialist, he welcomes the opportunity to be of service for solutions involving single conveyors, complex turnkey systems and everything in between.
