Conveying efficiency
18 January 2010
With the current economic climate putting plants under increasing pressure to control costs and improve efficiency, the food processing industry is facing some of its most challenging times. However, there are innovative product solutions designed to help. Alan Sharkey, Key Account Manager at Habasit Rossi, explains why matching the right conveyor belt solution to the right application can make a real difference.
Conveyor belts are frequently taken for granted in food manufacturing, yet in many ways they are a critical element; connecting the different processes in a smooth, continuous flow, from initial depositing to finishing and packaging.
The performance of conveyors can make a real difference to the overall efficiency and safety of a food plant. As such, food manufacturers and processors stand to benefit from some measureable improvements by re-assessing their conveyor and belting set up.
For example, do they perform well enough when it comes to minimising product wastes, reducing energy use, safeguarding product quality and minimising maintenance and downtime? And importantly, do they stand up to the strict hygiene standards demanded?
To fully maximise the potential output of a facility, food manufacturers must ensure that they select the right conveyor belt for the right application. Whole life costs, energy efficiency, maintenance and downtime, as well as whether a belt is really suited to the application that it is intended for, are all key areas to consider.
Working Smart
Actual belt cost is always going to be an issue for the industry - now more so than ever. However, increasingly the value of reducing whole life costs through reduced maintenance is being recognised as well.
Belt costs are often only a small proportion of total overhead spend and belt related problems such as unnecessary downtime, product waste, high energy usage and hygiene costs have a disproportionate cost and risk compared to initial belt spend.
High performance, well specified belts, supported by experienced and knowledgeable technical serivce will result in far more efficient production lines, reduce the amount of unplanned production stoppages and minimise losses in productivity and processing wastage.
Leading providers also offer a complete range of conveyor and process belts that offer excellent release properties, even for very sticky goods, as well as reliable positioning of products on the belt. They also provide conveying solutions for cooling tunnels, power-turns, metal detecting, general conveying, spiral applications, packaging and checkweighing.
Keeping it Clean
Hygiene is clearly a high priority for food processors, not least due to increasingly strict legislation. It is therefore vital that conveying solutions meet these stringent standards, as well as offer superior solutions in terms of efficiency and whole life costs.
Leading belt providers have enhanced their plastic modular belt designs to allow for improved hygiene conditions and cleaning procedures specifically for food processing areas.
The latest product innovations feature advanced sprocket and flat top modules as well as CIP (clean-in-place) systems that enable faster and more reliable cleaning cycles, substantially less water-use and lower labour costs.
Innovative Technology
As well as being able to meet the necessary hygiene standards, belts must be able to offer reliability, an increase in system speed, if required, low noise operation and system flexibility, to ensure that food manufactures and processors are always working to their maximum capabilities.
A popular choice for the food and beverage industry is plastic modular belts, which can be used in a wide range of applications. They are made from injection moulded thermoplastic modules and are connected with solid plastic rods.
The all plastic design promotes long life and superior performance in many applications. Multiple widths are achieved by using a ‘bricklayed’ pattern, this also promotes high lateral and diagonal belt strength and stiffness.
These belts are durable, reliable and built to withstand the demands of modern food processing facilities, where belts are often required to run for 24 hours a day, 6 days a week.
Customer satisfaction
Year on year, food manufacturers are looking for continuous improvement. The leading conveyor belt innovators put a strong focus on R&D and are constantly striving to develop new solutions through significant re-investment of turnover to help manufacturers improve efficiency and keep costs low.
Specialist conveyor belts can be retrofitted, as well as installed into new facilities and the leading supplier offers belts that are backed by localised repairs, which means that downtime is reduced in the event of a breakage. Like virtually all sectors, the UK food processing industry is facing a real challenge in this economic climate.
However, leading belt manufacturers have developed the products, technical support and training to ensure food manufacturing facilities continue to run at optimum efficiency to control costs, minimise downtime and maximise productivity, as well as meet hygiene standards, during the difficult times ahead.
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