Problem: A manufacturer of modular plastic conveyor belts needed to boost production without expanding the footprint of its plant.
Solution: A new dual-strand extrusion line replaced a single-strand line, more than doubling output.
By Bruce Adams
A $1 million investment has paid off for a manufacturer of modular conveyor belts, which has squeezed in a dramatic increase in production without increasing its square footage.
“The dual-strand line more than doubled production to 150 feet per minute per strand, which is 300 feet per minute,” Washington said. “Our single lines run at about 120 to 125 feet per minute.”
The plant, which is a subsidiary of Laitram LLC, produces the rods that go into plastic belts for conveyors. The rods are made of PP, PE, acetal, nylon and PEEK. The rods hold the belt together, like links in a chain. Another company plant produces the conveyor belts.
Intralox continues to operate five Davis-Standard single-strand lines but plans to replace one of those lines with another dual-strand line as business conditions permit, Washington said.
The previous single-strand extuder had an L:D ratio of 24:1. Washington declined to provide details about the new line, due to proprietery reasons.
“The dual-strand line did not require any additional floor space, which is very important to us,” Washington said. “Open floor space is scarce, and plant expansions are very expensive.”
The dual-strand line also has helped reduce scrap “dramatically.”
“Our waste on the dual-strand line is negligible, down to fractions of a percent,” Washington said. “Prior to that, the older single line was producing about 3 percent waste. The reason the waste is down so dramatically is because the new machine operates much better than the old one. It has the latest technology in extruders and consistently produces a high-quality product. Also, the new control system helps keep the rod diameter in spec better than the older controls.”
Sean Stephan, regional manager for Davis- Standard, agreed with Washington.
“The new dual-strand line provides higher quality and much tighter tolerances, which results in improved products and less waste than the older equipment it replaced,” he said.
Equipment and training
The dual-strand line features a Davis-Standard extruder, controls made by NDC Technologies and downstream components, including tanks and cutters, made from Conair.
“Davis-Standard designed the new line and pulled together all the equipment needed from their vendors,” Washington said. “We did not have to deal with multiple vendors or manage the process to make sure that everything worked together. All the equipment runs seamlessly together.”
The process from purchase to installation of the dual-strand line took about eight months, and the plant had its new line operating last summer, according to Washington.
Training on the new line went well as representatives from Davis-Standard, Conair and NDC were onsite to help operators, processors and maintenance staff learn how to use and maintain all the equipment, Washington said. They also provided train-the-trainer modules that are used to onboard new employees. Training took approximately three days and did not disrupt production.
“The entire line was installed and operating in less than two weeks,” Davis-Standard’s Stephan said. “The new dual-line equipment was similar to their current production equipment, so operators caught on quickly. We provided a service tech and a process support person for a few days when the new line started operating. They were able to answer any questions and fine-tune the line.”
The new controls on the dual-strand line are more intuitive than the ones they replaced, Washington said.
“They are easier to operate and to learn,” he said. “We were impressed with them and bought similar controls for our five single-strand lines. It was very easy to transfer to the new technology.”
An unplanned benefit of the new dual-strand line was the ability to reduce plant operating hours for the 22 extrusion department employees at the Harahan plant, Washington said. It now runs 24/5, instead of 24/7.
“About 85 percent of them were overjoyed to have their weekends off,” he said. “The other 15 percent miss the overtime weekend pay. We still allow overtime for certain roles, such as cleanup and maintenance when we are out of production over the weekend. So, those who want to are still able to work weekends and get overtime. Overall, I’d say that the new hours caused morale to more than double.”
Bruce Adams, senior staff reporter
Contact:
Conair Group, Cranberry Township, Pa., 724-584-5500, www.conairgroup.com
Davis-Standard LLC,
Pawcatuck, Conn., 860-599-1010, https://davis-standard.com
Intralox LLC, New Orleans, 504-733-0463, www.intralox.com
NDC Technologies,
Dayton, Ohio, 626-960-3300, www.ndc.com
