ProMach and Intralox Save End User Over $100K in Total Conveyor Investment, Compress Layout by 50%
The DARBs that your applications team chose were an excellent solution to change case flow direction at a very high rate and in a very small footprint.
Ron Herbert
ProMach–Greenville General Manager
Customer Objectives
A major pharmaceutical and consumer goods manufacturer was looking to increase productivity with the addition of its second new case packer in a compact footprint, while reliably handling a variety of case counts and sizes at higher rates.
By adding the second case packer, the manufacturer was able to produce a larger variety of case counts, achieve higher rates, and eliminate risk of lost production, while adding label inspection and rejection. With two case packers, however, fitting the necessary functionality of reject-sortation, case turning, merging, and alignment in the allotted footprint was a challenge.
Intralox Execution
The manufacturer secured the expertise of ProMach to assist in increasing production in the tight space. ProMach and Intralox partner regularly to create innovative layout solutions. Consequently, they worked together to optimize the solution and ensure the most effective use of valuable space-saving Intralox technologies.
Intralox provided three units, each with multiple critical functions. The first two were Dual-Stacked Angled Roller Belt (DARB) Sorter/90-Degree Transfer combination units. These units provide reliable rejecting at high rates to prevent line stoppages and turn cases from long-side-leading to short-side-leading for conveyance to the palletizer. The third unit was an Activated Roller Belt (ARB) Perpetual Merge with added alignment functionality. This unit was used to combine the product flow from two case packers into one lane and provide automatic traffic control merging and alignment all in one. This continuous flow doesn’t require accumulation, allowing it to fit in a small space.
Results
This system achieved all conveyance functionality needed in the compact footprint and provided additional value in simplified controls and safety. The Intralox solution provided over $100,000 in total conveyor investment savings and reduced the needed footprint and equipment by 50%. A layout comparison demonstrates the cost and space savings made possible by the Intralox system compared to if the manufacturer had used traditional technologies.
