5/6/13: Preparing for Summer
April showers bring May flowers… but summer heat can leave your conveyor beat! As we approach the summer months you may begin to notice some components of your conveyor system struggling to keep up or even wearing out altogether. It is normal for rising temperatures to take a toll on items like power supplies, rubber or polyurethane bands and belts, and items that already generally heat with use. Here’s a quick list of just a few things you can do to make sure you are prepared for the additional strain on your warehouse equipment.
-Periodically check to make sure all fans and filters are clean, including those under your conveyor at each local control box.
-Create as much ventilation in your warehouse space as is reasonable- add box fans to areas that generate a lot of heat, or consider leaving extra dock doors open throughout the day.
-Store battery operated equipment in a cool area of your building.
-Know that power supplies, control cards, and other electric and logic components are easily affected by temperature. These may just need to cool down sometimes, or they may overheat to the point of no return -it is a good idea to have extras on hand!
-Consider how much of your conveyor is running at any given time and see if this can be decreased to meet your needs more specifically.
-Keep plenty of spare o-bands on hand -these can stretch, dry and crack in extreme heat!
-Keep a well-stocked spare supply of all plastic, rubber, and polyurethane parts.
-Remember that even more valuable than your equipment is your team. Making water more readily available to those from receiving to shipping and everywhere in between will maintain their productivity and well-being
- as well as those of your business!
Xact Warehouse Solutions is here for your equipment needs in all seasons. Please contact us today to see how we can help prepare your facility for summer!
Xact Warehouse Solutions vendor spotted at ProMat 2013: Automotion conveyor incline demo.
Itoh Denki’s booth at ProMat 2013!
Featured Vendor: Bluff Manufacturing
Bluff Manufacturing is a leader in the material handling industry, specializing in dock and loading ramp equipment. With a variety of dock boards, plates, and levelers, there is a Bluff solution for you! With the advent of Bluff’s Speedy Board®, it has never been easier to safely place and remove your dock board for storage. This innovative product is designed to provide the most secure transportation via forklift cutouts along the leading edge of the board.
Additionally, Bluff Manufacturing can create custom mezzanines, conveyor crossovers, ladders and stairways adding productivity and safety to your warehouse. Bluff Manufacturing has maintained a commitment to excellent customer service for nearly 45 years which is a top priority for Xact Warehouse Solutions when choosing our vendors. We are thrilled to pass that quality of work along to our customers and look forward to serving you! Please visit our website to learn more about Bluff Manufacturing as well as other products and services provided by Xact Warehouse Solutions.
Vendor Appreciation
As a national integrator, we work not only for customers from all over the country, but with vendors in dozens of major cities as well. When we choose to give our business to a vendor, we are not just selecting the highest quality goods and services at the most effective cost. We are also trusting our vendors to provide our customers with the same fantastic service we do.
A customer recently came to us praising the service technician we had sent to repair their conveyor. He was struck by the technician’s efficiency, professionalism, and courteous, thorough explanation and walkthrough of the work he had completed. On Xact Warehouse Solutions, as well as our vendor, he said “I have nothing but good things to say about you guys, thank you.” This kind of feedback never gets old. We LOVE hearing about our customers’ positive experiences with our vendors.
All of this is to say “thank you”. We would like to thank our vendors who work so diligently to provide us with the best storage, equipment, conveyor and service solutions. It is so exciting to pass on to our customers the incredible value we receive from partnering with such dedicated individuals. The rapid response time, fair pricing, and competent service we receive from vendors like Coastal Conveyor Services in Rock Hill, SC are essential components of our business. Coastal, we have nothing but good things to say about you guys.
Ladder Industries Crossovers as described in previous post.
FOR SALE: FOUR NEVER-USED CROSSOVERS!
We have four brand new, unassembled Ladder Industry crossovers available to move immediately! These crossovers would make a great addition to any warehouse or distribution center.
Features:
-Designed for a 30-inch wide conveyors
-Platforms have 60-in clearance
-Each platform includes TWO sets of stairs, a landing and a handrail
That’s a total of four platforms, eight sets of stairs, four landings and four handrails! We are willing to sell these four crossovers individually or as a set. Ladder Industry is a trusted material handling manufacturer and this equipment complies with the 2009 International Building Code. FOB City of Industry, CA.
Please contact us if you are interested in purchasing our crossovers!
A couple of weeks ago one of our customers reached out to us, asking if a regularly scheduled preventative maintenance visit for their Ermanco conveyor could possibly be moved up by a week or two. Taking care of our customers needs is our top priority, but we wanted to make sure that rescheduling was the best solution for their situation. I asked if there was something in particular that needed immediate attention. The conversation that ensued left me both impressed with the ingenuity behind the customer’s makeshift repair and anxious to provide them with a more permanent solution. The photo above shows a photo eye with broken mounting as well as a whole photo eye, mounted correctly. By turning the eye upside down and bracing it with a piece of cardboard, our customer had managed to keep his conveyor (and facility) running, despite the damage.
As it turned out, the photo eyes they were using had been discontinued from the manufacturer. However, through our network of distributors and mechanical technicians, we were able to quickly determine the appropriate replacement. Our customer was thrilled when we reported that several brand new photo eyes were being delivered directly to him, and our maintenance and repair team would arrive a full week ahead of schedule to install the replacements.
Via our preventative maintenance contracts and our emergency repair services we keep running to keep our customers running. Please contact us to see how we may serve you in maintaining the functionality and efficiency of your facility!
