When evaluating new technologies and machinery, a necessary element is carrying out extensive due diligence on different solutions before committing to a manufacturer. Food-safe spiral conveyors come in so many different variations that the list of criteria you use to contrast and compare one against the other can become extensive.
Apart from the above criteria, you need to consider the overall equipment effectiveness (OEE) and the total cost of ownership (TCO). The initial purchase price rarely reflects the true value of the system. Below, we look at some of the factors to consider for TCO and OEE when choosing a spiral conveyor solution for food products.
Alternatively, check out this checklist to determine how a sanitary spiral conveyor can help prevent product recalls and improve food safety.
Production yield and throughput often come down to the system’s availability. However, when researching new technologies for your operations, planned and unplanned downtimes aren’t easy to measure.
SideDrive Conveyor Co. mainly focuses on increasing availability when determining the OEE and TCO of our conveyor solutions.
Planned downtime includes shutting down the line to carry out sanitation procedures or conducting maintenance on the system. An edge-driven spiral conveyor helps reduce planned downtime in two ways:
Reducing planned downtime provides you with the opportunity to improve higher throughput that translates into greater profitability. Every minute you save on sanitation and maintenance increases your OEE and decreases the TCO of the system. Easier maintenance and shortened repair cycles also help reduce your unplanned downtimes and increase your mean time to recovery (MTTR).
Finally, you have a flexible base system that can evolve with your organization as you introduce new processes to the line. An edge-driven spiral conveyor allows you to convey up and down or over and under your processing equipment. SideDrive Conveyor Co. delivers improved OEE and reduced TCO for food manufacturers that need to maintain productivity without compromising on quality.
To discuss the cost-savings and OEE of our edge-driven spiral conveyors in more detail, reach out to SideDrive Conveyor Co.