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A manufacturer of outdoor storage and home & garden products contacted Thomas Conveyor & Equipment explaining their on-line business had almost doubled in early 2020.

Their existing system was comprised of a slider bed belt conveyor used to process outgoing shipments. They wanted to add a second conveyor line to handle the increase in orders.

A Thomas Conveyor Automation Engineer provided a complimentary assessment and design consultation; prepared a conceptualized layout with a second conveyor line that would run parallel to the existing line, utilizing existing space, centralizing staff, and making the current conveyor set up more efficient and able to handle the increased output.

It was also recommended that the second line be equipped with a VFD (variable frequency drive) so personnel could adjust the speed of the belt to match the output needed. The second line would also be equipped with a photo-eye at the discharge end to stop the product when it reached the end of the conveyor. This would prohibit packages from falling onto the floor.    Another recommendation included the installation of ( e-stops), emergency stops, on both sides of the conveyor line at several points so that employees could stop the belt in case of an emergency.

Thomas Conveyor was awarded the commission and installed the secondary conveyor line  (which included 30 feet of gravity conveyor feeding into 30 feet of slider bed belt conveyor).  The client was now prepared to handle their newly increased business as well as growth well into the future.  

The customer was so satisfied with the new conveyor line and its updated configuration, that they had Thomas Conveyor return to install e-stops and a photo-eye on the older,  existing line so that it too could be brought up to higher production and safety levels.

The client was now prepared to handle their newly increased business as well as growth well into the future.  The customer was so satisfied with the new conveyor line and its updated configuration, that they had Thomas Conveyor return to install e-stops and a photo-eye on the older,  existing line so that it too could be brought up to higher production and safety levels.

Thomas Conveyor & Equipment offers a wide variety of transport conveyors, including gravity conveyors, belt conveyors, and live roller conveyors. From a single component add-on to a complete automation system Thomas Conveyor will put our years of experience to work for your operation.

Be sure to contact a Thomas Conveyor & Equipment Automation Specialist for all of your material handling needs.  Call us today at 844 220 0086.

Thomas Conveyor was recently brought in by a client to help them improve their picking efficiency on fast moving SKU items. They had an existing pick module full of product pallets on their upper levels that could not be replenished fast enough. Thomas Conveyor visualized a solution by providing floor mounted, single level, magnum wheel pallet flow lanes.

The benefits of pallet flow racking is it: 

• saves floor space
• boosts throughput
• reduces use of fork trucks, and
• enables first in/first out inventory control management. 

After an automation solution diagnostic was completed, Thomas Conveyor engineers decided to provide twenty three single lanes of pallet flow conveyor. The pallet flow conveyor was anchored on the floor, side by side, in a straight run. Operators were able to push their picking carts down the run and pick product directly from the pallet. 

The lanes allow two pallets, up to nine pallets deep, of the same SKU to be back to back pitched off the floor. Each pallet flow lane is designed to have a pallet mechanical separator provide a gap between the pitched pallets. The mechanical separator removes back pressure from secondary pallets against the first pallet.

When the front pallet is empty:

• The operator lifts the empty pallet out of the line
• The operator foot activates a manually lever that allows the separator to release the second pallet to move into the first pallet position.
• Once the secondary pallet rolls past the separator, it automatically resets and detains any new pallets placed on the flow line.
• We also placed entry guides at the infeed of each lane to help the fork truck operator align the pallets into the racking lanes. These are both added safety features.

Prior to the Magnum pallet flow installation, when a pallet was empty:

1. The operator had to stop operations to find a pallet jack;
2. Manually move up a second pallet to the front of the line; then
3. Flag and position a fork truck to bring in a new full pallet, which was dangerous in this high pedestrian traffic area.
   Each lane also had speed controllers, in the form of centrifugal roller brakes, that slowed the speed of the pallets moving down the line.

Each lane also had speed controllers, in the form of centrifugal roller brakes, that slowed the speed of the pallets moving down the line.

Once the initial pallet flow conveyors were installed, the next stage of improvement was to install overhead selective pallet racking above the new conveyor system.

• The new selective pallet racking allows the client to instantly replenish the pallet flow lane when a new pallet is required.
• We carefully measured the spacing between the pallet flow rails and installed uprights and beams that fit between the lanes.
• Each bay of racking has a wire deck to support the pallet, as well as a bolted on pallet back stop that provides the fork lift operator with a guide. The back stop also provides an extra level of security to ensure that pallets do not over reach and get pushed onto the pallet flow system.

Thomas Conveyor provides turnkey consultation and installation for pallet flow systems.

• During the consultation visit sales engineers will walk the floor with the customer to chalk up and measure out production lines to ensure proper fit.
• We suggest the end user ship a pallet with product for testing at the factory before we begin the manufacturing process.
• We provide a video showing how your pallet works on the flow racking and the satisfactory end results.
• Thomas Conveyor will provide to the client an engineered AutoCAD drawing showing plan views and elevation views of the system designed upon accepted orders. This ensures your pallet rack system will be pitched properly and flows well.
• This test is done free of charge for your benefit.
• Once the pallet racking lanes are manufactured, our installers either union or non union, will deliver and offload the materials to the designated installation site.
• Installation is very quick and most projects are completed in a few days.

Thomas Conveyor Sales Engineers are available to provide a complete consultation for any of your material handling automation needs. Give us a call and we can help to redesign or improve your existing or new pallet flow and racking systems!

OSHA, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, has been cracking down on warehouse safety in recent years, especially in 2019. We have seen several customers get a mandate from OSHA of “better protect your employees by ‘Date X’ or you will not be able to continue operations”. Besides the loss of operation time, in 2019 OSHA levied a new penalty for willful and repeat violations, at a whopping $132,598.00 per violation!

The question is how can you better protect your employees?
One simple and economical solution is by installing new perimeter guarding and machine guarding.

Thomas Conveyor & Equipment offers simple and economical perimeter guarding to be placed around any machine or area in your warehouse that may be unsafe for an employee to be walking or working around.  Nearly all of the perimeter guarding we offer is in stock; it also meets ISO and OSHA safety standards.  Our guarding per ISO Guideline 13857 can be installed as close to 8” to the machine/hazard.  This will save your facility valued square footage.  Our ability to tightly border your equipment is due to the mesh fencing grid, which is sized at 1-1/4” x 2-1/2”. The industry standard is 2”x2”, which we surpass,  allowing you to save an average of 25” of floor space! The mesh fencing is shipped in full length sections and cut to size in the field. This allows for field adjustability and changes, as well as a quicker install since no welding is required.

The entire product is made in the United States of America!!! Our standard, and in stock, posts are 2” x 2” with a 6” base. Post heights can vary with stocked heights of 5’, 6’, 7’, and 8’ tall. The mesh panels are finished in a powder coat black, while the posts are finished in a powder coat yellow. Additional custom colors are available.

Complementing the mesh fencing is a wide variety of swing and slide doors, based on the machine layout.  Standard swing door sizes range from a minimum 34” wide up to a double hinge of 94”. Standard slide doors range in size from 34” up to 142” wide.

Initially, a Thomas Conveyor & Equipment Automation Engineer will visit your facility to assess the layout and determine your caging needs. We will procure measurement of the areas needing guarding, interview, and work with your machine operators about access points, and compile our findings in an AutoCAD drawing showing the guarding layout notating access points, all free of charge.  We will also provide a detailed quotation based on the assessment, with suggested product, accessories and options.

Once the quote has been signed, Thomas Conveyor will supply factory engineered drawings for your approval. Signed and confirmed orders generally take between 1 to 2 weeks to ship, depending on custom requirements, etc.   Installation is quick and efficient; since Thomas Conveyor has dedicated mechanical crews experienced with installation of the guard fencing and can handle projects of any size.

In October 2019 a company approached Thomas Conveyor & Equipment and stated that OSHA had given them one month to get their warehouse OSHA compliant with perimeter and machine guarding. Thomas Conveyor Automation Engineers were onsite within one day to survey and provide design consultation and layout. We were able to provide multiple unique and tailored solutions, including custom double swing doors to allow for product chutes, as well as high post extensions, so fork trucks could clear the post headers to drop off and pick up pallets.

We were able to ship over 50 doors/gates, as well as roughly, 1000 feet of fencing with a two week time frame. We then put the crews to work on the install, working for 14 straights days, including Saturday and Sunday, to beat the OSHA inspection timeline. We were able to make the deadline to the customer's great satisfaction and allow them to pass their OSHA inspection with flying colors!

Contact Thomas Conveyor & Equipment today for a free warehouse guarding evaluation and for a custom consultation of a future safety perimeter and machine guarding project!

Industrial steel work platforms (mezzanines) are the best way to fully utilize existing overhead space so you can operate more profitably and efficiently. Your warehouse can gain valuable working, office, storage or manufacturing areas at marginal cost when compared to new construction and sometimes even with a significant tax depreciation advantage. Thomas Conveyor & Equipment can help you put this extra available space to work fast, with minimal interruption to your working floor area.

My customer,  a pharmaceutical company, needed a solution for operators to access the top of three tank vats for maintenance. I designed a mezzanine with a bolt-together construction to form a strong and secure unitized structure with heavy-duty columns and thick baseplates.  The structure provides rigid support while minimizing obstructive bracing underneath the mezzanine. The mezzanine was designed to be built around the three tanks.

After we received approval on the mezzanine design, my installers erected the mezzanine. I believe that safety is always the biggest concern, so I designed a custom gap plate around the three different size tanks. The gap plate was fabricated from 7 gauge steel sheets. I designed the gap plate to have 8 pieces per tank for easier shipping and installation. We fastened the gap plate on top of the bar grating with saddle clips. Engineering was completed on the plate to ensure that the operators will have a safe platform to stand on while accessing the top of the tanks for maintenance.

There are various decking options available including roof deck and resin board, bar grating, and others. Framing options available are:

•          Bolted C-Section
•          Beam and C-Section
•          Beam and Beam
•          Beam and Bar Joist; or
•          Truss Girder and Bar Joist.

The different framing options have different load capacity and span size. They also have inherent advantages and disadvantages, depending on the application.

Contact Owen Toomey to discuss your new mezzanine application at 708-449-2100. 

Pallets are loaded from the front of the system. The first pallet entered into the system will sit on the very first top cart. When a second pallet is ready to enter into the system, the fork truck operator will carefully push the first stored pallet with the 2^nd pallet, which will reveal the second cart beneath and the operator will release the second pallet on the second cart. To unload the system, the fork truck operator will enter its forks into the pallet on the edge and slowly back up and take the pallet out of the system. The remaining pallets will then enter into the previous pallet’s position.  Thomas Conveyor & Equipment recently had a customer who needed multiple SKU tote storage. They had over 75 different SKU’s and needed to get product off the floor, which was their current storage operation.

Thomas Conveyor Automation Solutions Engineers visited the customer to discuss their needs and to find out what space they had, taking into account an overhead sprinkler system. After taking measurements and assessing needs and space allotment. TCE configured a custom push back rack system maximizing storage at the facility.  TCE’s custom depictions showed both a  plan view and an elevation view of their warehouse. Once the project was approved for purchase, we shipped a sample of the warehouse tote to our factory to ensure this style of tote would work properly on the push back racking.