Modularity is in our company’s DNA, dating back to when Fran and Bud Garvey designed and built modular conveyors for the glass industry in 1967.
Our modular approach ensures you find the perfect fit for your line that meets your exact requirements and supports the latest technological advancements and market changes to maximize throughput.
Whether you’re interested in a flexible accumulation solution that scales with your business or have a specific need for your line that differs from traditional, fixed designs, we can handle it.
Read on to learn more about modularity and how it fits into our design approach today.
What Is Modularity?
A modular system is built from smaller “building blocks” that can be customized, reused, and upgraded depending on the application. These components are called modules, and modular design is incorporated in everyday products, from smartphones to automobiles.
LEGO® blocks, for example, are most people’s first experience with modularity, as you can create a wide range of products of different shapes and sizes with the same core blocks.
What Are the Benefits of Modular Design?
In its broadest sense, modularity simplifies complex systems to increase flexibility in production. By configuring individual modules rather than entire systems, designers and engineers can extend core equipment to meet the specific needs of their customers. This provides a wide range of client benefits, including the following:
- Cost savings over the equipment’s life cycle
- Ease of upgrading or scaling equipment
- Reduced downtime (as modules can be replaced or maintained individually)
How Does Garvey Approach Modularity?
Our process is similar for all clients, even if the final design and configuration will be unique.
- Our Sales Engineers will conduct a line analysis and assess client needs.
- They will review the results and findings to identify the appropriate standard modules.
- Our teams will then configure or customize these modules to connect the system as the intended application requires.
Some ways our design and engineering teams may customize or configure individual modules include modifying dimensions, extending capabilities, and integrating specialized components to enhance performance while maintaining cost efficiency.
Is All Garvey Equipment Fully Modular?
Our modular designs will vary depending on the equipment and application. Some products, like our conveyors and accumulators, are fully modular, which means that our team has many more configuration options available to them.
For example, our Infinity Accumulator™ system can be precisely sized for your accumulation requirements based on a line analysis. It can also manage various infeed and outfeed configurations, such as transitioning from a single-lane input to a multi-lane output, making it an ideal solution for a broad range of applications.
Other products may be more specialized in their intended use and limited in their modularity based on performance, cost, and flexibility. One example is Garvey’s automatic vial dryer, which can be broken down into two modules to meet size and laning requirements but may not have as many configurations as our conveyors and accumulators.
Do Our Modules Work for Every Project?
Although we designed our standard modules to support a wide range of customizations and configurations, there are certain instances when a more custom solution might be necessary.
Sometimes, a client’s requirements simply cannot be met with existing modules, or integrating them would be inefficient or overly complex.
If this is the case, our design and engineering teams will consult with you to determine the best custom solution that affords the most cost-efficiency and performance to meet your needs.
As a leader in innovative solutions, Garvey has the experience and extensive knowledge to recommend the best solution for your organization.
We can often incorporate our standard modules to connect your system, and we are always fully committed to designing a completely customized solution based on the project and your unique needs.
How Do I Get Started on Finding the Best Solution for My Line?
To get started, we encourage you to schedule a line analysis so our team can learn more about your line, your needs and challenges, and your budget. From there, we can assess and consult with your team to determine the most appropriate solution.
Our approach to modularity comes from decades of experience working with clients and ensures the fastest, most efficient way to design and redesign your packaging line.
We look forward to working with you on your upcoming project. Please contact us if you have any questions about modularity and Garvey equipment.