Keeping the production line moving is essential to maintain throughput and reduce waste in a high-speed production line. The line is made up of interconnected machines for processing and packaging. If production is stalled because of a piece of malfunctioning equipment, this affects the entire line as products could be lost or damaged, and more labor and power are needed to restart the cycle.
Accumulation systems act as a buffer to ensure production can continue even if there is an issue with the packaging machines. Sometimes, it could be as simple as the production machines running faster than the packaging machines or a change in the size of the products.
The goal of an accumulation system is to manage product flow and prevent more extensive scale shutdowns that can significantly impact production and efficiency. Accumulators can be adjusted to maintain speed and spacing to mitigate jams and collisions, depending on the application.
But as you’ll learn as you read on, choosing an accumulation system is not as easy as picking up one from the store or ordering one online. It requires significant assessment and precision to identify the best accumulators for your line, so it’s always best to work with accumulation experts.
How do you determine the best accumulation system for your facility?
Accumulators come in all shapes and sizes and utilize various technologies based on the application and amount of space available. Accumulators also vary in price. Because of the myriad of factors and options present, you need to have a significant amount of information available to you to make the best decision on which accumulation systems are necessary for your line.
What are some factors that will determine the suitable accumulators for you?
The type of product and its shape and size
The types of machines on the line, their operations and capabilities, and what line controls are in place
Packaging requirements
Production and packaging rates
Repair times of all machines on the line
Electrical and mechanical specifications
Size of the plant and available floor space
How do accumulation experts minimize the guesswork of finding the best accumulators for your line?
As you might imagine, calculating the accumulation your production requires involves a significant understanding of your machines and line operations. It also requires expertise in accumulation and the various types of accumulation systems and options available to support your line performance and ensure your machines are running at total capacity as often as possible.
We recommend speaking with accumulation experts to help you conduct a line analysis to determine where and how much accumulation you need to achieve greater line efficiency.
In most cases, our sales engineers will be able to identify areas on your line where accumulation is needed to increase throughput. However, they may recommend another solution outside of accumulation that will propel your performance forward in some situations.
We are always looking for the best solutions for our customers, not what’s best for our bottom line. You can learn more about our consulting philosophy here.
What can you expect from a consultation with our accumulation experts?
Our accumulation experts will visit your plant and conduct a complete line analysis to gather the data they need to recommend the right solution for you. They will calculate your machines’ efficiency and net output to determine your line’s efficiency, but they will also listen to the people on your floor to understand what they’re experiencing.
Possible accumulation solutions will depend on many of the factors that we discussed, and the desired outcome and legacy equipment. For example, if you need to retrofit accumulators to an existing line, we will need to consider that as we provide the best recommendations for your facility.
By optimizing your line’s performance and product flow, it is possible to increase your throughput by as much as 30% and reduce bottlenecks and wasted products.
Why should you speak with accumulation experts about your project?
It’s not impossible to calculate how much accumulation you need or to gather all of the data you need from your existing machines on your own. But Garvey accumulation experts can streamline the process and ensure you have the correct accumulators for your specific applications.
We can help you minimize risk in your current production line and implement an accumulation solution that will achieve the best results—based on our knowledge, experience, and dedication to optimal solutions for our customers.
