Vincent Crochemore, director of ITP Conveyeurs, and Cyril Touchet, sales director of FEMAAG, share their analyses on the new perspectives offered by continuous handling in the agri-food industry.
“Conveyors are no longer limited to simply connecting two pieces of equipment,” emphasizes Vincent Crochemore. “The transport phase can be leveraged to integrate high-value functions, such as counting, referencing, ejection, or even FIFO management. The possibilities are vast, and not all manufacturers are yet fully realizing their potential. Conveying can also contribute to improving the OEE (Overall Equipment Effectiveness) of production lines, particularly through advanced accumulation solutions.”
Cyril Touchet adds: “Developments in packaging have a direct impact on the methods of transferring and handling products entering the machine. Standard technologies are no longer always suited to new needs. Reducing friction, or even eliminating contact, is becoming essential to preserve the integrity of packaging and limit downtime, whether for lightweight plastic or glass containers.”
In this context, continuous handling experts face multiple challenges: reducing micro-stoppages, managing buffer storage areas, and restoring capacity to saturated lines, all at high speeds and in confined spaces. Approaches to accumulation differ.
Vincent Crochemore observes that "demand for accumulation zones is growing rapidly, as are the associated solutions. Accumulation is just one lever among others for optimizing performance; its effectiveness depends on a comprehensive analysis of equipment, flows, and the environment. It can also be adapted for fragile packaging by adjusting volumes and weights to limit pressure. For reduced buffer stocks and high-value products, non-contact dynamic accumulation tables may be preferred. At the end of the line, before a palletizer, retention can also be ensured using roller conveyors."
According to Cyril Touchet, “single-line conveying remains the most effective solution for avoiding contact between products. Although it was abandoned due to space constraints, it can now be reintroduced on high-speed lines thanks to compact solutions. Furthermore, reducing downtime depends primarily on optimizing machine entry, often the critical point where blockages occur. Current solutions remain limited, but some alternatives allow for interfacing with packaging machines and reducing the need for accumulation zones.”
Finally, both experts agree on one essential point: it is crucial to precisely identify the source of malfunctions and to consider the specific characteristics of each line in order to design appropriate solutions. They also emphasize the key role of communication between handling systems and machines, a necessary condition for ensuring smooth and synchronized flow management.
