At GW Plastics, it pays to be flexible

Packaging operations have much to gain from Dynamic Conveyor Corporation’s modular conveying solutions.

Since 1991, Dynamic Conveyor Corporation designed and manufactured light- and medium-duty modular conveyors that quickly adapt to product changeovers, increases or decreases in production, line conversions, and more. Manufacturers like GW Plastics found that wherever flexibility is a key element of productivity, DynaCon conveyors can make a big difference in costs and efficiency compared to fixed conveyor systems. 

A supplier to the automotive, health care and consumer/industrial markets, GW Plastics aims for “minimal manpower” in their plants, particularly in the packaging area. Modular conveying systems are bringing them closer to that goal, increasing production efficiency and reducing costs.

For instance, at GW Plastics’ plant in San Antonio, DynaCon conveyors are saving up to $72,000 in annual labor costs alone due to increased conveying efficiencies. Six DynaCon Box Filling conveyors were installed a year and a half ago to automate the movement of newly molded seat belt and signal switch assembly components. 

The DynaCon conveyors are up to 21 ft. long, equipped with Intralox modular plastic Flat Top belts and flights. Boxes load in the center of the conveyor, and when a cycle counter determines that the box is full, the conveyor indexes forward one box. Essentially, the back end of the belt is loaded with empty boxes, the front half receives full boxes, and once or twice a shift, an operator removes the full boxes and loads new empty boxes.

“We used to have an operator move boxes at the press every half hour or so, but now they only have to come over once every eight hours,” said GW Plastics San Antonio production and engineering manager John Brandt. “That saves us about $6,000/month in labor costs.”

Conveyor versatility is also critical in plants that package goods for changeable industries.

“Typically, our customers will redesign their products every three to five years," said Brandt. "If we use fixed conveyors, we have to scrap the whole conveyor and start over when that happens. Using modular conveyors makes the changeovers less complicated and more cost-effective.” 

Recently the San Antonio plant changed packaging configurations on several box-filling lines to minimize potential downtime. However, the holding cells on the box filling conveyor belts were too spacious to position the new boxes properly at the filling stations.

“To reconfigure the holding cells on our old steel conveyors, we would have had to replace each system at about $1,000 apiece,” Brandt says. “Instead, with the modular plastic belts, we were able to use existing belt pieces and simply change the spacing between the belt flights in one afternoon. You just pull out the belt rods and flights, put in some more Flat Top modules, and move the flights to a different location on the belt.”

Currently, all four GW plants are standardizing on DynaCon box-filling and incline conveyors, and Brandt is looking forward to more projects.

“Right now we take the boxes off the conveyors and put them on a pallet to move them. As we phase in our minimal manpower strategy, we may add our box-filling conveyors to larger conveyor systems, to move all the product to a central location,” said Brandt.

At Dynamic Conveyor headquarters in Muskegon, Mich., engineering/R&D manager Paul Kuharevicz explains how such versatility provides ongoing economic benefit for customers.

“We have customers who have purchased a 30-foot-long conveyor, used it for the duration of that job or application, then chunked it up into three 10-foot conveyors to use in other parts of the line. That can only happen with a conveyor that grows and shrinks equipped with a belt that grows and shrinks. That’s why we’re uniquely positioned to help plants increase efficiencies and control their capital investment costs,” he said.      

Kuharevicz said the company also strives to help customers use the DynaCon modular systems in the most cost-efficient way possible.

“Recently we had a customer that wanted to buy $24,000 worth of new conveyors," he said. "When our rep visited the plant to look at the application, he actually suggested the customer buy about $7,000 of new conveyor components instead. With those components he built exactly what he wanted and saved thousands of dollars.”

Additionally, all the DynaCon system’s modular components retain their full value even when not in use. For instance, if a plant removes modules to shorten the line, those modules can be stored and used again wherever they’re needed. A fixed-length conveyor, however, must be completely removed and may simply languish in a conveyor graveyard; meanwhile, the plant has to invest in a new conveyor to replace it.

According to Kuharevicz, Intralox belt innovations have helped Dynamic Conveyor expand their product line.

“Previously we made our own link belt, in just one style, but design difficulties limited the belts (and, therefore, the conveyors) to a maximum width of 24 inches," he said. "With Intralox we can build conveyors 60" wide or wider, depending on the application, and offer a full range of belt styles for inclines, turns, drainage applications, and so on. That was absolutely unheard of until we joined forces with Intralox. It just exploded what we could offer.”

Intralox’s 24-hour customer service and quick turnaround capability also help Dynamic Conveyor provide better service to their own customers.

Dynamic Conveyor’s partnership with Intralox allows them to offer advantages like emergency belt shipping.

“If a customer needs to get a belt up and running fast, we can suggest Intralox’s guaranteed expedited shipping options,” said Kuharevicz. “The belt is an integral component of the system, and Intralox helps us make sure our customers can rely on it.”

That level of reliability and the inherent DynaCon benefits keep customers like GW Plastics coming back for more.

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