--- title: How Do You Quantify Belt Cleaner Investment? description: belt cleaner return on investment, belt cleaner ROI, quantifying belt cleaners, the necessity of belt cleaning, conveyor belt cleaners, remove carryback image: https://blog.martin-eng.com/hubfs/problem-shot-spillage.png --- [![martin-sig-logo](https://blog.martin-eng.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Martin_Engineering_December2018/Image/martin-sig-logo.png?width=310&name=martin-sig-logo.png "martin-sig-logo")](https://blog.martin-eng.com/) ## visit us at [www.martin-eng.com](http://www.martin-eng.com) / [800-544-2947](tel:+8005442947) ## [< ![](https://blog.martin-eng.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Don%20Blog.png?width=35&name=Don%20Blog.png) By Don Papini on Feb 13, 2020 3:06:25 PM There are **obvious signs** that a belt cleaning system is a necessity, and those signs are **reactive to a bigger issue.** ##### **Common Signs:** - Material ("mole hills") present along the length of the conveyor  - Material carryback burying the tail pulley or take-up pulley - Material built up on structure along return side  ##### ![Material spillage is a sign that belt cleaning is needed](https://blog.martin-eng.com/hs-fs/hubfs/problem-shot-spillage.png?width=547&name=problem-shot-spillage.png) More Serious Signs: - Employee/contractor injury due to manual cleanup ![Manual cleanup of fugitive material decreases productivity and safety](https://blog.martin-eng.com/hs-fs/hubfs/FugitiveMaterialSpillage_Lee.png?width=300&name=FugitiveMaterialSpillage_Lee.png) - Damage to the structure from running into it with machinery - Fines from regulatory agencies Let’s talk about a specific example where you want to ask or already have for a belt cleaner to be budgeted for. You can't seem to gain any traction or get this approved. **Why?** Are you stuck in an environment of “**this is how we’ve always done it"** or "**we don't see a problem**?" Let’s discuss the easiest way to **quantify the investment**. But first, we need to realize that while most of us care about the **bottom line,** we might not understand all that impact it. Things like: - Money spent on equipment - Material & profit loss - Labor time & money - Injuries/accidents - Premature component replacement These issues can all be linked to **material carryback**. So, how do we fully understand (and how do we get others to understand) the value of investing in preventative measures, such as belt cleaners? ##### The Easiest Way To Quantify Belt Cleaner Investment: - Ask the manufacturer to install what they recommend for a solution as a **trial** (any manufacturer confident in their product should be jumping at the opportunity to do this).  - During the installation, **clean up all areas** around the conveyor belt. - **Observe** the recenly-cleaned area to check if it is staying clean (if this area was an issue previously and was visible to all personnel, that will **speak volumes**). - **Track any money spent** on manual cleanup around and under this conveyor **before and during the trial** (if you didn't spend any during the trial but previously had, this would be a very easy way to quantify the expense). Look for obvious/easy ways to quantify the expense....things you can see and others will notice. In my experience, a few thousand dollars spent on belt cleaning is typically **justified within days**.  Belt cleaning systems are a necessity in most applications. When sized, installed, and maintained properly, belt cleaners can (just to name a few): - Boost **morale** - **Reduce maintenance** costs - **Increase gross profit** on cost per ton - Reduce **safety incidents** [![More On ROI](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/5156573/44d0576d-d50f-4e7c-8881-4b0f077e71f5.png)](https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/5156573/44d0576d-d50f-4e7c-8881-4b0f077e71f5) Take the time, collect the correct data, and - most importantly - pick the correct manufacturer that will **partner with you** and see you through the solutions. **You can make a difference in your workplace!**     Share this with a friend: [![Share on Facebook](https://cdn2.hubspot.net/hubfs/522195/SphereOne/SVGLogoNew/icon-fb.svg)](http://www.facebook.com/share.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fblog.martin-eng.com%2Fhow-do-i-quantify-belt-cleaner-investment%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Dfacebook) [![Share on LinkedIn](https://cdn2.hubspot.net/hubfs/522195/SphereOne/SVGLogoNew/icon-linkedin.svg)](http://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=true&url=https%3A%2F%2Fblog.martin-eng.com%2Fhow-do-i-quantify-belt-cleaner-investment%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Dlinkedin) [![Share on Twitter](https://cdn2.hubspot.net/hubfs/522195/SphereOne/SVGLogoNew/icon-twitter.svg)](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?original_referer=https%3A%2F%2Fblog.martin-eng.com%2Fhow-do-i-quantify-belt-cleaner-investment%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Dtwitter&url=https%3A%2F%2Fblog.martin-eng.com%2Fhow-do-i-quantify-belt-cleaner-investment%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Dtwitter&source=tweetbutton&text=How%20Do%20You%20Quantify%20Belt%20Cleaner%20Investment%3F) [![Share on Pinterest](https://cdn2.hubspot.net/hubfs/522195/SphereOne/SVGLogoNew/icon-pinterest.svg)](http://pinterest.com/pin/create/button/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fblog.martin-eng.com%2Fhow-do-i-quantify-belt-cleaner-investment%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Dpinterest&media=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn2.hubspot.net%2Fhubfs%2F522195%2FSphereOne%2FSVGLogoNew%2Ficon-pinterest.svg) [![Share on Email](https://cdn2.hubspot.net/hubfs/522195/SphereOne/SVGLogoNew/icon-mail.svg)](mailto:?subject=Check%20out%20https%3A%2F%2Fblog.martin-eng.com%2Fhow-do-i-quantify-belt-cleaner-investment%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Demail%20&body=Check%20out%20https%3A%2F%2Fblog.martin-eng.com%2Fhow-do-i-quantify-belt-cleaner-investment%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Demail) ##### comments 0 ## BLOG CATEGORIES --- - [Air Cannons (38)](https://blog.martin-eng.com/tag/air-cannons) - [Conveyor Products (141)](https://blog.martin-eng.com/tag/conveyor-products) - [Dust Control (32)](https://blog.martin-eng.com/tag/dust-control) - [Railcar Unloading (17)](https://blog.martin-eng.com/tag/railcar-unloading) - [Safety (78)](https://blog.martin-eng.com/tag/safety) # [All](https://blog.martin-eng.com/)