Martin Engineering Blog

Rock Your Production!

Written by Mike Moody | Jan 8, 2021 7:57:21 PM

Musicians don't just automatically rock, they practice and get better over time. Just as material handling isn't automatically clean, safe, and productive. It takes the addition of products/innovations that enhance operations and the proper maintenance of those components.

Music & Material Handling

This analogy makes me think about how if one component in a system fails, it affects everything else. Just like one of my bandmates being sick, the mic going out during a performance, or a guitar string snapping. One person/component can dramatically affect performance...a live music performance or material handling performance, altering the final result.

Make sure your parts/players/instruments/components are in tune with each other to create harmony amongst the whole system/band to avoid production interruption.

  That's me singing in Martin Engineering's band, Blood Orange. We all work at Martin and contribute unique talents to the band and are more efficient and produce a better sound when we work together.

Instruments & Innovative Products

Rhythm (drums/percussion & bass) is the foundation of a band, keeping everyone on beat. Similar to how , , and are the foundation of efficient material handling and conveyor performance.

🎤 Lead vocals are similar to the airflow in a conveyor system. As lead vocals should not overpower the rest of the band and instruments, air velocity should be kept at a sustainable amount as to not overpower the rest of the conveyor system. You can control this by adding which will slow the air down within the loading zone, allowing airborne dust to settle back into the material stream. 

🎸 Guitar vibrations remind me of a and how it helps provide a symphony of ideal cleaning methods to ensure a clean belt and safe and productive material handling.

How We Helped This Plant ROCK 

Ok, enough of my analogies...even though I had a lot of fun writing and thinking about them. Let's get to how these methods can help you amplify performance!

A production plant had been in operation for many years and then a subdivision popped up. Dust and spillage were creating a nuisance to the new neighborhood. Neighbors got the EPA involved and threatened to shut the plant down. One suggestion was to move the entire operation which was obviously a huge undertaking and expense. It just wasn't feasible.

The plant contacted us to help prevent airborne dust and spillage. After inspecting and analyzing the current setup, we decided the best plan of action was to tackle dust mitigation utilizing three concepts: 

  1. to contain fugitive material
  2. to filter dust from the air and prevent health hazards
  3. to reduce/eliminate airborne dust and satisfy regulatory agencies

We were able to orchestrate all solutions and solve the problem for this plant and the nearby neighborhood. "Beyond Expectations" is what the customer told me. That was one of my all-time favorite jobs I have worked on...problem solved for a grand finale performance!

One last analogy, I promise!  If you are struggling to get to the bottom of any material handling challenges and are experiencing out-of-tune operations, we are happy to share our knowledge and tips with you. Our own "school of rock" per say.  Our provides answers and solutions to commonly-faced issues within material handling, and is available in several levels and formats to suit you.. 

We can help you ROCK production!