The CSS perspective: Smart conveyance and predictive maintenance
Experts from the conveyor and sortation industry share how new technologies built into today’s sophisticated systems help identify maintenance issues before breakdowns can happen.
David Maloney has been a journalist for more than 35 years and is currently the group editorial director for DC Velocity and Supply Chain Quarterly magazines. In this role, he is responsible for the editorial content of both brands of Agile Business Media. Dave joined DC Velocity in April of 2004. Prior to that, he was a senior editor for Modern Materials Handling magazine. Dave also has extensive experience as a broadcast journalist. Before writing for supply chain publications, he was a journalist, television producer and director in Pittsburgh. Dave combines a background of reporting on logistics with his video production experience to bring new opportunities to DC Velocity readers, including web videos highlighting top distribution and logistics facilities, webcasts and other cross-media projects. He continues to live and work in the Pittsburgh area.
Like many technologies, conveyors and sortation systems become more sophisticated with every iteration. Sensors are now built into them to monitor performance so that they can operate more efficiently and economically, while predicting maintenance needs well in advance to allow the work to be done when it’s most convenient.
Group Editorial Director David Maloney recently met with three experts who are all members of MHI’s Conveyor and Sortation Solutions Group (CSS), an industry organization that brings equipment and systems suppliers together with end-users to collaborate and address common challenges and opportunities. What follows are some excerpts from their discussion on how these newer technologies are impacting operations.
Q: One term used to describe some of the intelligence built into today’s conveyors and sorters is smart conveyance. How would you define that for our readers?
Doug Schuchart – Beckhoff: When I think of the term smart conveyance, I think of it referring to multicarrier transport systems that use linear or planar motor technology. Linear track systems have the coils of a motor in a track. In this technology, you’re energizing those coils to move magnetic carriers around in a material handling system.
Planar motor technology is actually very similar, but those coils are in a base of flat tiles, and then the magnetic mover is levitating and has 6 degrees of motion that can move with virtual tracks around the base.
And then there are motorized driven roller conveyors, or MDR, that have motors within a roller to drive the conveying surface. What makes these technologies smart is that we’re able to pull a lot of data through those systems back to the central controller.
Ty Keller – FMH Conveyors: There are several types of equipment that complement the components Doug mentioned, that I would consider part of a smart conveyance system: equipment used for scanning, labeling, measuring, machine learning, or performing any number of actions to collect data for the central controller to turn into inputs for the smart conveyor. Then the smart conveyor takes the product where it needs to go.
Q: Do the same technologies associated with smart conveyance also apply to sortation systems?
Doug Schuchart– Beckhoff: Yes, these technologies can also apply to sortation. For example, what makes planar motor technologies really compelling is that they can replace multiple pieces of equipment in a fulfillment operation. So when we’re looking at material handling for conveyance, sortation, or accumulation—all of those can be handled with planar motor technology.
All of these technologies that we’re talking about are generally controlled with a fieldbus that can capture data from the system and then send the data to the centralized control system to be analyzed. The data can also be sent to the cloud to do further analysis and then make some decisions. And maybe you’re applying some artificial intelligence (AI) to the system for predictive maintenance or better optimization of paths, for instance. All of those would be ways to make the system smarter.
Q: Speaking of maintenance, can you give some examples of how these technologies can help prevent downtime?
Ty Keller – FMH Conveyors: It allows the user to monitor the usage of equipment, to know the exact number of hours in operation and the environment that the conveyor is working in. It can also read things like vibration, temperature, and pressure to help predict when the equipment is going to have issues. If we’re maintaining it appropriately, the equipment will last longer.
This information can also be used to determine preventative maintenance contracts with outside third parties. With the right technology, those contracts can be based on when it is best to perform preventative maintenance instead of a regular maintenance schedule. That’s obviously a more attractive return on investment for the end-user.
Brandon Willard – Banner: There are really four types of maintenance in my mind. There’s reactive maintenance, which is something is broken and we have to go and fix it—the motor is down and that critical conveyance is creating an issue for us.
There’s preventative maintenance, which is scheduled, regularly performed maintenance to reduce failures and is a great step up from just reactive maintenance.
The next step is predictive maintenance, which is using sensors and software to be able to predict failure. It is collecting data to be able to understand when a failure is about to take place so that you can act before it creates downtime and expense.
And then there is one beyond it, which is prescriptive maintenance. This is taking that data and using machine learning to be able to predict failures and identify solutions. If you can take that data that you get from predictive maintenance and use it to service the equipment optimally, then you’re able to extend the life of this type of conveyance. That’s where the value lies.
Q: Can you provide an example of how that might work using smart conveying systems and creating a prescriptive maintenance program?
Brandon Willard – Banner: We could look at vibration data, temperature data, pressure data, and how much electrical current is being drawn. We first want to baseline what that machinery looks like when it’s operating functionally. Then when we see a sharp curve compared to the baseline, we know when a product is about to fail. Sensors on bearings may detect vibration in multiple directions, while other sensors show increases in temperature resulting from rubbing or tearing on a belt or something else that is going wrong. Those vibrations or higher temperatures usually start to spike pretty quickly.
Then applying machine learning, the systems can give a warning threshold. For example, the belt may be rubbing on one side. All we need to do is re-center the belt. Nothing really has to be replaced, but the alerts allow you to check before the belt tears all the way and you’re not able to re-center it. Different warning levels and alerts allow you to protect your assets more efficiently.
Doug Schuchart– Beckhoff: I think we’re talking about a lot of different benefits, such as a reduction of manpower in the facility. We’re also talking about improving reliability and quality of a system. All of those things provide different advantages collectively. We talk to customers about that whole ROI and why you would want to invest in a more automated smart system as opposed to some traditional systems that don’t have that technology.
Online merchants should consider seven key factors about American consumers in order to optimize their sales and operations this holiday season, according to a report from DHL eCommerce.
First, many of the most powerful sales platforms are marketplaces. With nearly universal appeal, 99% of U.S. shoppers buy from marketplaces, ranked in popularity from Amazon (92%) to Walmart (68%), eBay (47%), Temu (32%), Etsy (28%), and Shein (21%).
Second, they use them often, with 61% of American shoppers buying online at least once a week. Among the most popular items are online clothing and footwear (63%), followed by consumer electronics (33%) and health supplements (30%).
Third, delivery is a crucial aspect of making the sale. Fully 94% of U.S. shoppers say delivery options influence where they shop online, and 45% of consumers abandon their baskets if their preferred delivery option is not offered.
That finding meshes with another report released this week, as a white paper from FedEx Corp. and Morning Consult said that 75% of consumers prioritize free shipping over fast shipping. Over half of those surveyed (57%) prioritize free shipping when making an online purchase, even more than finding the best prices (54%). In fact, 81% of shoppers are willing to increase their spending to meet a retailer’s free shipping threshold, FedEx said.
In additional findings from DHL, the Weston, Florida-based company found:
43% of Americans have an online shopping subscription, with pet food subscriptions being particularly popular (44% compared to 25% globally). Social Media Influence:
61% of shoppers use social media for shopping inspiration, and 26% have made a purchase directly on a social platform.
37% of Americans buy from online retailers in other countries, with 70% doing so at least once a month. Of the 49% of Americans who buy from abroad, most shop from China (64%), followed by the U.K. (29%), France (23%), Canada (15%), and Germany (13%).
While 58% of shoppers say sustainability is important, they are not necessarily willing to pay more for sustainable delivery options.
Schneider says its FreightPower platform now offers owner-operators significantly more access to Schneider’s range of freight options. That can help drivers to generate revenue and strengthen their business through: increased access to freight, high drop and hook rates of over 95% of loads, and a trip planning feature that calculates road miles.
“Collaborating with owner-operators is an important component in the success of our business and the reliable service we can provide customers, which is why the network has grown tremendously in the last 25 years,” Schneider Senior Vice President and General Manager of Truckload and Mexico John Bozec said in a release. "We want to invest in tools that support owner-operators in running and growing their businesses. With Schneider FreightPower, they gain access to better load management, increasing their productivity and revenue potential.”
Economic activity in the logistics industry continued its expansion streak in October, growing for the 11th straight month and reaching its highest level in two years, according to the most recent Logistics Managers’ Index report (LMI), released this week.
The LMI registered 58.9, up from 58.6 in September, and continued a run of moderate growth that began late in 2023. The LMI is a monthly measure of business activity across warehousing and transportation markets. A reading above 50 indicates expansion, and a reading below 50 indicates contraction.
October’s reading showed the fastest rate of expansion in the overall index since September of 2022, when the index hit 61.4. The results show that the industry is continuing its steady recovery from the volatility and sluggish freight market conditions that plagued the sector just after the Covid-19 pandemic, according to the LMI researchers.
“The big takeaway is that we’re continuing the slow, steady recovery,” said LMI researcher Zac Rogers, associate professor of supply chain management at Colorado State University. “I think, ultimately, it’s better to have the slow and steady recovery because it is more sustainable.”
All eight of the LMI’s indices grew during the month, with the Transportation Prices index showing the most growth, at nearly 6 points higher than September, reflecting increased activity across transportation markets. Transportation capacity expanded slightly during the month, remaining just above the 50-point threshold. Rogers said more capacity will enter the market if prices continue to rise, citing idle capacity across the market due to overbuilding during the pandemic years.
“Normally we don’t have this much slack in the market,” he said. “We overbuilt in 2021, so there’s more slack available to soak up this additional demand.”
The LMI is a monthly survey of logistics managers from across the country. It tracks industry growth overall and across eight areas: inventory levels and costs; warehousing capacity, utilization, and prices; and transportation capacity, utilization, and prices. The report is released monthly by researchers from Arizona State University, Colorado State University, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rutgers University, and the University of Nevada, Reno, in conjunction with the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals (CSCMP).
The port worker strike that began yesterday on Canada’s west coast could cost that country $765 million a day in lost trade, according to the ALPS Marine analysis by Russell Group, a British data and analytics company.
Specifically, the labor strike at the ports of Vancouver, Prince Rupert, and Fraser-Surrey will hurt the commodities of furniture, metal products, meat products, aluminum, and clothing. But since the strike action is focused on stopping containers and general cargo, it will not slow operations in grain vessels or cruise ships, the firm said.
“The Canadian port strike is a microcosm of many of the issues that are impacting Western economies today; protection against automation, better work-life balance, and a cost-of-living crisis,” Russell Group Managing Director Suki Basi said in a release. “Taken together, these pressures are creating a cocktail of connected risk for countries, business, individuals and entire sectors such as marine insurance, which help to mitigate cargo exposures.”
The strike is also sending ripples through neighboring U.S. ports, which are hustling to absorb the diverted cargo, according to David Kamran, assistant vice president for Moody’s Ratings.
“The recurrence of strikes at Canadian seaports is positive for U.S. ports that may gain cargo throughput, depending on the strike duration,” Kamran said in a statement. “The current dispute at Vancouver is another example of the resistance of port unions to automation and the social risk involved with implementing these technologies. Persistent disruption in Canadian port access would strengthen the competitive position of US West Coast ports over the medium-term, as shippers seek to diversify cargo away from unreliable gateways.”
The strike is also affected rail movements, according to ocean cargo carrier Maersk. CN has stopped all international intermodal shipments bound for the west coast ports of Prince Rupert, Robbank, Centerm, Vanterm, and Fraser Surrey Docks. And CPKC has stopped acceptance of all export loads and pre-billed empties destined for Vancouver ports.
Connected with the turmoil, Maersk has suspended its import and export carrier demurrage and detention clock for most affected operations. The ultimate duration of the strike is unknown, but the situation is “rapidly evolving” as talks continue between the Longshore Workers Union (ILWU 514) and the British Columbia Maritime Employers Association (BCMEA), Maersk said.
Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed, but Mode Global said it will now assume Jillamy's comprehensive logistics and freight management solutions, while Jillamy's warehousing, packaging and fulfillment services remain unchanged. Under the agreement, Mode Global will gain more than 200 employees and add facilities in Pennsylvania, Arizona, Florida, Texas, Illinois, South Carolina, Maryland, and Ontario to its existing national footprint.
Chalfont, Pennsylvania-based Jillamy calls itself a 3PL provider with expertise in international freight, intermodal, less than truckload (LTL), consolidation, over the road truckload, partials, expedited, and air freight.
"We are excited to welcome the Jillamy freight team into the Mode Global family," Lance Malesh, Mode’s president and CEO, said in a release. "This acquisition represents a significant step forward in our growth strategy and aligns perfectly with Mode's strategic vision to expand our footprint, ensuring we remain at the forefront of the logistics industry. Joining forces with Jillamy enhances our service portfolio and provides our clients with more comprehensive and efficient logistics solutions."