Download - Modern Materials Handling

Readers also identified the featuresor functions they would most like tohave that are missing from their currentconveyor systems:1. greater design flexibility; ease ofchanging the hardware and controllingsoftware; modularity,2. intelligent conveying features,3. easy to clean,4. batch feeding, and5. speed/variable speed.Up and runningConveyor manufacturers, like lift truckproviders, have been developing newmaintenance programs for their customers.Still, Modern’s readers aremostly taking care of business when itcomes to keeping their conveyor systemsup and running:• 78% use their own crew for maintenance,• 11% have a service contract with athird party, and• 6% have a service contract with asupplier.Only 10% reported that they are outsourcingthe repair and maintenanceof their conveyor equipment, the samepercentage as in 2010.Sustainability in the balanceFor the first time in three years, amajority of respondents (52%) said thatenergy efficiency was extremely or veryimportant as it relates to their conveyorsystem while another 39% ranked it assomewhat important. Only 9% reportedthat it was not very important.Still, as with the last two surveys,only a handful of companies havereported receiving tax credits for suchan installation:• 49% report that they plan to investigatetax incentives for energy efficientsystems,• 39% say they have no plans toinvestigate tax incentives for energy efficiency,and• 12% say they have already done so. MApproximately how muchdid you spend on conveyorsand/or conveyor partsand accessories duringthe “last” 12 months?Average$Median$$300,000 $164,000$75,000 $46,545How much do you estimateyou will spend on conveyorsand/or conveyor parts andaccessories in the “next”18 months?$261,000 $193,700$55,000 $56,95014%7%18%61%6%5%17%71%$1 million+$500K-$999K$100K-$499K11%7%18%64%8%5%21%67%