As labor woes and production demands make automation more and more important, you may be in the market for new equipment in 2018. As you begin to evaluate your operations and consider what type of machine to add, there are a lot of little things to consider.
This checklist is designed to help you evaluate your needs and make the best equipment selection decision. It does not favor any one manufacturer or type of equipment. But the idea is to help you know your needs before you talk with various machinery suppliers. To find the best suppliers, search the pages of Pallet Enterprise to identify key suppliers with the most reliable nailing solutions. We keep up to date on the latest technology so that you never have to miss out on the latest and greatest innovations.
With a number of European nailing machine manufacturers now servicing the North American market and U.S.-based suppliers pushing for even greater automation and production capacity, the industry has entered the golden age of automation in North America. And the promise of advanced automation and robotics’ promise to lead even greater production with fewer personnel.
One of the best places to identify innovations is EXPO Richmond, which will be held again May 17-18, 2018 in Richmond, Virginia at the Richmond Raceway Complex. Through the years EXPO Richmond has become the best trade show for the pallet industry to see live demonstrations and meet with leading suppliers. A number of major equipment suppliers have already said that they are working on top-secret advanced automation technologies for EXPO 2018. The next few years looks to be an exciting time when it comes to pallet manufacturing and recycling technology. You can register online for the EXPO at www.exporichmond.com or call 804-737-5625.
May these questions help you get on the right track as smart companies look to improve their automation and position their production process for the future.
Pallet Nailing Machinery Checklist
• What type of equipment do you have? And what has been your experience in the past with various vendors? – Your track record can identify areas of concern as well as vendors who have gone the extra mile. You will want to consider if you are going to incorporate new equipment with old nailing lines? Every machine has a purpose and an ideal fit.
• What type of pallets do you want to be able to produce? – Block, stringer, oversized pallets? Some machines have footprint size limitations. Others work best with new versus recycled lumber. Some can produce specialty designs such as wing pallets. The more versatile the better if you don’t know what your future customer needs will be.
• What is the changeover time for the machine? The faster you can convert the machine to produce a new design, the more versatile your operation is. But this comes at a cost as well as other limitations.
• What is your production target range? More fully automated machines can produce thousands of pallets in an eight-hour shift while semi-automated machines and jigs measure production in hundreds of pallets per shift.
• How many workers do you envision running or servicing the machine? Robotics and advanced automation can make almost anything possible. But can you afford it? You want to do the most you can with the fewest people possible at the right budget point. Look at your current flow and see how many people you have. Are there steps in the process where you think you can remove some personnel with the right automation? Most fully automated nailing machines require one operator plus people to insert boards into the hoppers as well as place boards on the right place to create the deck. In addition, you will likely have a forklift operator to feed material and remove stacks of pallets.
• Why do you want new, better equipment? Has your old machinery become a maintenance and upkeep nightmare? Are you limited by your equipment in terms of the sizes and capacity? These core reasons for upgrading should be a major factor as you go shopping for a new solution.
• What type of nails do you intend to use? Some machines use pneumatic nail guns, others use bulk nails and nailing heads. Bulk nails are easier to load and generally cost less. But the nailing machines that use pneumatic nail guns are generally cheaper and may be easier to fix any nailing problems by replacing the pneumatic nail tools.
• How easy is a machine to maintain and acquire parts? Look to see whether the machine can help diagnose problems. Does the machine come with sensors or even cameras to assist in troubleshooting? What about ease of access for basic maintenance? Does the machine use specialized or generic parts? This can impact the total repair cost in the future.
• What about robotics or advanced automation? A number of major machinery manufacturers are working on advanced automation and robotics. A robotic will not solve all of your problems. It could make things worse if put in the wrong place. It may require a combination of advanced automation and robotics to truly solve some issues. But companies are working to use robots in destacking, stacking and lumber loading situations. Early adopters may have some growing pains, but they also will be responsible for pioneering next generation solutions and may have early mover advantages once all the bugs are worked out.
• What options do you want? Nailing lines can come with all sorts of bells and whistles and options. Do you want stackers, branders, ink jet systems for labeling? What about end trimmers or inspection devices? Some U.S. companies are looking at auto-banders to ensure stack stability. There are lots of options on the table.
• How much room do you have? Footprint size is something that a lot of people forget about until it is too late. Your current building may limit some options. Calculate available board footage and look at the material process flow at the same time. When you add a new major piece of equipment, it is always good to assess your plant flow and process efficiency.
• How much money do you have for this project? Almost every new development project will have unexpected costs. And you need to develop a realistic budget from the beginning. This process starts with looking at your current cost to operate and run a machine per pallet. Then you will need to work with the various vendors to calculate the new costs going forward.
• How well does the vendor support its installations? What type of documentation and training is available? Most of the major equipment providers in the pallet industry offer fairly good support. But it may come in different ways. Do you want in-person support and service? Are you looking for more remote training and diagnostics? How about videos and online tutorials?
• What growth do you expect in the future? You almost never want to buy a machine that has no margin on it. That could limit your growth in the future. You want your machinery to have some room to accommodate more sales growth. What do your business projections suggest?
