Conveyors remain essential for getting parts to the right spot at the right time. Here’s a look at the state of the art.
Transportation—moving parts or assemblies from place to place in a factory—is one of the seven wastes specified in the principles of lean manufacturing. Transportation does not add value.
That does not obviate the need for conveyors, however. These machines remain essential for getting the right parts to the right spot at the right time. Indeed, according to our annual Capital Equipment Spending Survey, one-third of U.S. assembly plants will purchase conveyors this year, marking the fourth straight year in which that percentage has exceeded 30 percent. All totaled, assemblers will spend $97 million on conveyors and material handling equipment in 2021, only slightly less than the $100 million they spent on the technology last year.