AAK decided to install powered slat conveyors. The slatted belts are 400mm wide in order to accommodate the tubs and boxes involved.

 

A pair of spiral conveyors raise products from the ground floor to the upper level 5.84m above. One takes tubs and bottle-in-boxes from two filling lines; the other is dedicated to a bag-in-box line. The spiral conveyors required a smaller footprint than incline versions.

 

At the top of the conveyors ECS has linked the new equipment to the existing system, which carries product at the upper level for 40m and then via a decline to the despatch area. Galvanised-steel platforms at the top of each conveyor give access for maintenance.

 The twin line has a nominal throughput of 36 items a minute; the single carton line 14 items a minute.

 

The project was carried out in stages to allow AAK to continue production as normally as possible. This involved ECS reconfiguring existing conveying equipment to make space for the new system and working closely with AAK production staff to minimise disruption.