How do they do that? Factory movement of goods

We all use consumer goods on a daily basis but the only thought we give to them is what they can do for us or what meal we can use them in.

We rarely give a second thought to how they were manufactured or how the product ended up on a supermarket shelf.

Newspapers

Weâ??ve all bought a newspaper but not many of us have seen inside a newspaper plant. There are many processes undertaken in the creation of every newspaper which adorns a newspaper stand. Weâ??ll give a brief snapshot of the process.

• Newspaper pages created by editorial team
• These pages are sent in digital form to the newspaper plant
• Pages are sent straight to plate or even direct to cylinder in modern applications
• Plates are fixed onto newspaper printing machine
• Machine is run at speeds of up to 80,000 copies per hour to produce the finished paper
• Papers sent on conveyors to distribution department
• Papers are packaged and distributed across the UK via the delivery network

Conveyor systems are used extensively in the newspaper industry to get the papers from production to delivery departments. Conveyors are also however used extensively in the production of food.

Powder handling

Many factories produce products which cannot be transported by standard conveyor systems. These products require a specialist solution so they can be transported from one location to another. Bulk materials handling products are designed to transport powders, granules, flakes or pellets between one part of the factory to another by means of ingenious methods. Some of these systems include:

• Screw conveyors â?? These conveyors use either a U-trough of tubular screw configuration which when turned by an electric motor transports the powder or other bulk material through a conveyor system. These systems can be fully contained so meet standards set out by the food industry and although they may not be able to transport products extremely quickly they are an excellent way of transporting processed goods.
• Chain conveyors â?? These types of conveyors are used for the movement of bulk materials through a process controlled system. The design of the chain and discharge system will vary depending on the type of goods to be moved but these can be adapted to meet a customerâ??s exacting requirements.
• Bulk bag filling â?? Many industrial sites store the produce they manufacture in bulk bags. These bulk bags are fitted with or without liners and are an excellent way to store high quantities of product. The filling systems are compact and dust-free and completely automated so the exact amount of product is filled into a single bulk bag.

Erin Sharpe loves to find out how goods find their way to our plates. She wrote this article on newspaper delivery and powdered goods delivery on behalf of www.guttridge.co.uk.

Image from: David Castillo Dominici / FreeDigitalPhotos.net