Working smarter
October 1st 2005 Bespoke solutions from Kaybe Conveyors increase efficiency and help resolve health and safety issues
After 25 years in manufacturing, Kaybe Conveyors is enjoying a new lease of life thanks to its new owner and managing director. In January the company was bought by entrepreneur David Cockayne, who has spent the last 30 years in manufacturing automation and robotics systems.
Kaybe produces a comprehensive range which includes gravity rollers, gravity and powered extendable conveyors, powered belts and rollers, vehicle loaders and telescopic boom belt conveyors.
Despite a lack of investment in recent years, Kaybe attracted Cockayne’s attention with its strong product range and potential to expand. Taking over the company in January, his management style, both informal and team-based has been a highly motivating factor for the workforce.
"Excellent service to customers is vital to our business and critical to our continued success. A central manufacturing location coupled with a regionally based sales force providing local presence provides the perfect formula for delivering first class service with rapid response," says Cockayne.
Bespoke systems
But Kaybe don’t just manufacture product, it also specialises in the design and implementation of bespoke systems which can incorporate several types of conveyor.
"Where systems are concerned, we always advocate early involvement with particular attention to detail in the design and planning stages" says Win Churchill, project manager. The technical sales team visits the site, evaluates the equipment that will serve and surround the system and observes existing methods of working. Inappropriate use of equipment can seriously jeopardise the reliability and longevity of a conveyorised solution. As well as current requirements, the team considers the future use of the system such as the types of product to be conveyed, weight ratios and packaging mediums. All of this data helps to ensure the correct system is specified.
Kaybe’s objective is to offer the best, most reliable solution to help the customer operate more efficiently, reduce costs and health and safety issues, and increase productivity. In short, to work smarter.
A company to recently benefit from such efficiencies is Hot Wheels of Poole.
Importing mountain and BMX cycles meant a major headache when confronted with daily arrivals of 40’ containers. Each bike had to be unloaded by hand, taking six men three hours to complete. Kaybe’s solution was to provide a fully integrated system incorporating Maxi Penetrator and Powerstretch conveyors. Russell Merry the managing director was more than pleased with the return on investment as the job now only takes two men forty minutes to complete. A further benefit is that health and safety issues have been eliminated by the reduction in lifting. Merry was so pleased with the results that he quickly placed an order for a second system.
Kaybe’s experience of conveyorised products allows them to tailor systems to meet exact requirements rather than imposing less suitable, standardised systems on customers.
Although the Company’s broad industry sectors are manufacturing, parcel and baggage handling and warehouse logistics, Kaybe has provided conveyors for customers as diverse as contraceptive manufacturers to abattoirs. ‘Blue chip’ clients include Royal Mail, Parcelforce, Securicor, Borders Group (Books) and Port of Tyne Authority.
As well as the domestic market, Kaybe is enjoying considerable export success, a typical example being a recent order received from Saud Bahwan Group in Oman.
A fully conveyorised solution was required for the new Toyota spares distribution centre, due on-line within a few weeks.
The resulting system consists of over 400m of conveyor, interfacing with manually operated transfer cars, to enable the customer to reduce the handling of pallets and pallet cases in the busy receiving and despatch areas of the new facility. To enable the use of Toyota’s standard picking trolleys and "scooters" (powered tugs), Kaybe specifically designed loading and unloading interfaces.
Specifically designed
Given the detailed design brief, Kaybe selected its heavy duty gravity roller conveyor fitted with 60 mm diameter steel rollers, set in 100 x 60 RSA side frames, which also provides side guides for the product. Pallets and cases are singulated along the conveyor, reducing line pressure, thanks to a singulating stop designed specifically by Kaybe for Toyota.
Specially designed low level transfer cars allow the operators to change the height of the pallets via a scissor lift operation, built inhouse by Kaybe.
From initial order placement to despatch took only seven weeks. On arrival in Oman, Kaybe engineers supervised the installation and commissioning of the system, ensuring that it was completed in two weeks. The distribution centre went on-line as scheduled and the client, delighted with the resulting system wrote to personally thank Cockayne and his team. More articles from Kaybe (Conveyors) Ltd. - In Liquidation: | 
