Whether you require conveyor system spare parts, robotic spare parts, or other spare parts inventory, having those critical items on hand is key to keeping your material handling system at maximum uptime.

It is 4:30 pm on a Friday afternoon, and all you can think about is the upcoming weekend. With the second shift manager coming in to take over your distribution center conveyor system for the weekend, it is about time to go.

A knock on your door from your maintenance guy isn’t always good news but he is probably just requesting off for an upcoming summer vacation. However, this visit isn’t as easy to accommodate because you learn that your main sortation conveyor is down and needs to have a part replaced for your operation to run this weekend.

Since you failed to purchase the recommended spare parts, your operation is down until you can find this part. If you don’t want to fall into this predicament, then you need to purchase and stock spare parts. 

A down system is never convenient, but without the right parts on hand, the length and impact of the downtime can quickly go from bad to worse. When you do have a need for spare parts, Bastian Solutions wants to help you as quickly and efficiently as possible. To do this, it is necessary for the operation to have a stocked and organized spare parts crib that we can reference by part number and by conveyor or product. If spare parts are not kept on-site, we can certainly help to the best of our ability; however, some lead times can be anywhere from same-day delivery for a standard roller or motor to 4-6 weeks for a custom piece of equipment.

The other request is that the spare parts inventory is stored properly and organized. The best way to keep parts organized is typically in a lockable crib or storage area. This storage area should be stocked by type of product, labeled by part number, and possibly even by conveyor number. This will help your maintenance team and authorized operators to quickly and efficiently find the needed part for the conveyor or product that is down in an urgent situation. The best way to keep organized is to coordinate the spare parts list by what piece of equipment the part goes with, and where it is located in the storage system.

Once you have these parts on hand, it is also very important to keep current and accurate information on your spare parts. When a spare part is used to replace a broken one, it is important that the spare part be replaced to keep an on-hand inventory. Companies can do this every time a part is needed, or once a month, quarter, 6 months, etc. for larger systems. One tool to help with this is Bastian Solutions online parts portal. This portal allows authorized users to see their available spare parts and can even customize to see current inventories of on-hand parts.

While Bastian Solutions never expects the products we sell to fail, there are the cases in which they do, or over time, simply wear out. This is why we provide an extensive list with every system that we sell. Each list comes with a recommended spare parts list with manufacturer, part number, description, pricing, and lead times. This list can be maintained by your maintenance manager as well as by your Bastian Solutions representative with updated pricing and lead times as they change from time to time. Creating a well-organized, well-stocked spare parts inventory will ensure your material handling system experiences maximum uptime and runs smoothly for years.

See Hytrol Conveyor replacement parts

Author: Joe Campbell