In this article we explain what roller conveyors are, why the need for their installation is increasing significantly in modern warehouses and how ATOX Soluciones Tecnológicas intelligent roller conveyors have numerous features that make them an essential system to achieve high performance warehouses
What is a roller conveyor?
Conveyors are devices responsible for moving merchandise from one part to another within a warehouse, saving time and effort for operators, which results in a drastic increase in productivity. A diferencia de otros sistemas de transporte más antiguos, un transportador de rodillos es un sistema modular que puede combinar segmentos con rodillos de giro libre para los puntos de operación manual de mercancía, segmentos de rodillos accionados por gravedad y segmentos con rodillos motorizados de funcionamiento automatizado. ATOX Soluciones Tecnológicas intelligent roller conveyors also incorporate fully integrated sensors and diverters, allow curved sections for direction changes without loss of speed and are easily coordinated with other warehouse automation systems and with any WMS or ERP management software.
The ATOX smart roller conveyors They are a modern technology that enjoys numerous advantages compared to older technologies such as conveyor belts or conveyors driven by a transmission shaft, which are less versatile, require greater maintenance and are more difficult to divide into segments within the layout.
With the modularity of smart roller conveyors, on the other hand, the warehouse can be easily divided into different zones, and into different segments within each zone. Likewise, a roller conveyor can be more easily expanded by extending and varying its layout as it moves. warehouse needs also increase.
With the modularity of smart roller conveyors, on the other hand, the warehouse can be easily divided into different zones, and into different segments within each zone. Likewise, a roller conveyor can be more easily expanded by extending and varying its layout as it moves. warehouse needs also increase.
The growing need for roller conveyors
The current evolution of business models and the globalization of markets is imposing the need to incorporate automation systems that allow for much more efficient warehouses to respond to the high demands of the modern supply chain.
The rise of electronic commerce means that stores have to deal with smaller but more frequent orders, the emergence of new business models based on long tail in opposition to the mass markets, and to the performance of an increasingly leading role in the urban logistics. This trend will continue to grow at a rapid pace in the coming years.
With the increase in warehouse automation, it is essential to have merchandise transport systems within the warehouse and, therefore, the need to incorporate roller conveyors as a complement to storage systems increases.
The rise of electronic commerce means that stores have to deal with smaller but more frequent orders, the emergence of new business models based on long tail in opposition to the mass markets, and to the performance of an increasingly leading role in the urban logistics. This trend will continue to grow at a rapid pace in the coming years.
With the increase in warehouse automation, it is essential to have merchandise transport systems within the warehouse and, therefore, the need to incorporate roller conveyors as a complement to storage systems increases.
Increased productivity of internal logistics
The productivity of internal logistics begins with the optimization of storage space with the most appropriate metal racking systems, designed for each type of load and its rotation levels.
Roller conveyors are combined with automatic warehouse systems such as miniload, with automatic order preparation with automatic dispensers, and with speeding up picking operations with pick-to-light and put-to-light systems.
A warehouse operator can stay in his area without having to move through the warehouse, and several operators can collaborate in the preparation of the same order. Smart roller conveyors can stop each bucket in the areas where there are products to be included so that the operator can add the corresponding products. The automation system will detect the bucket and automatically direct it to the next picking operator if there are still pending products, or directly to the exit area if the order is already complete.
Roller conveyors are combined with automatic warehouse systems such as miniload, with automatic order preparation with automatic dispensers, and with speeding up picking operations with pick-to-light and put-to-light systems.
A warehouse operator can stay in his area without having to move through the warehouse, and several operators can collaborate in the preparation of the same order. Smart roller conveyors can stop each bucket in the areas where there are products to be included so that the operator can add the corresponding products. The automation system will detect the bucket and automatically direct it to the next picking operator if there are still pending products, or directly to the exit area if the order is already complete.
The cost of handling mis-picking and inventory errors is becoming increasingly important in the modern supply chain. The costs of human and inventory errors can far exceed those of the orders that caused those errors, which will often be smaller but more frequent orders.
Roller conveyors with integrated sensors, which work in coordination with automatic order preparation systems, allow for better traceability within the warehouse and a reduction in errors during maintenance operations.
Roller conveyors with integrated sensors, which work in coordination with automatic order preparation systems, allow for better traceability within the warehouse and a reduction in errors during maintenance operations.
Gravity Roller Conveyors
Within the layout of a roller path, there may be sections where it is more practical to use gravity-actuated rollers, thus reducing energy consumption.
It is essential that gravity-operated roller conveyors are carefully designed to suit each installation, so that the slope, layout and calibration of the rollers allow for a controlled descent of the buckets. In cases like these, ATOX Soluciones Tecnológicas roller conveyors are especially efficient due to the experience of ATOX Storage Systems in manufacturing high-quality metal racking, and its perfect adaptability to racking systems such as elevated walkways and the industrial mezzanines or mezzanines.
It is essential that gravity-operated roller conveyors are carefully designed to suit each installation, so that the slope, layout and calibration of the rollers allow for a controlled descent of the buckets. In cases like these, ATOX Soluciones Tecnológicas roller conveyors are especially efficient due to the experience of ATOX Storage Systems in manufacturing high-quality metal racking, and its perfect adaptability to racking systems such as elevated walkways and the industrial mezzanines or mezzanines.
ATOX Smart Roller Conveyors Technological Solutions
ATOX Soluciones Tecnológicas intelligent roller conveyors can combine sections actuated by gravity, sections that rotate freely for picking stations and sections with motorized rollers.
In the case of self-propelled sections, the rollers are divided into groups. In each group, a driving roller transmits the movement to several slave rollers by means of Poly-V belts. This, together with the integration of sensors, allows each group of rollers to detect when it has a load to transport, activating and deactivating automatically according to the real need. This feature makes ATOX roller conveyors a highly energy efficient system, while reducing the noise level, contributing to improving the ergonomics of the warehouse.
The ATOX Soluciones Tecnológicas roller transport system can incorporate the most appropriate types of sensors for each warehouse, such as barcode readers, QR code readers, passive RFID and active RFID sensors, etc. And its operation can be integrated with any WMS or ERP management system.
In the case of self-propelled sections, the rollers are divided into groups. In each group, a driving roller transmits the movement to several slave rollers by means of Poly-V belts. This, together with the integration of sensors, allows each group of rollers to detect when it has a load to transport, activating and deactivating automatically according to the real need. This feature makes ATOX roller conveyors a highly energy efficient system, while reducing the noise level, contributing to improving the ergonomics of the warehouse.
The ATOX Soluciones Tecnológicas roller transport system can incorporate the most appropriate types of sensors for each warehouse, such as barcode readers, QR code readers, passive RFID and active RFID sensors, etc. And its operation can be integrated with any WMS or ERP management system.
Layout flexibility is another of the great advantages of ATOX smart rollers, which can include curved sections with motorized rollers that allow direction change without loss of speed.
For their part, the automatic diverters allow buckets with incomplete orders to be moved away at a picking station, or to divert buckets with complete orders in the dispatch area depending on their destination.
For their part, the automatic diverters allow buckets with incomplete orders to be moved away at a picking station, or to divert buckets with complete orders in the dispatch area depending on their destination.
The advantages of being a manufacturer of metal shelving
The trajectory of more than 50 years of ATOX Storage Systems as a manufacturer of metal racks of high quality, and its consolidated experience in a great diversity of industrial and logistics sectors, has served as the basis for the intelligent roller conveyors of ATOX Soluciones Tecnológicas to enjoy great success due to its reliability and efficiency, designed to solve the real needs of modern smart warehouses.