Caterpillar invests in heavy-duty storage and conveyor system

A new range of Caterpillar’s popular Telehandler led to a complete revamp of the product’s manufacturing line. Leading handling and storage equipment supplier, Diamond Phoenix, was approached to supply conveyor systems, which provide buffer storage and deliver components and sub-assemblies to the Telehandler in-line manufacturing process.

Diamond Phoenix is a market leader in the design, manufacture, integration and installation of innovative solutions for automated materials handling. The company also manufactures a range of horizontal carousels and extractors, which it integrates with its own state-of-the-art light directed picking systems and control software programmes. Its UK operation is based in Milton Keynes.

The Telehandler is one of five products manufactured at the 60,000 square metre Caterpillar Building Construction Products Division facility, located in Desford on the outskirts of Leicester. The new Telehandler line assists with the flow of components and control during manufacturing. The in-line process replaced a static system, where individual components were assembled in discrete cells and brought to a final assembly point. The Diamond Phoenix system consists of a series of heavy duty gravity roller conveyors, arranged in pairs to service each fit point along the manufacturing line. Parts are delivered to the line on custom-made stillages. They are placed on the infeed conveyor at the relevant fit point. Once the part has been used, the stillage is placed on a purpose designed transfer car and moved across to the outfeed conveyor for collection. The conveyors need to be strong enough to handle the heaviest components whilst allowing the stillages to be moved easily, by hand, to line side. Each conveyor has a three-tonne capacity and also provides buffer storage for the operation at each fit point.

Diamond Phoenix’ project team worked closely with Caterpillar’s Production Planning Engineers to ensure that the specification for the new Telehandler parts handling system met the required performance criteria. As a result, the design of the gravity roller conveyors incorporates several features, tried and tested on the four other production lines at Desford. For example, each individual pair of conveyors, regardless of which fit point it serves, is specified to hold the requisite quantity of the heaviest kit of parts used throughout the entire process. This means that there is considerable overload protection built in ensuring smooth operation and exceptional safety. The roller beds are designed so that one operator can easily move the heavy loads. To prevent stillages rolling off the end of the conveyors, heavy-duty braking systems are built in to the equipment.

A Similar storage and conveyor systems has been installed at Caterpillar’s articulated truck manufacturing site at Peterlee. Diamond phoenix has also supplied a system to Caterpillar Logistics Services, in Leicester, a division of the company, which provides logistics and transportation services to the manufacturing divisions.

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