2016 sees a tightening of regulations for sanitation, cleanliness and worker safety concerning conveyor belts and conveying systems, not only in Europe, but in other parts of the world. These are part of the challenges that equipment manufacturers need to adhere to, in order to remain competitive on this dynamic market segment.
By Dan Orehov, editor
The European market for conveyor belts and systems is one of the established and mature ones, still recovering from the economic downturn. Nevertheless, the latest report from MarketsandMarkets states that the European market for this type of equipment is projected to grow at a stable rate, by 2018, while the worldwide segment is expected to be worth USD6,268.3m by the same year.
Similar growth is projected for the Americas, especially due to the booming economy and industrial sector in emerging countries. The growth in the food and beverage industries has and will continue to record a positive effect on the conveyor systems market, going hand in hand with the modernization of factories and other food producing facilities, which constantly increase their demand for top quality equipment. Last, but not least, the great potential recorded in the Asia-Pacific region shows a growing market for conveyor systems, especially in countries such as China, India, Thailand and Indonesia, where the end-use for food grade conveyors is growing at a healthy rate, according to the report.
Overall, another report issued by FutureMarketInsights, named “Conveyor Belts Market: Global Industry Analysis and Opportunity Assessment 2015 – 2025” shows that the conveyor belt market is fragmented and dominated by regional players that constitute a major portion of the global market share. The industry is characterized by a high degree of competition and the players compete on their pricing strategy as well as product differentiation to manufacture customized conveyor belts for varied purpose at low cost.
Moreover, the report acknowledges that Asia Pacific dominates the global demand for conveyor belts and the trend is anticipated to continue for a foreseeable future. “North America is the second largest market for conveyor belts. Owing to market saturation in several end user industries in North America, the demand for conveyor belts is anticipated to exhibit a sluggish growth during the forecast period. Demand for conveyor belts in the Rest of the World (RoW) region is anticipated to grow at a better pace in the near future primarily owing to developing economies in South America and Africa,” according to the report.
Trends to look for
Conveyor belts producers approached for this article agree that the market will continue to demand belt solutions which are wider, faster, stronger and easy to clean or drain. These are trends which will persist over this market segment and which stimulate manufacturers to come up with new research and development projects that create innovative, state-of-the-art equipment to meet such demands. Listening to the challenges and issues faced by the consumer and using their knowledge of the market and of the products helps drive R&D efforts in order to produce customized solutions for individual needs, on the one hand, as well as applications which can be introduced to the entire industry.
“We are working with producers to evaluate their overall cost or Total Cost of Ownership (TOC), which includes belt maintenance and cleaning, repair and replacement. As a result, they are buying higher quality belts that result in less down time. We are also working with more and more OEMS in Europe to evaluate Manufacturing Footprint Optimization (MFO) and design and launch conveyor systems that require less space. In particular, cageless spiral systems most often used for cooling and freezing processes. This is where our CamEdge belt can work effectively, particularly with small bakery operations that are looking to automate,” says Mike Truitt, International Sales Director, Cambridge Engineered Solutions.
Similarly, Marc Maisonneuve, Group Marketing Communications Manager for manufacturer Ammeraal Beltech says: “In 2016, we are once again committed to innovating for the food processing industry, as well as to growing our presence organically around the globe, to meet the increasing needs of international customer companies. Food safety, cleanability, productivity, low maintenance and durability continue to be the main concerns of the industry, and we will continue to address them, with extensions to our range of light blue belts and specialist features such as detectable products as scrapers.”
New belts for different processes
Manufacturers have introduced innovative concepts for the food industry, including the frozen food production, taking into account both large producers and small to medium sized entrepreneurs, such as small bakeries, which currently bath produce their goods but are interested in automating their processes.
“Ammeraal Beltech is an integrated belting solutions company. We handle our own R&D, production, fabrication and servicing, and offer the food industry a comprehensive portfolio of belting solutions, which we are continuously upgrading to keep abreast of customers’ needs,” says Maisonneuve. “As ever, our focus has been on developing and launching new belting solutions, accessories, profiles and tools for specific industries – and food processing is a major focus for us. We launched our RAPPLON® food-grade elastic belts for the food industry partnered by, among other new products, our highly-flexible, food-safe Premium Ropanyl belts; the new modular ULB Ultra-Light Belt; and the highly-flexible, food-safe Premium Ropanyl belts,” he adds.
Manufacturer Cambridge Engineered Solutions has around 20 metal wire belt products which have application in frozen food processing, all of which benefit by customized sprockets to assure the best tracking, smooth operational flow and less product loss. The company also offers a wide variety of seizes, pitches and materials, to accommodate each application.
“The largest category would be our Straight Line Positive Drive Belts that include our Precision, DuraFlex, Cam-Grid® and PacTitan® lines. From pizzas to ice cream and ready-to-eat meals, Cambridge Straight Line Positive Drive Belts are used to cook, freeze and package thousands of well-known products sold in the frozen food case. We also offer Spiral and Turn Conveyor belts which feature our LeadingEdge® and Cam-Grid® spiral lines. These products are designed to process and move baked goods, meats, poultry, fish and prepared food applications, many of which are eventually sold as frozen products. The belts are used on spiral cages in the plant that heat, cool, proof and freeze at speeds up to 76 mpm,” ends Truitt.
