Tag Archives: agriculture industry

Utilizing Forklift Scales to Increase Productivity

We worked with an agriculture company that was having troubles obtaining information in an efficient manner. They were using forklifts to load pallets onto a floor scale to weigh the skids. This company had 2 floor scales and 5 wireless remotes, one for each forklift. The skids were weighed on the floor scale and a button from the associated forklift remote was pressed to associate the weight with the floor scale. All 5 forklifts were weighing skids from different lots and storing measurements on an indicator. When the lot was closed out, meaning all 10 skids from each of the 4 coolers were weighed, a different button was pressed on the forklift remote to print the accumulated report on one of the scales. The measurement information on the indicator was erased and sent to a PC to be stored.

The issue was that 5 forklifts were fighting over 2 floor scales during their busy season. This, in turn, resulted in less productivity and wasted time.

We worked with the equipment manufacturer to customize a software system that will allow any of the 5 forklifts to pick up a skid from any of the 3 lots. The customer is able to weigh the skid on the forklift itself which then stores the weight data in the indicator. Once a lot is closed out, data is sent to a central PC wirelessly and a report can be printed out. Grand Rapids Metrology took an outdated system and upgraded it. We created a custom software that would wirelessly communicate with a central PC, and we retrofitted a forklift scale carriage to an existing forklift to allow for weighing right from the forklift itself!

This saved the company significant time, costs and energy while increasing productivity and profit margins. Imagine it being your busiest time of the year and not being able to keep up with demand and production. You would be losing money.

If you are using a forklift to bring material to a floor scale repeatedly, you are using an outdated system. If your forklift scale doesn’t send data wirelessly, you are using an outdated system. Contact us to bring your system up-to-date.

Increasing the Efficiency Rate of Water Consumption in Agriculture

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United States, Agriculture accounts for 70% of all water consumption; however, the efficiency rate of that water consumption is very low. Most of the water drains off or is evaporated. Only a small percentage of that water consumption is actually used for plant growth.

What effect does this have on the Agriculture industry? A lower efficiency rate results in wasted resources and decreased productivity. As fresh water supply becomes increasingly limited as the years go on, it is imperative for the Agriculture industry to strategize ways to increase water consumption efficiency for sustainability.

A University measured plant performance based on efficient water consumption. Their goal is to secure future food production no matter what climate challenges are faced. Potted plants were monitored continuously for their water consumption during growth and weighed in ambient conditions.

The measurement system needed to be resistant to temperature noise to provide reliable and accurate results. Load cells that were specifically tailored to greenhouse conditions were used to track small increments in weight over a long period of time. These load cells withstood the temperature fluctuations and high humidity environmental conditions. This measurement system is expected to save costs by optimizing nutrient delivery and boosting crop yield, due to early detection of stress and reducing water and fertilizer use.

Though this was not a Solutions Project GRM was involved in, this goes to show how metrology is used to solve various problems. If you’d like to decrease wasted resources, increase productivity and efficiency, we’d love to help you strategize! Our Solutions Team specializes in process automation and custom measurement systems to meet your specific goals.

 

 

SOURCE:

“Load Cells Help Optimize Water Efficiency In Stressed Climate.” Weigh & Measure, Apr. 2019, pp. 10+.

What It Means to be Intrinsically Safe

If you’ve ever browsed websites or catalogs in search of weighing products, you may have come across equipment labelled “Intrinsically Safe,” or IS. Although the name implies this equipment is somehow safer than its non-IS counterparts, many professionals have a hard time defining and understanding its importance.

We’re here to breakdown what intrinsically safe means, why this type of equipment is necessary, the benefits it can offer, and what type of equipment is available in IS models.

 

WHAT IS INTRINSICALLY SAFE?

Intrinsic Safety is a design approach used for equipment going to work in hazardous environments. A hazardous environment is an area that can be exposed to flammable gases, vapors or dusts and have the potential to ignite flame or even combust. There are multiple classifications of hazardous areas, as defined by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), that require appropriately rated equipment such as intrinsically safe scales. Industries such as chemical, pharmaceutical, agriculture and paint manufacturing are often required to use IS products.

The goal of intrinsically safe equipment is to keep temperatures low and prevent sparks from igniting. For instance, IS scales use low power electronics constructed to not generate a spark under any condition.

 

WHEN IS INTRINSICALLY SAFE EQUIPMENT NECESSARY?

If equipment is being installed in an environment with combustible materials, necessary steps must be taken to minimize the risk of ignition.

However, intrinsically safe components alone aren’t necessarily sufficient for OHSA (Occupational Health and Safety Act). OMEGA Engineering, an international instrumentation company, puts it this way, “OHSA accepts IS design as an appropriate approach, although requires that the whole system be designed accordingly. It is not sufficient to just use IS certified components.” There are exceptions to this rule however. For instance, a very low power or passive device that is unlikely to create a spark can be considered a “simple apparatus” and does not need to meet these requirements.

 

WHAT IS THE BENEFITS OF INTRINSICALLY SAFE EQUIPMENT?

Intrinsically safe weighing equipment offers numerous benefits including from the obvious – safety!

Aside from keeping workers and facilities safe from potential explosions, using IS equipment can help save money. First, the cost of an explosion far outweighs the cost of upgrading to products with IS standards. Second, it avoids the cost associated with having to implement explosion proof enclosures.

Because a business invests in IS equipment, insurance premiums can decrease due to the reduced risk provided by an intrinsically safe approach.

Lastly, any diagnostic and repair work can be executed with continuous production. If production had to be shut down for maintenance, money and time would both be lost as a result.

 

WHAT PRODUCTS ARE AVAILABLE WITH INTRINSICALLY SAFE DESIGN?

Through our extensive network of manufacturing partners, Grand Rapids Metrology can offer a variety of IS products from Avery Weigh-Tronix, Rice Lake Weighing Systems, Minebea Intec, Fairbanks, and A & D Weighing. From indicators, remote displays and barriers, balances, bench scales, platform and pallet scales, our industry-leading product line is sure to meet your specific IS application needs.

If your business is affected by OHSA intrinsically safe regulations, talk to us. We almost 100 years of experience in the measurement industry, we know a thing or two about IS equipment!

 

 

Sources: OMEGA Engineering