Many factors have grown in importance. For example, gone are the days where land was readily available. Driving around the CBDs of Gauteng one will notice many constructions and developments taking place, and still much open space. However, that open space is land that has not yet been released for development.

The unfortunate reality that South African industry is facing is in respect of power shortages, which has negatively impacted the roll-out of this land.

Turning to energy, the cost of energy in SA is, as we all know, on a steady increase, and availability on a steady decline. It has been rumoured that those developments requiring in excess of 500 kVA are not being approved. As a result, saving energy is a serious consideration in any new development.

A great opportunity to ‘go green’ is presented when building a new facility: the recycling of grey water, capturing water to flush toilets, wash trucks and vehicles, and watering surrounding gardens is now considered the responsible way forward.

Today there is a wave of change when strategising, planning, and appointing partners in these exciting times. Considerations are that one must design with optimal space utilisation and marry to this the right level of technology to complement your processes and so achieve your strategic objectives.

Return on investment varies from industry to industry, but typically larger corporate companies consider 2-3 years as a good pay-back period. Planning should look ahead 10 years, with an update of equipment after five years.

What equipment and technology is available from the conveyor industry to complement these considerations?

Energy consumption

All conveyor modules and components should be engineered with consideration for energy consumption. Three unique Interroll modules now on offer have low energy consumption as a common feature:

• Cross belt sorter – a drive system utilising a single motor and gearbox for the complete sorter requirement, and fewer moving parts.
   
• The belt drive, an integrated motor and gearbox inside the pulley, with an efficiency greater than 97 percent direct to the belt from the drum.
   
• Roller drives, a 24 VDC solution typically used for zero pressure in unit load handling, are also low on energy consumption.

Another important consideration is ensuring that conveyors only become ‘powered’ when there is detection of a parcel. Some of the intelligent conveyors available already have this feature as standard; others require the control company to incorporate this into the MFC (material flow control) programme, and this too has a positive impact on reducing operational costs.

Noise pollution

How important is noise pollution? Some might think not; however, when required to pick, consolidate and pack accurately at the desired rate, creating an environment conducive to ergonomic trends provides real benefit. Today it is not uncommon to find operators, packers and pickers working within centimetres of moving parts and goods, at times travelling at speeds greater than 1,0 m/sec, so the importance of noise protection in these areas cannot be ignored. Professional suppliers of all types of equipment commonly found inside a DC should be able to provide customers with relevant information and Safety and Health Protection legislation requirements.

Maintenance costs

This key area, unfortunately, is sometimes ignored, overlooked or not considered as ‘operationally critical’. How reliable is this new technology, and how important is it to ‘design for redundancy’? Designing for redundancy is expensive, complex and outdated. This does not say it is not important; however doing it smartly and with the right companies can add significant value to an overall system.

What could be the alternatives? It could be an investment in critical spares and specific training. Some suppliers will offer service level agreements for events such as preventative maintenance and critical breakdowns. Cost of ownership must become a higher consideration when decisions are being made – recently a highly automated materials handling system was de-commissioned for a number of reasons, two of them being that it became impractical for the future distribution process, and the other was that to maintain, service and retain efficient sorting, in labour alone this cost amounted to some R300 000 per annum.

The earlier suggestion that some SA industries should be building now for a 10-year programme, with a re-kit in five years, raises a number of questions:

• Will the equipment in which the companies invested still be serviceable in five years’ time? Will the equipment be practical, appropriate and in good working condition? Is the supplier company still likely to be around? And if they are not, whom else can step in and supply a satisfactory back-up support service? Will new equipment interface with the old, and is the old system interchangeable? Is the equipment flexible enough to be adapted to handle changing trends in packaging and increased volumes?

In conclusion: a well known materials handling and logistics consultant recently commented that the South African supply chain is being revolutionised, and everyone agreed. In recent discussions with logistics professionals and distribution managers, the consensus was that now would be the time to build capacity, and even in these tough economic times, there was still evidence of growth in volumes and revenue.