1. General presentation

1.1 Adoption of a continuous conveyor process

While conveyor systems or large conveyor assemblies are the most spectacular and least debatable aspect of the choice of process, small unitary installations, often the starting point for considerable expansion, deserve the most in-depth study. Indeed, in a company that is not yet on the road to mechanization, the introduction of the first conveyor represents a threshold in the evolution of its structure, in much the same way as a computer does in management. Thinking about introducing the first conveyor can mean :

• the current means are no longer suitable because of their yield or their cost price;

• a revision or extension of the layout requires a continuous...