Case Study: Kubota Manufacturing
The Need
Kubota Manufacturing of America partnered with Conveyors & Drives, Inc. to design and implement a conveyor system to extend the assembly line through the crating process. Space was very limited and the conveyor system would have to handle crated and non-crated RTV’s at the same time. RTV weight was upwards of 3500 pounds and crates were up to 12 feet in length with various locations of cross boards on the bottom. Prior to the conveyor install, Kubota was shipping completed RTV’s to a satellite facility for final crating. Moving the crating process to the end of the assembly line would increase efficiencies in assembly.
The Industry/Company
Kubota Manufacturing of America is the premier manufacturer of Rough Terrain Vehicles (RTV), Tractors and Lawnmowers for both the consumer and agricultural industries. Headquartered in Gainesville, GA, Kubota Manufacturing of America builds and ships equipment around the world.
The Product/Solution
Conveyors & Drives installed custom built belt-over-roller conveyor and custom drag chain conveyor with pop-up chain transfer to meet the goals set by Kubota. Since space was an issue, transferring the finished crates ninety degrees allowed for staging of two complete units without interfering with the crating process. Belt- over-roller conveyor assured smooth conveyance of various sized pallets and the pop-up chain transfer assured each pallet would transition properly. All conveyors were built to heavy duty standards so Kubota could also convey a non-crated RTV and physically drive the finished product off the end of the assembly line. Installation was completed by Conveyors & Drives, Inc. with controls provided by Kubota.
The Results
Conveyors & Drives provided Kubota Manufacturing of America with a heavy duty conveyor system to handle the extreme loads and various sized crates they use during final crating. Kubota was also able to integrate the crating process to the end of the main assembly line, rather than shipping to a satellite facility for final crating. Keeping the line running smoothly and efficiently was a requirement that Conveyors & Drives was able to deliver on.