Carlton - kn

We get it. Scale systems can be a serious investment. Often times it is incredibly tempting to go with a scale that has a lower upfront cost and save some the money now. But how much money is that mindset saving you in the long run? What happens when you have to buy a new bench scale year after year? What about when lightning strikes your truck scale or you find out you’ve been giving away thousands of dollars because your scale thinks 150lbs is actually 100lbs? So how can you measure return on investment with the expenditure before you make those mistakes?

A question we often hear customers ask is if they should be using weigh modules or flow meters for different batching or tank applications. Each has specific pros and cons associated with batching. While flow meters often are less in upfront investment, they typically have more issues associated with them depending on your product. They are also much harder to maintain and will shut production lines down for longer. Weigh modules are usually easier to operate and maintain but are more complex with initial setup and communication.

Batching is the process of turning raw materials into finished goods. When building batching systems by weight, most engineers will design batching processes as either a full manual batching, semi-manual batching, or automated batching system. The chart below details pros and cons of each system:

Time, effort, and money is wasted every day by companies looking to improve their production. Where do managers need to look for quality improvements in production lines? What kinds of data is needed to make educated decisions about your production? The best starting places for production managers to focus on is yield loss, or how much raw material is being lost in production processes. Only then can overall production system performance be addressed and improved.

We understand some of the Jargon we use can be lost on those who may not be as familiar with the metrology (the scientific study of measurement) terminology. That’s why we’ve compiled a pretty simple list of scale terminology to help you understand the scientific aspects of this study of measurement.

Accuracy– The ability of the weighing system to repeat with each weighment and weight display of the reading compared to known weights repeated. 

Recently our laboratory service technician was on a call to calibrate pH meters for a customer in the food and beverage industry. While he was working, he happened to chat with a lab tech at the site and learned that they use moisture analysis. Doing some digging he realized that while they were constantly getting the weight calibrated, it had been over a year since the temperature had been calibrated on the unit! He brought that to the attention of the customer and fixed the problem while on site.

METTLER TOLEDO is the world’s leading provider of weighing equipment.  They provided weighing equipment that lasts well past the availability of replacement parts. Terminals are a prime example of such equipment we see in the field, with the Jaguar and the JAGXTREME being two of the most popular. As partners for your productivity, this worries us. If these terminals go down through a critical process in your production, we’re not going to have parts available for you and our only option is ordering replacement terminals. Safeguard your production process with the upgraded versions of these classic terminals, the IND570 and the IND780.

Who wouldn’t like to improve their warehousing efficiency? Intelligent use of scales in a production environment, especially a warehouse, has been proven to increase profitability. Scales ensure that you have a proper count of inventory, your product is shipped correctly and within the proper quality tolerances. Improving Efficiencies in Warehouses is easier than you think!