Minimising the carbon footprint is becoming increasingly important, and many companies consider it to be a moral obligation to do so. At the same time this enables them to reduce operational costs, as a direct result of the lower energy consumption of their material-handling systems.
Analysis shows that up to 70% of the energy consumption of a material-handling system is used by belt conveyors. The rest is used by other equipment such as screening machines and sorters. For this reason, Vanderlande Industries has developed the Greenveyor. The new, energy-efficient Greenveyor is a traditional conveyor that uses less energy. Research shows that savings of up to 40% can be achieved.
The first Greenveyor went operational at London Heathrow’s Terminal 5 on 30 October 2009.
On-site measurements show that the energy consumption of the Greenveyor installed at Terminal 5 is 30% lower than that of traditional conveyor systems. As well as these substantial energy savings, the Greenveyor allows further operational savings to be made by providing reduced maintenance costs. For example component wear is minimised by automatic belt tensioning, which means there is less need for periodical replacements. That makes a significant contribution to achieving the lowest possible operational costs and minimising material waste.