How We Helped: Stories from our Customers

Ultimation has an entire warehouse of great suggestions for solving material handling problems. But our customers are just as creative. They’ve found some great new uses for our in stock, quick-ship products. Here are some recent examples:

That’s how we roll

Roller and Bracket Kayak Transport

After a long day on the lake, the last thing one of our customers wanted to do was load the pontoon fishing boat onto the utility trailer. But a couple of two-packs of 17” rollers and brackets made this task a whole lot easier. And it was gentler on the pontoons.

“Mounted them on 2x4s and voila! Problem solved,” the customer writes. “Easy on and easy off by lifting one end while the other glides along the rollers.”

It’s all in the detail

A customer needed a solution to clean and detail wheels after track day…but didn’t want to spend a lot of money on a commercial set-up. Ultimation’s roller and bracket set earns the checkered flag.

Roller and Bracket Set Wheel Detail

“I mounted these to a piece of wood and they allow me to clean/detail my wheels,” writes the customer. The durable rollers have a 100-pound capacity and the set costs less than $50.

Building a better (truck) bed

Flow Rail Truck Bed Solution

Ultimation’s Flow Rail 5’ long Skate Wheel Conveyor helped one customer make moving materials in and out of a truck bed easier.

“Bought six pieces, cut them to fit my 8-foot bed,” the customer writes. “Works really well for 8-foot drawer boxes.” Another customer says: “I like the fact the material is heavy duty and I’ll be able to cut into 1 foot lengths.”

The weight capacity is 260 pounds per foot when they are fully supported and uniformly loaded.

For more solutions, visit Ultimation’s online store.

Four Good Things Happen When You Motorize Your Old Gravity Roller Conveyor

Retrofit kits can quickly and cost-effectively deliver technology benefits

Companies that have an existing gravity roller conveyor can extend its life and upgrade its function by converting it into a Motor-Driven Roller (MDR) conveyor system.

Making the upgrade involves adding new motorized rollers, motor controllers and power supplies, while keeping current frames and leg supports.  Photo-eye sensors also can be added to move products from zone to zone.

Ultimation offers retrofit kits to convert gravity roller conveyors to MDR conveyors.  The kits come pre-configured to suit existing conveyor frames, making implementation quicker and costs lower than purchasing an entirely new system.

“When it comes to conveyor system updates, sometimes the best solution is to start where you are, rather than from scratch,” says Kali Cresent, Ultimation’s e-commerce general manager.  “Existing conveyor systems can often be updated quickly and cost effectively with a few, simple upgrades through a retrofit kit.”

MDR 10' Long x 24" Wide Shipping Warehouse

Ultimation customers who have made the change to MDR technology have noticed four things:

More productive employees.  The post pandemic staffing crisis continues, with 3.4 million fewer Americans working today compared to February of 2020, according to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.   Business of all types have had to adjust to constrained workforces.  A distance that requires two or three employees to move product along on a gravity roller conveyor might only require one employee on a MDR conveyor system.

Quiet, energy-efficient operations.  MDR conveyor systems use 24-volt DC technology. The result is a conveyor system that uses electricity very efficiently, only using energy when actively moving cargo. The system also is low-noise, providing a safer and more comfortable workplace.

Simple, plug-and-play installation, maintenance and repair.  The retrofit kits are a simple ‘snap-in’ conversion format.  Installation can be done by end-user maintenance or engineering teams.  In addition, if repairs are needed in the future the modular components can be easily replaced by in-house teams, reducing downtime.

Elimination of product damage and bottlenecks.  MDR conveyors use sensors and controls to ensure packages don’t get damaged by crushing against each other. Loads continue moving along the MDR conveyor until they get close to (but do not touch) the product unit in front. As a result, there are no gaps or bottlenecks in the line.

Ultimation is the leading direct-to-consumer conveyor manufacturer and serves the automotive, food processing, vertical farming, heavy equipment, warehousing, fulfillment and delivery segments.

The retrofit kits, as well as a full range of replacement parts including motors, motor controllers, belts and ready-to-run conveyors are available through the Ultimation online store.  Many conveyors and parts can be shipped the same day.  In addition to the conveyor system components, businesses that are looking for a quick update also can get needed technical support through the Ultimation team.