How the Moving Assembly Line Revolutionized the Conveyor Belt

At the beginning of the 20th century, the car's business model wasn't completely effective. Most cars were considered a luxury many could not afford to spend the time or money on.  In order to create "a motor car for the great multitude," Henry Ford realized new innovations were necessary—and so the assembly line was born.

Utilizing four principles (interchangeable parts, continuous flow, division of labor, and reducing wasted effort), the factories began mass produce car parts. To increase workflow, the conveyor belt, a product developed a few years prior was incorporated into production. This process revolutionized the automotive industry and sparked a new relationship between the warehouse and conveyor belting.

Now, in the 100th anniversary year of the moving assembly line, it's safe to say this process put the world on wheels. Car and Driver's piece on the development of this process highlights how the production numbers greatly increased as prices went down—and eventually, the world was on the road.


The conveyor belt assembly line is used in a number of industries, from mining to food processing. As manufacturers of conveyor belting and conveyor belt solutions, we’re proud to work in an industry that has caused so much growth, employment and innovation. For more information on our wire belting and other products, check out our website.

How Conveyor Belts Are Suited to Each Food Processing Job

Conveyor belts and the food industry have a great relationship. It seems whenever a news station or television show gets access to a factory, hundreds of products zoom through production on a lightning-fast conveyor belt. Regardless of whether a company is producing boxes of crackers or moving fruit down a line, there’s a conveyor belt for every job.

The important part of this process is to tailor each specific belt to the product. Although it doesn’t always matter what weave is used, the metal is key. Our belts are available in carbon, galvanized, and stainless steel, and each is tailored to the specific food product and temperature.

For example, 304 stainless steel—one of the most versatile and popular forms of stainless steel—is standard for frozen foods. Surprisingly, on the other end of the temperature spectrum, most food applications in frying also use the 304 grade. This specific grade is made up of classic 18/8 stainless steel, and it’s the most common among manufacturers because it can be readily formed and has superior welding and forming capabilities.

Say a company made the mistake of using an incorrect material for their product, the processed food could be compromised and the belt could have major corrosion issues. The mechanical properties in these belts are very delicate and suited to each customer’s need, which is why there’s no reason to look elsewhere—for a trusted source of conveyor belting, head over to our website.

How Can Conveyor Belts Increase Mining ROI?

Canada’s mining industry is strong. The Toronto Stock Exchange and the TSX Venture Exchange makeup 58 percent of the world’s public mining companies, and Canada ranks in the top five in producing nickel, platinum, aluminum, diamonds, and many other resources.

There’s always room for improvement. If your technique is slowing down the process, it doesn’t matter what minerals you’re mining or how well the industry itself is doing. Although there are many ways to mine a product, don’t you want to know the best way to add to existing capacities while increasing the return on investment?

Here’s an example of how to boost production: Say your company uses a slope—most are rectangular with a wide span for the floor and roof—to remove goods because drilling directly down isn’t an option. You notice it’s increasingly tedious to bring mined goods up to ground level, and you’re looking for a solution. This is where installing conveyor belts can help speed up production and increase the ROI as an end result. Conveyor systems are an easy-to-use, consistent way to raise production levels, and they allow workers to better inspect minerals as they head to the surface.

Check out this model of an underground mine with a conveyor system:

We at Furnace Belt have been working for almost four decades to offer the highest quality round-wire woven and flat metal belting for mining operations. In order to maintain a high level of mineral production and boost your company’s profit, we hope you’ll turn to us for all your custom conveyor belt needs.

Recognizing the Importance of Conveyor-Belt Safety

If you’ve ever seen the “I Love Lucy” famous candy factory scene, you know how fast-paced conveyor belts can move. Although it’s funny to watch Lucy and Ethel frantically shove chocolate in their faces to avoid getting fired, those aren’t practices most food processing companies would find acceptable. June is National Safety Month, so we are highlighting the importance of conveyor belt safety.

Ensuring safety for our employees and customers begins before work begins. All conveyor parts are assembled, stabilized, and tested. Safety features such as rails and netting are put in place to protect workers from objects that might accidentally fall off the belt.

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety & Health Administration lays out the safety and health regulations for using conveyors, and here are a few key points:

• Systems must have a stopping mechanism at the operator’s station
• A warning signal must sound immediately before starting up the machine
• Emergency stop switches should not allow the conveyor to start again until the stop has been reset to an “on” position
• Each crossover, aisle, or passageway must be marked with a sign
• If machine isn’t suitable for use, a clear “Do Not Operate” tag must be visible

Furnace Belt makes safety a priority, and we encourage you to check out the video below to learn about the National Safety Council’s Journey to Safety Excellence:

Image courtesy of I Love Lucy's Facebook page