Mr Blade programme now available in Italy
Martin Engineering’s pioneering conveyor belt optimization programme launched in Italy
BULK handling equipment solutions specialists Martin Engineering have launched their Mr Blade conveyor belt optimization programme in Italy’s construction materials sector.
Mr Blade is a direct-to-site service to maintain and replace belt cleaner blades. Already successful in the US and UK, the programme is an efficient way for construction materials manufacturers to improve productivity by helping to keep their conveyor belts running to achieve optimum performance.
Martin Engineering developed Mr Blade after studies found that nine out of 10 conveyor belt cleaners in operation were neither installed nor maintained properly, often resulting in material carry-back and spillage, greater wear and tear on the belt, increased downtime and reduces productivity.
In Italy, Martin Engineering are already well known for conveyor belt solutions in industries such as energy and steel. The Mr Blade programme will extend this offering to smaller sites, such as quarries, concrete and asphalt plants, which may not have their own on-site resources to maintain every aspect of the plant.
Andrea Passoni, Martin Engineering’s business unit manager for Italy, said: ‘Many construction materials producers believe that carry-back and spillage from conveyor belts is inevitable, but it’s not. At Martin Engineering we have the know-how and the products to solve these issues.
‘With Mr Blade we offer a money-back guarantee that customers will experience better cleaning, longer service life and lower cost of operation of their conveyor belts.
‘The idea behind the Mr Blade programme is to provide a consistent, high-quality service to help our customers maintain their conveyor belts so they keep their plants running smoothly. Mr Blade also eliminates the need to stock replacement blades and associated components. For busy production managers, it’s one less thing to worry about.’
To support the launch in Italy, for a limited period any new Mr Blade customers will receive the first product installation free of charge. Already several companies have taken up the offer, including Italian construction group Vitali.
Luigi Pinna, manager of Vitali’s Olbia asphalt plant, said: ‘We subscribed to the Mr Blade programme at a number of our production sites earlier in 2019 and we soon started to see the benefits in terms of reduced spillage and production uptime.
‘We anticipate that Mr Blade will continue to help us improve productivity and reduce carry-back and spillage, and we hope to extend the programme to more of our plants over the coming months.’
Italy’s first Mr Blade technician is Simone Memmola, who covers the north of the country. Equipped with a mobile workshop van – his job is to carry out proactive and preventative maintenance, replacing worn or failing components before they lead to a breakdown that stops production.
As part of the Mr Blade programme, Mr Memmola makes regular customer site visits to undertake Martin Engineering’s Walk-the-Belt 18-point inspection regime. As well as the belt cleaners themselves, where necessary he will adjust, repair or replace the main frame and tensioner of any belt cleaner at no charge.
An electronic record is kept of operating conditions on all conveyors in the Mr Blade programme using the MartinIQ app. This gives customers an assessment of vital components, including recommendations for avoiding costly failures and production downtime.
Martin Engineering say they expect to launch Mr Blade in other European countries later this year.
