Smiley Monroe host Institute of Quarrying meeting

Conveyor company present overview of their operations to technical meeting of the Northern Ireland branch

Smiley Monroe recently hosted a technical meeting for The Institute of Quarrying’s Northern Ireland branch, on 5 December 2011 at the Dunadry Hotel near Antrim.

Vaughan Monroe, managing director of Smiley Monroe, began by introducing key members of their sales and service teams, some of whom have been with Smiley Monroe for over 20 years. The presentation provided an overview of Smiley Monroe’s operations and 32-year history; from their beginnings in 1979 as a conveyor belt service provider to local quarries, through first exports of manufactured rubber products to USA in 1997, and onto today’s position as Europe’s largest producer of endless conveyor belts for the crushing, screening and recycling sectors.

Mr Monroe then explained the importance of the company’s accredited Quality and Health and Safety Management Systems (ISO 9001:2008 and OHSAS 18001:2007) and in-house belt testing lab, all of which are essential in ensuring that Smiley Monroe’s raw materials and finished products and services conform to the highest standards.

Smiley Monroe’s presentation illustrated their commitment to health and safety best practice in all areas of their operations and to raising the overall standards of safety within the industry through their products and training courses, which include: ‘Working Safely with Conveyors’ - a practical one-day training course beneficial to anyone exposed to conveyor systems; ‘King Roller’ - a self-cleaning polymer conveyor idler which is up to 60% lighter than a steel roller, delivering lower running costs and safer manual handling; and ‘Site Reports’ - a new service designed to reduce downtime through planned maintenance.

Smiley Monroe’s site service personnel are experienced in both vulcanizing and conveyor maintenance, so reports can be carried out for all conveyor components and not just for belts and rubber products. Site reports can help to highlight any problems, which can be dealt with before any potential health and safety incidents occur.

Finishing his presentation on how Smiley Monroe works with their local community and charity through the promotion of cross-community sport and Marie Curie Cancer Care, Mr Monroe added that together nearly £7,000 was raised in 2011’s charity football match and fun day.