Have you made your game plan to ensure a smooth and productive peak season? Taking the time now to confirm that your conveyor and chutes are in optimal working order can save a lot of unnecessary — and unplanned — downtime during the busiest time of the year. When these critical parcel handling components aren’t functioning as they should, it can severely hamper your productivity and throughput. That’s why you should schedule preventive maintenance services from Talos Engineered Products’ Field Services Department as soon as possible.

Trends Point to Longer, Busier Peak Period

If last year’s holiday season was any indication, 2024 will be a busy one for operations involved in retail order fulfillment and parcel handling. In 2023, despite the effects of inflation and high interest rates, consumers propelled holiday retail sales to a new record of $964.4 billion. That represented 3.8% growth over 2022, according to the National Retail Federation.

Record e-commerce spending contributed to that historic figure, according to holiday e-commerce data from Adobe Analytics. Adobe found that from November 1 to December 31, consumers spent $222.1 billion online — an increase of 4.9% over 2022.

One of the most notable takeaways from Adobe’s report on 2023 holiday shopping was the season’s extended length:

• Online shoppers spent $109.3 billion between November 1 and November 27 (Cyber Monday), a 7.3% increase over the previous year.
• Cyber Monday spending jumped 9.6% over 2022, to $12.4 billion.

With more retailers adding pre-holiday sales events in October over the past two years, an occurrence that’s likely to happen again this fall. That means peak season will be longer than ever. Are your parcel handling conveyors and chutes ready?

Talos’ Pre-Peak Season Preventive Maintenance Services

There are a number of ways that Talos’ Field Services team can help get your equipment in “peak season” condition. Moreover, these services are not exclusively for Talos’ UHMW, galvanized, and stainless steel chutes and powered conveyors, but can also be engaged for similar types of equipment that could be causing you headaches.

Operational Assessments

For operations that aren’t entirely sure what services their equipment needs, Talos’ Field Services Engineers perform operational assessments. These include inspections of the existing conveyors and chutes to identify performance issues. The team listens to facility maintenance managers’ concerns and observations about equipment functionality and offers recommendations for ways to proactively address them.

Additionally, if the Talos team identifies issues beyond preventive maintenance needs — such as flow inconsistencies, jams, or bottlenecks — they can make suggestions for system modifications or expansions.

Equipment Maintenance

Scheduling preventive maintenance activities for chutes and conveyors ahead of peak season avoids unscheduled downtime during the busiest time of the year. Preventive maintenance services for these critical systems include a thorough cleaning to remove adhesive labels, dust, debris, and other build-up shed by cardboard cartons. On chutes, label debris can be particularly problematic, impeding the flow of parcels which can hang up on them.

In addition to improving operational performance, cleaning conveyor components reduces the risk of fire caused by friction as the belts rub against debris build up. Conveyor maintenance also includes lubrication of bearings, replacement of worn pulleys, tightening of all bolts, belting and connections on guardrails and supports, inspection of all moving parts, and more.

Performance Adjustments

In addition to comprehensive equipment maintenance and cleaning, the Talos Field Services team evaluates the current performance of the chutes and conveyors. For example, if flow issues are identified, the team has the capability to adjust the geometries of the chutes and belt tracking of conveyors to prevent parcel hang-ups. Addressing these alignment issues ahead of peak season ensures that equipment performs as expected. Otherwise, jams will require additional manual labor — which is already difficult to hire — to push or pull parcels along their designated route.

Spare Parts Evaluations

It’s always a good idea to keep spare parts and components on hand in case of a mechanical failure. To help operations verify that they have stocked the right spares in the appropriate quantities, Talos’ Field Services team can evaluate current inventory. This includes confirming the correct part numbers are on-site, checking the condition of the components, and making recommendations for items in need of replenishment. It also covers consumables such as lubricants, O-rings and pulleys. Ensuring that all necessary spare parts are already at the facility prior to the start of peak season reduces downtime when repairs or replacements are needed.

Facility Maintenance Team Training

Unplanned downtime due to deferred preventive maintenance isn’t just a peak season problem. It can be a problem any time of the year. To help operations avoid these unexpected delays, TALOS’ Field Services Engineers can train a facility’s in-house maintenance, repair, and operations (MRO) team. Training programs are available to instruct personnel on proper maintenance practices for both chutes and powered conveyors.

Outsourced Preventive Maintenance

For operations that don’t have in-house technicians and maintenance staffers — or those that want additional support — Talos offers outsourced preventive maintenance contracts. These engagements include routine, scheduled inspections and maintenance services for conveyors and chutes performed by Talos’ Field Services team throughout the year (not just ahead of the peak holiday season). Each preventive maintenance arrangement is tailored to the needs of the facility, its equipment, products, workflows, and operations.

Need help getting your operation ready for peak holiday season? Engage our Field Services Department. We look forward to helping you. Contact Talos’ Field Services team at fieldservicesgroup@talosep.com