Automated Conveyor Systems history

He began his series of inventions in 1891 to develop a more efficient way to carry coal and ore.

The first heavy-duty conveyor belt appeared in 1892 to carry coal, ore and similar products.

After his invention’s success, Robins formed the Robins Conveyor Belt Company and patented the three-roll idler in 1896.

In the early 1900’s factories began to use conveyor systems to move items from one point to another during the material handling.

In 1901, the first steel conveyor belts came to fruition thanks to Sweden’s Sandvik engineering company.

The next major innovation was the underground conveyor belt, which mining engineer Richard Sutcliffe invented and patented in 1905.

The first European manufacturer to adopt conveyor belts was probably the coffee production company Kaffee HAG, also known as Coffee HAG. The world’s first decaffeinated coffee producer began production in 1907 in Bremen, Germany.

In the 1950s, the half-twist was introduced in order to allow an even wear of the belt itself, preventing excessive wear of one area of the belt and extending its lifetime. It wasn’t until 1913 that Henry Ford introduced the conveyor belt assembly line to his Michigan factory, and through the remainder of the 20th century, the conveyor belt was continuously improved through the implementation of new construction materials and configurations.

In 1914, Ford introduced a new mechanized belt that moved as fast as 6 feet per minute.

Conveyors saw improvement once again in 1957, when the B.F. Goodrich Company introduced the first turnover conveyor belt to the world.

He opened his first restaurant and patented the concept in 1958 before moving on to open 250 franchises throughout Japan.

By 1970, the first plastic, modular conveyor belt was developed, which was more resistant to weak overall.

Stretching for 61 miles, the current world record-holder for longest conveyor belt was built in 1972 in the Western Sahara.

On December 31, 1986, the company purchased a 74,000 square foot building to accommodate the company’s expanding workforce and regularly growing client base.

In 1988, Daifuku developed the pallet-type FDS to replace slat conveyors (Photo 3). The FDS is a urethane-roller conveyor that continuously carries car bodies mounted on pallets.

In 1993, Daifuku developed the noncontact power supply system HID jointly with New Zealand's University of Auckland.

In 1996, ACS expanded again, building a new, 143,220 square foot building on a 13-acre site in Lynchburg, VA. The current facility houses the manufacturing, engineering, and administrative departments of the company in a central location, facilitating better collaboration among the business units.

ACS expanded yet again in 2014, when a 38,000 square foot addition was constructed to create more space for the storage, shipping, and maintenance needs of our growing company.