By Greg Washburn and Joshua Belisle · Edited by Dana Gardner
Published August 6, 2024 · Reviewed by Greg Washburn · August 21, 2026
Summary
What problems does a plant have without central resin conveying?
A plant without a central resin handling system tends to lose production time, material and labor. Congestion around machines slows workers and raises spillage and injury risk, wrong material can reach the wrong machine, and frequent material changes and long hopper cleanouts add downtime. Without material validation, the plant cannot bid on contracts that require it, and constrained capacity limits growth.
Let’s look at the ramifications of not having a central system – and think about the associated costs – can you estimate your yearly losses from these problems?
It is not unusual to discover tens of thousands – even hundreds of thousands of wasted dollars in a plant without a good centralized resin handling system.
PROBLEMS = LOST PRODUCTION TIME, LOST PROFITS AND LOST CUSTOMERS!
Problems Experienced Without a Central System:
- Space needed for plant consolidation
– If you can’t handle more process machines some other plant will - Congestion on the floor around machines
– Slows workers – increases spillage and chance of injury - Lack of material validation/verification
– Can’t bid on contracts where validation required - Wrong material going to wrong machine
– Lost production time, rejects and lost material - High material spillage
– Loss of material and labor + safety hazard - Material related part defects
– Producing scrap instead of saleable parts - High maintenance/labor costs
– Increased payroll and parts cost - Frequent material changes
– Lost production time - Inefficient work flow
– Wastes space and labor - Lack of Automation
– Adds labor costs and extends lead times - Constrained production capacity
– Can’t increase revenue - Lengthy hopper cleanout times
– Increased labor – lost production - Poor drying of material
– Rejected parts – lost customers
Usually, the cost to install or upgrade an efficient resin handling system is recovered in a matter of months – not years – See examples of central system paybacks. Investment payback in Months – Not Years but a review of conditions in your plant is required to identify areas of loss and possible remedies.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is material spillage a problem without central conveying?
Without a central system, high material spillage means lost material and extra labor to clean it up, and resin on the floor is a safety hazard. Congestion around machines adds to the problem because it slows workers and increases both spillage and the chance of injury in the production area.
Can a plant without material validation bid on regulated contracts?
Plants that lack material validation and verification cannot bid on contracts where validation is required. The same gap allows the wrong material to reach the wrong machine, which costs production time, produces rejects and wastes material. Validation capability is one of the problems a central handling system is meant to address.
How does a lack of automation affect a plastics plant?
Without automated resin handling, labor costs rise and lead times extend. Frequent manual material changes cost production time, lengthy hopper cleanouts add labor and lost production, and an inefficient work flow wastes both space and labor. Constrained production capacity then makes it difficult for the plant to take on more work and grow revenue.
About the Authors
Vice President of Operations, Novatec
Greg Washburn is Vice President of Operations at Novatec and has been with the company for more than three decades. He is involved in all phases of engineering design and product manufacturing, giving him a broad perspective on how resin drying and conveying equipment moves from engineering concept through production and into real-world processing environments. Greg holds a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) and an MBA from Loyola University Maryland. His experience spans engineering, manufacturing and operations across Novatec’s material-handling technologies.
Technology Manager, Novatec
Joshua Belisle is Technology Manager at Novatec, where his work focuses on simulation and technology development for resin drying. He earned a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering with a minor in Engineering Business from the University of Virginia in 2023 and joined Novatec that same year. Joshua uses simulation tools to investigate previously difficult-to-measure aspects of the drying process, helping Novatec better understand airflow, heat transfer and other variables that influence resin-drying performance.
Related Articles
Review a central-system case study and see how a plant survey can quantify losses and investment payback.
Compare central conveying with manual handling and self-contained loaders, including labor and maintenance costs.
See how material verification and traceability help avoid wrong-material losses and investigate product problems.
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