Switching from vulcanised conveyor belts to Smiley Monroe’s ZIP CLIP® conveyor belts has significantly reduced maintenance downtime for RiverRidge Recycling in Northern Ireland.

Improving safety and increasing operational efficiency were the key concerns for the waste management company. ZIP CLIP’s ready-to-fit system means conveyor belts can be fitted safely from ground level in under two hours, without the need for a specialist vulcanising team or equipment such as scissor lifts or scaffolding. 

Manufactured by Smiley Monroe for the mobile crushing and screening aftermarket, the ZIP CLIP® belt range has been developed to suit recycling applications. In the case of RiverRidge Recycling, ZIP CLIP® mechanically-fastened conveyor belts have replaced their traditional vulcanised belts across their entire operations. Making the switch has significantly reduced RiverRidge’s downtime for both planned and unplanned maintenance. In the case of a breakdown or planned replacement, RiverRidge’s team are now able to immediately fit a ZIP CLIP® belt from stock and once fitted and tensioned, the belt can be run immediately.   

In recycling, waste management and materials recovery industry applications, machinery is typically processing a greater variety of conveyed materials which enhances the risk of a range of conveyor belt damages within a shorter timeframe from installation. Rips, breakages and conveyor blockages are inevitable during the lifespan of the machine however their likelihood and frequency is significantly increased within the recycling industry.  

To put this in perspective, RiverRidge processes in excess of 400,000 metric tonnes of waste per year and lifts 23,000 bins across Northern Ireland. It’s a fast-paced operation with tight schedules, and machinery breakdowns can significantly disrupt operations.

As Head of Product Support, Chris Jones, notes on vulcanising conveyor belts: “When you bring a specialised team in to vulcanise a conveyor it usually takes all day to fit it and if it is cold vulcanised, there could be another twelve hours to twenty-four hours curing time.” 

Having ZIP CLIP®, a ready-to-fit conveyor belt, on-hand at their sites for the team to re-fit themselves has meant that RiverRidge’s downtime is significantly reduced in the face of a machine breaking down.  

Crucially, the team can re-fit ZIP CLIP® themselves in just two hours or less avoiding the need to plan for a servicing crew to visit on-site which can have a variety of safety requirements to facilitate for static machinery, such as scaffolding and lifts. 

This significant reduction in downtime and ease of installation is perfectly suited to the fast-paced operations of a busy waste management facility like RiverRidge, directly improving their efficiencies. 

As RiverRidge Recycling’s Operations Manager, Mark McIvor, notes: “We keep the belts in stock because it minimises our downtime. Smiley Monroe came out and did a survey of our plant and measured all the belts. All our conveyors have belt numbers on them, so if we have a belt that breaks, we take one out of our own stock, we fit it, we ring Smiley Monroe, give them the belt number and they make us a new one.”  

Carrying out a survey of RiverRidge’s machinery enabled Smiley Monroe’s Product Support team to create a bespoke ZIP CLIP® solution manufactured at Smiley Monroe HQ and tailored for RiverRidge’s machinery. With belt specifications logged, it enables Smiley Monroe to respond quicker to re-orders, future enquiries and general product support.     

If you’re interested in how ZIP CLIP® can improve your operational efficiencies and minimize your machinery downtime, get in touch with Smiley Monroe’s team today to discuss: hello@smileymonroe.com