After upgrading its weighbridges with POWERCELL technology, a major Australian recycling operation saw return on investment in less than two months.
As landfill levy rates surge across the country, waste operators are becoming increasingly conscious of ensuring they have accurate weighing systems in place.
According to John Beard, METTLER TOLEDO Weighbridge Business Area Manager, vehicle weighing is key to managing operational profitability at waste and recycling facilities.
He notes a recent METTLER TOLDEDO project, where the company helped a major Australian recycling operation upgrade several of their weighbridges with POWERCELL PDX load cells, driver control stations and security measures such as cameras and boom gates.
“The operation had purchased weighbridges from a non-METTLER TOLEDO supplier a few years back and through an audit, identified problems around the weighbridge operations,” Beard says.
“This was later identified as a combination of lack of accuracy around the weighbridge technology and cheating drivers using the weighbridge.”
This yielded significant profit loss, Beard says, as well as traceability issues. He adds that drivers taking advantage of the old system were being paid for more than they delivered.
“The solution to upgrade their existing weighbridges with new load cell technology, driver control stations and other accessories helped to provided alerts and safeguarding measures to improve daily operations,” Beard says.
“By incorporating boom gates, cameras and traffic lights, the company reduced the risk of improper truck positioning, altering data, stealing at the weighbridge and load cell tampering. They now receive real-time alert notifications of any misconduct.”
After adopting these technologies, the recycling operation received return on investment in less than two months.
“The company has been extremely satisfied with the upgrades and are continuing to implement more security measures to prevent cheating at their weighbridges,” Beard says.
METTLER TOLEDO is a global manufacturer and supplier of complete weighing systems and precision instruments, offering reliable solutions and services for the waste and recycling industry.
Kevin Diep, Systems and Innovations Business Area Manager, says METTLER TOLEDO industrial weighing solutions work in two ways to help ensure accurate and efficient billing in the waste industry.
“First, our solutions offer smart load cell technology to achieve the highest levels of accuracy at the scale. Starting with accurate weighments is the first step in ensuring accurate bill-of-sales,” he says.
“Second, we offer user-friendly weight transaction systems that work to capture data automatically, eliminating the risk of human error. When combined, the result is a system with foolproof billing.”
METTLER TOLEDO weighbridge designs are meticulously tested for durability before new designs are released into the market, Diep says. He adds that customers can be confident that their weighbridge will stand up to the harshest environmental conditions.
Furthermore, Diep highlights a distinction between METTLER TOLEDO’s technology and traditional digital load cells.
Proven POWERCELL technology offers an additional level of filtering on top of a digital core, he explains, which works to filter out environmental noise that affects the accuracy of a weight reading.
“Additionally, POWERCELL load cells offer advanced diagnostics down to the specific load cell in a system, enabling an operation to catch any problems before it would cause a scale shutdown,” Diep says.
“This helps to minimise unexpected downtime and provides customers peace of mind where they are always informed.”
In addition to its trusted weighbridge systems, METTLER TOLEDO offers a range of floor scales and industrial weighing software solutions ideal for the waste industry.
For higher-cost waste and recyclables, Jim Lambros, Standard Industrial Product Manager, says a floor scale is necessary to get an accurate weighment.
“POWERCELL technology is available in our PowerDeck floor scales, bringing accuracy, operator guidance and advanced diagnostics into your bulk-handling operation,” he says.
“Our transaction software is available in standard versions for plug-and-operate simplicity, and customisable versions which can be designed to fit exact workflows.”
METTLER TOLEDO sales and service personnel are available to help operators throughout their entire project, offering a consultative approach.
“We can help from solution selection, to optimising site layout for maximised efficiency, through the installation process,” he says.
Lambros explains that professional weighbridge installation ensures equipment is ready for vehicle traffic, right from the start.
“Our factory trained service technicians work to ensure a smooth installation, with onsite support including confirmation of weighbridge foundation quality, safe weighbridge installation consistent with site requirements and traffic control and peripheral devices that are ready for operation,” he says.
“Our expert sales and service teams across Australia and New Zealand can help operations select from a variety of durable floor scales, indicators, weighbridges and software solutions.
“These smart solutions are designed to maximise uptime and efficiency.”
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