Safety compliance should be one of the top priorities of any major manufacturing plant or production line, and that goes all the way down to the very basic: Safety signs. While it may seem trivial, particularly to larger safety concerns that may be on the production floor, overall factory and plant safety starts with this basic component. 

Why are these signs so important?

Workers in factories and plants throughout the world go to work every day in high-risk environments and production floors. While they likely have been given the necessary precautions, warnings, and other necessary alerts before coming onto the floor, they may not fully understand the risks or where these dangerous zones are. There might be areas or rooms on the production floor that don’t appear at all risky but actually prove dangerous for the unwitting.

It’s mandatory, according to law, to make sure there are clear, delineated safety signs or markings that indicate if an area is hazardous, and if certain products or items need special handling. On-the-job safety is always a major concern for companies that value their workers, and with the recent years’ improvement on safety for workers, there are now standards that companies nationwide must adhere to.

Examples of vital signages

During the work day, throughout the work area, there must be clear signs that keep employees, workers, supervisors, and guests—virtually anyone who steps into the factory floor—aware of what to do and what to be cautious about. These are mandatory by law.

The first example is the traffic signs. They may not be particularly obvious as safety signs, but traffic signs which indicate which way people, carts, or machinery may be moving will keep workers aware of whether or not they may be coming upon someone. Prohibition signs prevent people from smoking or eating in certain areas, or even prohibit them from being there without security equipment. Which brings us to security signs, which remind workers without clearance or the proper gear not to enter areas with dangerous materials or intense temperatures. Finally, there are the office signs, which let people know where to find the supervisors or offices, in case anything goes wrong.

All these signs may be simple, but they are important in keeping worker safety in the building. It starts from the very basic, after all. To learn more about safety practices and vital information in maintaining production efficiency, visit www.kcsupply.com and read more on the blogs.

Machines are what keep production going, and are the very beating heart of any production line, proving that plant maintenance should be one of the major concerns in a manufacturing plant. The machines that are tasked with creating products or items for a company are what keeps the entire enterprise going. If they are not carefully maintained or overseen on a day-to-day basis, there can be a huge chance for machine failure, with devastating results.

When purchasing a large production machine, the overall upkeep of this machine should be included in the considerations. Upgrades, costs, and most of all, maintenance need to be part of the plans. The upkeep of machines that are the essential part of the manufacturing processes, particularly large scale production, is tantamount to keeping everything running smoothly without a hitch.

What happens without plant maintenance?

Without a consistent plan of plant upkeep for all the production machines on the floor, there’s a chance that one of the vital technologies for production can fail. Sensitive sensors could stop working, limbs or machinery could drop–even just one device failure could mean a meltdown, causing thousands, or even millions of dollars lost in terms of sub-part production items, equipment repairs, and time lost. Time is always money in production. Each moment that one of the production machines, large scale or small, is down and unable to produce, means that profits are lost.

What could it cost a company?

Apart from the loss of the usage of a machine, a production line without proper plant maintenance would lose money from the products it would have been unable to complete. Losses are also incurred in the form of raw material or product that would not have been completed as a result of a faulty machine.

This is particularly important to remember for companies that manufacture or handle perishables or items that require a specific standard of quality control in order for a finished product to be sent out. Without regular upkeep, failures in the production line result in a product that doesn’t meet the standard. This could mean a sharp loss in stock, being unable to meet orders, and even bigger costs in fines if it puts the production at risk of health violations.

Ways to Avoid Losses

Draft up a regular plant maintenance plan that requires daily checks and upkeep of each machine on the production line. Consult with experts who will be able to give vital insight on ways to keep machines running, as well as important system upgrades that won’t just improve efficiency but also give the company the most production.

Learn more about large scale production and upkeep by consulting with the experts at KCSupply. Visit www.kcsupply.com to learn more.

Long-term grain storage has been the bane of every farmer’s life. If done improperly, this can render the precious harvest wasted. For this reason, it is important that you store your grains properly to avoid wastage.

As it turns out, the first step to this isn’t in the harvest itself, but on the grain bins. Here’s what you should do to ensure optimal long-term storage.

• Prepare your storage facilities – Make sure that your grain bin storage is clean and dry. You should also check under it and around it. Make sure there is no spot for insects to grow. Remember that if you battled insect infestation in the previous harvest, then you should fumigate your bin.
• Dry your grain to the right moisture content – Put only high-quality and mature corn into the bin storage so that it will keep better. Then, understand the right moisture content for your grains. You need to know the maximum allowable storage of your product, and you need to know the different temperatures that you should monitor throughout the year. You should never be complacent and set it at just say, 13% and leave it for a year. Also, make sure that you improve aeration by using a grain spreader. This ensures that the air will go through your harvest evenly and there would be minimal spoilage.
• Mind the temperature – The temperature for your grain storage is not the same during summer and during winter. For this reason, it pays to use a storage system that is combined with a good aeration system. This gives you full control of the temperature, so you can adjust it as you need.

The quality of your produce would depend on the quality of the grains that you put into the storage at the beginning, and how well you maintained it during the storage. In case you have any doubts, ask us at KC Supply to see if your storage system is enough to keep your grains free from spillage or wastage if you are considering long-term storage.

 

Checking grain storage is a vital part of storing your harvest and protecting your investment. However, did you know that the purpose of grain storage varies from group to group? The common clusters for this are farmers (such as yourself), traders, and the government. Here’s why these groups store their grains.

• Farmers – Majority of farmers store a portion of their grains for personal consumption, or their household’s food supplies. Whatever they don’t consume are allocated for the market, which they would want to sell on profitable times. Here, checking grain storage is important as the farmers would have to know when to sell: it should not be too costly or too risky, and should give them a good profit margin.
• Traders – Now, there are a lot of organizations that trade in grains. Grains are used for a lot of things, after all, and traders would need to have enough grain in storage in case their suppliers would fail to deliver raw products. For this reason, traders are highly invested in grain storage. You can almost bet that checking grain storage is the norm for them, particularly when they may need to access reserves.
• Government — The government does store grain for a number of reasons, among them to stabilize prices, food security reserve, and as a reserve in case the supplies cannot cope up with the demand. In such cases, governments have the proper storing capabilities to ensure that the grains won’t go to waste.

These three groups have their own reasons for storing grain, but they also limit the number of grains they store. Storing grains come with costs, and the more quantities of grain are kept, the higher the risk that the benefits derived from grain storage would be lost. Whatever the case, routinely checking grain storage is a must to ensure that all that grain wouldn’t be wasted.

Are you looking for grain storage tools? Head over to KC Supply—your one-stop shop for your farming needs. Click here to know more.

 

When it comes to farming, your job doesn’t stop once you have harvested your crop. You have to regularly monitor the grain quality of your harvest too.

There are many things that go into measuring your grain’s quality. The kernel size, hardness, and density of your grains would dictate if has been a good harvest, as well as the moisture content and the bulk density. Yet the bottom line is that a good quality grain would fetch higher prices in the market.

However, a lot of growers do not have the tools to properly monitor their grain quality. As such, many lose a lot of their hard work and investment from spoilage and shrinkage, both of which lead to lowered market value.  This means they might’ve spent more on the harvest than on what they would earn on the market.

Why would you compromise all your efforts when it can be rectified by properly monitoring your grain?

The first step to properly monitor the quality of your harvest is to invest in a good grain storage. Remember, the quality of your grain will no longer improve by the time you harvest it. The only thing you can control is to ensure that no harm comes to your grain—and there are quite a number of factors that can harm it too. There are insects, fungus, and molds to contend with, as well as moisture and poor sanitation. By having a good quality grain storage, you would be able to keep the temperature where you want it to be without damaging your grain.

If you are looking to preserve your grain quality by using a premium grain storage, then you’ve come to the right place. We at KC Supply offers an extensive line of bulk material conveying equipment and safety supplies. With our products, your grain quality will be protected from moisture, mold, insects, and fungus. Contact us today to know more.