Chocolate maker moves machinery on thin air26 March 2013

Easter egg and confectionery manufacturer Kinnerton is expanding and altering its production lines in the pre-Easter rush with little effort by moving machinery around on air skates.

The Hovair air skates, from Movetech UK, make it easy for Kinnerton to move the production units – weighing 1.5 tonnes each – around as needed.

Kinnerton's engineering supervisor Tony Bond says: "We move our machinery around like there's no tomorrow... We never have a production line set up in the same way for more than two days."
Compressed air and a smooth surface are all that is required to enable air skates to virtually eliminate friction. Unlike wheels, air skates provide omni-directional capabilities, meaning that a load can be moved in any direction without the need for turning manoeuvres.

Available in a variety of sizes and capacities, a set of four air skates can carry anything from 2 to 60 tonnes.

Kinnerton's first set of LA14 air skates from Movetech was added to a chocolate enrobing machine which can be moved in or out of the production line. A second set of six LA10 skates is fitted to a conveyor, so it can be moved into position along the production line as required.

Bond adds: "We have purchased 10 air skates from Movetech this year, to go with the eight existing air skates from years ago... We use the air skates in the chocolate bar production area. To move our machines takes around five minutes from start to finish. I like using them because they don't damage the floor and then they don't move once you've put them down. You inflate them, move the machine, put it down and it stays put. We don't even have to re-level the machine."

Laura Cork

Related Companies
Movetech UK

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