Vincent Crochemore, Director of ITP Convoyeurs, and Cyril Touchet, Sales Director at FEMAAG, share their perspectives on the new opportunities offered by continuous handling systems in the agri-food industry.

“Today, a conveyor does much more than simply link two machines,” explains Vincent Crochemore. “The transfer phase can be leveraged to integrate value-added functions such as counting, indexing, rejection, or FIFO management. The possibilities are extensive, and not all manufacturers are fully aware of the potential available to them. Conveying can also help improve overall equipment effectiveness (OEE), particularly through advanced accumulation solutions.”

Cyril Touchet adds: “Changes in packaging have a direct impact on how products are transferred and handled at machine infeed. Standard technologies are no longer always suited to these new requirements. Reducing friction—or even eliminating contact altogether—has become essential to preserve packaging integrity and limit downtime, whether for lightweight plastic containers or glass.”

In this context, specialists in continuous handling face multiple challenges: reducing micro-stoppages, managing buffer zones, and restoring capacity to saturated lines—all while maintaining high throughput and operating within tight space constraints. When it comes to accumulation, approaches may vary.

Vincent Crochemore notes that “demand for accumulation zones is growing, along with the solutions designed to meet it. Accumulation is just one of many levers to optimize line performance; its relevance depends on a comprehensive analysis of machines, flows, and the surrounding environment. It can also be adapted to fragile packaging by adjusting volumes and weights to reduce pressure. For limited buffer storage and high-value products, dynamic accumulation tables that prevent product contact may be preferred. At the end of the line, upstream of a palletizer for example, retention can also be achieved using roller conveyors.”

According to Cyril Touchet, “single-file conveying remains the most effective way to prevent contact between products. Although it was previously set aside due to space constraints, new compact solutions now make it possible to reintroduce it on high-speed lines. In addition, reducing downtime requires a strong focus on machine infeed, which is often where blockages occur. While current solutions remain limited, alternatives exist that can interface with packaging machines and significantly reduce the need for accumulation zones.”

Finally, both experts agree on a key point: it is essential to clearly identify the root causes of issues and to consider the specific constraints of each line in order to properly size and implement solutions. They also emphasize the importance of communication between handling systems and machines, which is crucial to ensure smooth, synchronized flow management.