A Recipe for Harmony from the VIBCO Cultural Cookbook...

Tim, a VIBCO Machine Shop team member, wrote this.  It's so worth sharing...

Harmony

Ingredients
2 People

Diections
Say the words, "I cannot be you, you cannot be me"
Appreciate each person for who they are
Mix the 2 people together gently but firmly
Allow the mixture to rest

Serve with a dash of humility, a dollop of wisdom, a few sprigs of humor, and a healthy portion of positive thinking

Serves: All

Nutritional Information
Amount per Serving  Calories 0  |   Total Fat 0  |  Cholesterol 0 

5 Tips to Get Best Pneumatic Vibrator Performance

You want to get the best, most efficient performance out of your VIBCO pneumatic vibrators... we want that, too!  So here are the Top 5 Tips from the VIBCO Expert Vibrator Guys

TIP #1: Mount Your Vibrators Correctly

Sounds simple, right?  You'd be surprised at how many times we come across vibrators that are improperly installed.  Make sure that you get it right the first time so that you can get the best performance and longest life out of your VIBCO Pneumatic Vibrators.  We include easy-to-follow, detailed instructions with every vibrator.  But if you need more help or you just want to be sure, just send us a photo!  We'll be happy to mark up your photo so you can see exactly how your VIBCO Vibrator should be installed on your equipment.

One of the ways you can ensure a good mount is to select the correct mounting plate and channel for your bin. Here is a useful section from our Turbine Vibrators installation guide  See All VIBCO Installation and Service Manuals

TIP #2: Make Sure That Your Air Line is in Good Shape and the Right Size

Kinks, holes and leaks in your air line can easily degrade the performance of your pneumatic vibration equipment, causing it to run and then stop unexpectedly. Vibrator performance can be degraded if your air line is split between units ("T" junction) or used to run multiple vibrators. Best practice is to run separate, correctly-sized lines for each unit in operation and to perform periodic checks for kinks, leaks and holes.

TIP #3: Use Correct Air Pressure (PSI) and Air Flow (CFM)

Insufficient or too high air pressure flow can cause unit failures. So if you're serious about getting great vibrator performance, then an air pressure gauge is your best friend.  VIBCO Pneumatic Vibrators typically run on 60-80 PSI... so make sure that's what you are giving them!  Some of our vibrators can run on as low as 40 PSI or as much as 120 PSI, if those are your requirements.  Just ask a VIBCO tech for help recommending the right vibrator.

Vibrator CFM requirements vary by vibrator model and size, but are clearly marked on the vibrator housing or on the shipping box.  If you have any questions, just call us.  We have the information readily available to share with you.

TIP #4: Check Your Vibrator Mounting Fixtures Periodically

Most VIBCO Pneumatic Vibrators are virtually maintenance-free, but as with any mechanical equipment, you should periodically check to make sure all's well.  Mounting bolts, welds, plumbing connections and other hardware can fatigue over time, so you want to discover the issue BEFORE you have a problem.  And ALWAYS make sure to check that your safety cable is securely fastened to the bin, hopper or other structure.

TIP #5: Make Sure That Your Ball, Roller or Piston Vibrators are Properly Lubricated

Unless you're using a VIBCO Silent Turbine Vibrator, then chances are you may need to lubricate your vibrator.  Ball vibrators, piston vibrators, roller vibrators and high-frequency vibrators all require lubricated air.  Too much distance between the lubricator and vibration equipment can cause too little or no lubrication to reach the unit - your lubricator should be no more than 5 feet away from the unit. For best results, VIBCO recommends using air tool oil. You may also use SAE 10 or lighter machine tool oil, Marvel Mystery oil, or automatic transmission oil.

Just so you know, VIBCO has a direct cross-over turbine vibrator for just about any air vibrator application.  So if you're looking to eliminate the need to lubricate, just ask a VIBCO technician for a crossover today.

Contact VIBCO's technical support staff 24 hours per day, seven days per week at 800-633-0032.

5 Ways That VIBCO Vibrators Lower Industrial Production Costs

Do vibrators really help that much?  Yes!

Vibration is an absolutely critical part of most industrial material flow systems including bins and hoppers, conveyors, feeders, weigh-batchers, tote bins, and packaging systems.  Here are Five Ways that you can lower your costs by using VIBCO Vibrators...

METHOD #1: REDUCE PRODUCT LOSS AND IMPROVE CONSISTENCY OF MATERIAL FLOW

Vibrators help promote good material flow.  They break the friction between material and container walls, which aids gravity and allows material to move freely.

You will save money by reducing the product loss caused by material left in containers and overspill, completing cleanouts faster, improving batch accuracy, removing line clogs, and fixing other material flow problems.

METHOD #2: IMPROVE SAFETY

VIBCO Turbine Vibrators are virtually silent – that means no loud noise, no required hearing protection.

Also, by eliminating most material flow problems, vibrators mitigate the need to put employees at risk swinging a sledge hammer, climbing up onto or into bins for clean out, etc.

METHOD #3: MAKE PACKAGING AND SHIPPING MORE EFFICIENT

Whether you bag or box material, vibration will help you to fit more material into a smaller container. Vibration compacts all types of material, so you can ship less air. It also will compact bagged material to produce a flatter, more uniform, and more easily shipped package.

METHOD #4: USE LABOR, EQUIPMENT & MAINTENANCE FOR MORE VALUE-ADDED ACTIVITIES

Time spent clearing clogs, cleaning overspill, using a sledgehammer on a bin, or correcting inaccurately weighed batches is waste. Using vibrators gives you that time back so you can use it on work that actually adds value.

Many of the traditional and improvised methods to clear clogs - like using a sledgehammer - can lead to equipment fatigue and damage. Hammer rash, bin cracks and dents make sticking and clogging problems worse – and that means higher and higher costs.

METHOD #5: LEVERAGE VIBCO'S LEAN MANUFACTURING PROGRAM TO HELP MANAGE YOUR INVENTORY COSTS

The VIBCO Production System is designed to provide you with the product you want, when you want it, in the quantities you need.  We are an ideal supply chain partner because we know how important it is to eliminate waste and manage inventory.

We will be happy to participate in Kaizen events, set up Kanban inventory systems for our products, and provide expert technical and engineering support for your improvement goals.

Contact VIBCO's technical support staff 24 hours per day, seven days per week at 800-633-0032.

You know when you experience great customer service...  and you know when you don't.

I recently took my family on a five-day vacation to Disney World.  When it comes to World Class customer service, there are few that can rival The Mouse.  While the trip was purely for enjoyment and pleasure, I couldn't help but bring a few lessons and observations back to my home team at VIBCO.

Observation #1 - The Power of Consistency

Each and every employee (with a couple of notable exceptions... see Observation #3) referred to my 3 1/2 year old daughter as "Princess". 

"How are you today, Princess?"
"Are you excited to ride the teacups, Princess?"
"What would you like for dessert, Princess?"
"Have a lovely day, Princess!"

By the middle of our second day, my daughter was absolutely convinced that she was a princess.  That's the Disney magic... and it was incredible. 

Observation #2 - The Power of a Personal Connection

Upon our arrival at The Grand Floridian Hotel, I was the first out of the car. A cast member immediately and quietly asked my last name before the others in our party (my husband, daughter, mom and dad) were within ear shot, then...

"Welcome! Welcome! Welcome!  Hey everybody... The Kleinebergs are here!  Welcome to you!  We've been waiting for you all day!"

We were swept up in a flurry of attention and a gracious welcome that was just on the right side of overwhelming.  Perfection.

Observation #3 - The Danger of Misalignment

When you provide great service, your customers (in Disney's case, guests) expect great service.  When that service doesn't happen... especially on multiple occassions with a particular department or group... it's glaring, it's obvious, and it means that your customers will have unanswered questions about your organization.

"Does this group not receive the same training as everyone else?"
"Are the people who work in this area unhappy?"
"Why is there such a difference between this experience and all the others?"
"I wonder if there's some sort of labor dispute..."

None of those are questions that The Mouse wants it's guests to be thinking... but that's exactly what we were thinking whenever we rode a Disney Bus.  There was a Dramatic (with a capital D) difference between the demeanor of Disney Bus drivers and every other cast member we met.  The difference was profound and it was consistent.

I shared these observations with my team upon returning to the office... and I was delighted at their reaction.  Every person immediately and clearly understood how we can continue to improve and work toward our own version of Disney's World Class service. 

VIBCO's World Class Service doesn't involve us calling our customers "Princess", but it does mean that we need to consistently show them that they are important to us, that we are all working together to provide them with an easy and fun customer experience, that we appreciate them and will do everything within our power to make their day, and that we absolutly want to know about and work on those things where we fall short.

Cheers to The Mouse for a great vacation and for the inspiration.

In February 2011, OSHA issued a letter to grain handling facilities warning about the dangers of grain entrapment and reminding operators that it is their responsibility to recognize and prevent workplace hazards.

The letter was sent after a number of tragic and near-miss grain entrapment accidents including the following.

• July 2010, two teenagers (ages 14 and 19) were killed in a tragic incident involving a grain elevator in Illinois. Both young workers suffocated after being engulfed in a grain bin they had entered to help clear. A third young worker was pulled out of the storage bin alive, and was hospitalized after being trapped for 12 hours.
  
• November 2009, OSHA fined a grain elevator facility more than $1.5 million following the May 29, 2009 death of a teenage worker at the company's grain storage operation. The youth suffocated after being engulfed by grain in one of the facility's bins. The company also exposed three other teenage workers to the cited hazards.
  
• May 2010, OSHA fined a growers association in South Dakota more than $1.6 million following the death of a worker who had suffocated after being engulfed by grain. OSHA's investigation found that five additional workers were also at risk of being engulfed when they were sent into the bin to dig the victim out.
  
• August, 2010, OSHA fined a facility in Wisconsin $721,000 after a worker was buried up to his chest and trapped in frozen soybeans. The worker was ultimately rescued after a four hour ordeal.
  
• January 2011, OSHA fined two companies in Illinois, following the deaths of three workers, including two teenagers. The workers were killed when they suffocated after being engulfed by grain. The fines to both companies totaled $1,284,000.
  

I was struck by the language of the letter, which mentions that these accidents are not rare and that the "trend is continuing".  The reality is that many of the reasons workers enter grain storage bins and silos is because of common material flow problems like ratholes, bridging, clogs,etc.  Most of these common problems are solved easily and inexpensively by installing material flow aids like air cannons and vibrators.

So now we're on a mission... we are actively offering assistance to grain facility operators.  We offer a no-charge, no-obligation service called the VIBCO Virtual Van Visit that makes sizing and selecting the right vibrator a total no-brainer.  The operators simply fill out an easy online form at http://www.vibco.com/content/van-visit-request.php including a few photos of the installation area.

We'll send them marked up photos and a referral to a nearby VIBCO Vibrators dealer to complete the purchase.

Learn more about VIBCO's Virtual Van Visit program by watching this short video:

Virtual Van Visit

Going off the beaten path can be an exhilarating process... filled with danger, excitement, joy at conquering challenges, and the thrill of the unknown.

But sometimes going off the beaten path just turns into a long, arduous slog through challenging terrain.  Such has been our journey to relaunch VIBCO.com.  But here's some encouraging news...  you're reading this blog post, which means we've finally reached a key milestone on our VIBCO.com adventure!  

So what were the stumbling blocks?  What were our lessons learned?  What would we do differently if we had to do it all again?

For our team, the biggest challenge was that, in partnership with our developers, we selected a content management system that was a release candidate versus a fully vetted solution.  We did this, in part, because the release candidate promised a level of functionality missing from the current version.  Robust search, fully accessible product database, easy edit ability, fully integrated blogware, and discussion boards (yet to be released now... harrumph).

We made the mistake of hubris... that we'd "figure it out" and be able to quickly exterminate the inevitable bugs.  I'll just say that we needed the world's largest can of RAID.  We even needed more than Tony DeJesus and Nibbles Woodaway could do!  (non-Rhode Islanders should click this wiki link... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Blue_Bug)  

Despite the massive extermination project, we're live and kicking and VIBCO.com is better than ever!  Some of the key improvements include:

• more interactive content that allows VIBCO fans, users and dealers to comment and interact right on VIBCO.com
• ability to easily share VIBCO.com content on any social network
• strategic navigation that gives site visitors alerts and easy access to the newest content on VIBCO.com
• an improved mobile user experience on VIBCO.com 
• streamlined product pages with easier access to technical and dimensional data, accessories, and related manuals and literature
  
• product testimonials and customer reviews appear right on the product pages
• clearer, more specific product descriptions
• improved site search functionality
• enhanced galleries and an integrated application library

In addition to these improvements, we finally have the ability to create dynamic, meaningful and relevant content "on the fly" so we can make sure that each VIBCO.com site visitor quickly and easily finds what s/he is looking for.

Thanks for visiting the new VIBCO.com!