Buying Equipment
Factors Affecting Lead Time for Food Conveyors
In the food processing industry, equipment delays can disrupt production schedules, delay new product launches, and ultimately cut into your bottom line. That’s why lead time is so important.
At PFI, we understand how critical timing is. That’s why our sanitary food conveyors, especially our vibratory systems, are known for having faster lead times than many competitors. While every project is unique, we’ve fine-tuned our processes to move from concept to completion as efficiently as possible.
In this article, we’ll explore the key factors that impact conveyor lead times and how you, as the customer, can help ensure your project stays on track.
What Influences Lead Time for Conveyor Orders?
Several variables impact how quickly your food conveyor order can move through production. Here’s how PFI keeps things moving—and how our approach gives you a lead time advantage.
Standard vs. Custom Equipment
While each PFI conveyor is customized to your application, we start with proven, standardized machine designs. This hybrid approach—standardized design with custom touches—allows us to:
- Use common and readily available components
- Avoid unnecessary design rework
- Deliver commonly ordered configurations faster than fully custom builds from scratch
Whether you need a belt, vibratory, horizontal motion, or inclined conveyor, our ability to start from a tested base model helps keep your project on a shorter timeline.
In-House Manufacturing Capabilities
PFI’s lead time advantage is supported by our powerful in-house manufacturing infrastructure. With multiple dedicated facilities—our flagship plant in Algona, Iowa, and more in the Grote Company Family of Brands network—we can build and assemble conveyors on tight deadlines.
Here’s what sets us apart:
- In Algona: A large facility capable of running full system Factory Acceptance Tests (FATs) before shipment. This saves time on installation and commissioning later.
- Across the Grote Family: Six additional locations offer manufacturing capacity and panel building, robotic automation, and control systems via sister companies like SPI, eliminating third-party bottlenecks.
- In-house machining: We manufacture conveyor pulleys, hydraulic cylinders, and other components ourselves, giving us full control over long-lead items.
Unlike competitors that rely on outsourcing, our vertically integrated approach ensures we’re not waiting in line for outside vendors to deliver critical parts.
Supply Chain Strength & Material Availability
PFI takes a proactive approach to material sourcing. We maintain strong relationships with multiple suppliers for key components and parts, reducing the risk of disruption if one vendor faces delays.
Our affiliation with the Grote Company Family of Brands gives us added leverage, allowing us to:
- Secure preferred pricing and faster fulfillment
- Tap into shared inventory resources
- Keep essential materials in stock for quicker turnaround
This supply chain strategy helps us bypass many of the delays others encounter in today’s volatile materials market.
Engineering & Design Efficiency
Our engineering team is one of our biggest assets when it comes to minimizing lead time. With decades of experience across industries and applications, our engineers streamline the design and approval process through:
- Standardized base designs that reduce full-custom build time
- Preliminary 2D layouts before purchase order (PO) for quick customer alignment
- Collaborative design reviews that minimize revisions and speed up approvals
The result? Less time spent in the planning phase and more time building your solution.
Production Scheduling & Capacity
Even the best designs fall short without the production bandwidth to back them up. At PFI, we manage scheduling with precision:
- We set realistic lead time expectations based on project scope and your timeline.
- If needed, we initiate parts orders early or shift production across locations to stay on schedule.
- Weekly internal project reviews keep teams accountable and projects on track.
Plus, our dedicated vibratory and bucket elevator facility means we can produce these conveyor types faster than most competitors, making them a go-to choice when speed is essential.
What Customers Can Do to Ensure the Fastest Lead Times
While we do everything possible to move quickly, customers also play a crucial role in keeping projects on schedule. Here’s how you can help us help you:
Provide Clear Specifications Upfront
The more information you can share early—product type, throughput goals, layout drawings, environmental conditions, and integration requirements—the faster we can finalize your design and move forward.
Approve Drawings and Quotes Quickly
A common cause of extended lead times is slow approval cycles. When feedback is delayed, it pushes the entire schedule back. Quick approvals on layouts, quotes, and revisions are one of the simplest ways to accelerate your project.
Plan for Installation Timing
Be sure your facility is ready when the equipment arrives. Delays in electrical, mechanical setup, or site prep can negate the benefit of fast manufacturing. Let’s coordinate ahead of time to ensure a smooth handoff.
Order Early When Possible
While PFI delivers faster than many in the industry, early planning still gives you the greatest flexibility, especially toward the end of the year when project volumes increase. Starting early also allows more time for collaborative design, testing, and installation without compromising deadlines.
Get Your Food Conveyor Faster with PFI
Lead time can make or break a production schedule, and at PFI, we take that seriously. Our standardized design approach, in-house manufacturing capabilities, supply chain strength, and design efficiency all work together to deliver conveyors faster than the competition.
No matter which conveyor type you need or when you need it, we’re ready to meet your timeline with dependable, sanitary solutions. Contact us today to get your project started with industry-leading lead times!
