Your Guide to Weighbridges in Manufacturing

Although weighbridges are typically used to weigh the contents of commercial vehicles in heavy industries, such as mining and excavation works, they have a big role to play in the manufacturing sector, too. The big advantage of having a weighbridge in a manufacturing setting is that it allows operatives to identify the weight of the vehicles conveying items in or out of a factory whilst simultaneously establishing an accurate figure for the weight of their contents. Many items that are used in manufacturing settings are brought in on a just-in-time basis, which means that rapid weight checks can make all the difference to the smooth running of a production line. In this regard, the use of a weighbridge at a production plant can make all the difference.

Establishing Net Weight

When items and raw materials are delivered by suppliers, they are often sold by weight. Even when they are not and are supplied in specific quantities instead, counting them to check that the delivery is full can be costly and time consuming, tying up many labor hours. Knowing the weight of your complete delivery or the weight of an individual item will mean quickly being able to establish if the supply order has been met in full or not. This is done by establishing the net weight of the delivery. A weighbridge can do this rapidly; you simply drive the delivery truck on to it and the weighbridge will tell you the overall weight. Then, all that is needed is to subtract the known weight of the truck from the gross weight that has been measured to work out the net weight of the load. If this matches the expectation from the order, then the delivery can proceed into the manufacturing facility and directly into production lines without further checks taking place.

Avoid Penalties

In addition to ensuring that bulk product or raw material purchases can be delivered rapidly, manufacturers are also able to make use of their weighbridge to avoid potential financial problems when making their own deliveries. If a delivery vehicle leaving your plant is overladen or even has something as simple as an unbalanced load which over-burdens an axle, then it can lead to trouble with the authorities. A weighbridge provides the most rapid solution to this problem and means that loads can be maximised legally to avoid such fines and the reputational damage that goes with them.

Improved Management Scrutiny

The modern software systems that are available with weighbridges mean that they are more sophisticated than ever before. Rather than recording the weights of incoming and outgoing trucks and their contents manually, which relies on a paper trail to stay on top of, instantaneous reporting is now possible. Thanks to digital connectivity between company networks and their weighbridge, managers are now able to keep an eye on the processes conducted on their weighing equipment from the comfort of their office. Indeed, remote software systems now mean that management teams can continue to monitor their weighbridge's activities even if they are in another part of the country.