TGW Conveyors: Common Repairs, Upgrades & Spare Parts

TGW Conveyor systems are amongst some of the most popular and reliable in the order fulfillment, supply chain, and materials handling industries. Though the company has existed in one form or another for decades, many of the conveyor solutions they produce are considered top of the line.

Does your operation currently leverage an aging TGW Conveyor? Are you considering replacing an existing, obsolete conveyor with one from TGW? 

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Below, we answer all of the questions you might have about TGW Conveyors, including the company’s history and the most common types of conveyors they produce. We also give you recommendations about which spare parts you should always keep on hand if your operation relies on TGW equipment, the most common repairs you should anticipate, and your options for upgrade.

A Brief History of TGW

The company currently known as TGW Systems actually started back in 1964, when Ted Hammond purchased the Ernst Manufacturing Company and renamed it to Ermanco. 

At that time, the company primarily built specialty devices and conveyors. Because Hammond specialized in conveyors personally, he worked to expand the company’s conveyor lines to eventually include cleated chain-driven conveyors, wire mesh, and slat conveyors, in addition to other hardware such as transfers and turntables. 

In 1999, Ermanco was purchased by SI Handling Systems, which changed its name to Paragon Technologies. Then, in 2005, Paragon sold the Ermanco division to TGW Transportergate. The new company was called TGW-ERMANCO, and operated as such until 2008, when the Ermanco name was dropped. The company is now known as TGW Systems. 

TGW Conveyors

Typically, when someone asks us a question about a TGW conveyor or tells us that they are interested in implementing one, we’ve found that what they are referring to is the company’s motor-driven roller (MDR) conveyors, sold under the IntelliROL brand. 

(That being said, the company does still currently manufacture and sell a number of different models and varieties of conveyor, including belt conveyors, belt-driven roller conveyors, induction conveyors, and lineshaft conveyors. TGW also manufactures some sortation options which operations should be aware of.)

When it comes to the company’s motor-driven roller, there are certain key differences to bear in mind which make it unique from the competition. While most other roller-based conveyors are driven from below, via a chain or belt, the MDR conveyor is driven by the rollers themselves. Each individual roller consists of its own 24-volt DC motor, which is controlled by a controller card that essentially acts as a brain telling the system when to turn. 

This functionality allows for simpler, faster maintenance and a boost in energy efficiency compared to other solutions. It is also possible to leverage the equipment as an accumulator conveyor. The conveyor can sense when product is passing along it and turn zones on and off to allow controlled flow of product through the conveyor system.

One other key point of difference between TGW’s MDR conveyors and those offered by other manufacturers is in the company’s approach to customization and control. Most other manufacturers leverage proprietary software to control their MDRs, which can limit an integrator’s ability to customize the system. Comparatively, TGW is very flexible in this respect, enabling the integrator and their client to exercise more control over the end result. 

Common Repairs for TGW Conveyors

TGW’s motor-driven conveyors function in such a way that every zone is powered independently. This means that if a single roller breaks or ceases to function, the operation as a whole is still capable of operating effectively—a sharp contrast to a chain-driven system, in which a broken chain can grind the entire operation to a halt.

With this in mind, repairs will occasionally be necessary, although major repairs are not common in these conveyors. Given enough time, use, wear, and friction, any system is bound to experience a failing component such as a busted sprocket or gear, or a burnt-out motor. 

Operations should perform routine maintenance in order to preemptively identify these at-risk components.

Spare Parts for TGW Conveyors

As mentioned above, TGW’s motor-driven roller conveyors are a remarkably reliable piece of equipment. That does not, however, mean that they never break down. From time to time, even these conveyors are likely to need some kind of maintenance and repair in order to avoid unplanned downtime.

This is why we typically recommend that any order fulfillment operation or business follows a predictive spare parts management process, regardless of the specific technologies or equipment leveraged in the facility. Acting preemptively, instead of reactively, means that you can be sure that you always have the most critical spare parts on hand in case of emergency, and limit the amount of downtime you would experience if a critical part were to fail. 

In our experience with TGW’s conveyors, the most common spare parts that you should have on hand include:

• Spare motorized rollers: So that you can quickly swap a defective roller out for a working one in the event that one fails.
• Spare controller cards: These cards act as the “brain” of the system, telling the rollers when to start and when to stop. If one of these fails, it can lead to significant issues, so it is important to stock spares.
• Power supplies & components: If the power supply fails, you can lose power to the entire conveyor (not just a zone). That being said, it is much easier to find and replace one of these components as opposed to replacinging a motor or reducer on a different machine. Stocking a number of these as spares is a no brainer.

If your TGW conveyor is not an MDR model, but a different variety, it is similarly important that you stock the right spare parts. Critical components you should consider stocking include those that make up the drivetrain, as well as any wear items which see a lot of friction or movement.

If you are looking for spare parts for your TGW conveyor, you can purchase those here. 

Upgrade Options for TGW Conveyors

If you are using a motor-driven roller from TGW, there are not currently many paths for upgrade. In fact, these conveyors are often seen as an upgrade for other, older models. Some operations have opted to replace standard rollers in their existing conveyors (such as gravity conveyors) with MDRs, to great effect.

If you have an older conveyor from TGW or any other manufacturer, making the switch to a TGW MDR conveyor can be a wise choice. If you currently have an MDR and find that you are still not meeting your strategic goals, it may be time to consider the use of ancillary technologies or strategies, such as automated sortation, AMRs, or AS/RS. 

Finding Your Best Path Forward

Do you have an aging TGW conveyor? Are you unsure of the best route for maintaining, repairing, upgrading, and auditing your system? Have you begun to wonder if it might be time to make the switch to a different type of technology altogether? 

While it can be difficult to know where to start, working with a trusted systems integrator can help you answer these questions and determine the best path forward for your business.

If you are looking for spare parts for your TGW conveyor, you can purchase those here.