As you know, the unique properties of your facility and the products within it have a big impact on the equipment you buy for day-to-day operations. This doesn’t just go for products like conveyors—silos abide by this same principle too. This guide will give you an insight into what to consider when selecting a silo for raw material storage. As you’ll see, the factors aren’t too dissimilar from the ones to consider for other types of industrial equipment.
Material
When helping you find a suitable storage silo, your equipment vendor needs to know what kind of material you’re storing inside of it. Material factors such as density, abrasiveness, and particle size will determine what type of silo you can ultimately use. Beyond these factors, you also have to think about how much of the material you’ll need to store in the silo at any given time, as well as how you plan on flowing material to and from the silo throughout the workday.
Size
Thinking about the size is key for two reasons. First, as mentioned above, you have to make sure the silo can handle the amount of raw material you require to complete daily tasks at an efficient pace. Aside from that, you need the right amount of room in your facility for the storage silo. Before approaching a vendor, think about where you want the silo to go and whether or not you have sufficient space to put it there. However, you need to have sufficient space for more than just the silo itself; you have to be sure you leave room for maintenance and inspections too.
Maintenance
When taking all the factors above into account, you should always be thinking about ease of access for maintenance crews. As with any kind of industrial equipment, storage silos require regular inspections and maintenance. To ensure those tasks can occur without trouble, you need to put the silos into a place where employees have access to vital components that will need repairs or replacement in the future. You’re going to need to know the maintenance procedures for the silo at some point, so this gives you the opportunity to learn about these steps and plan for them ahead of time.
The basics for what to consider when selecting a silo shouldn’t be too new to you if this isn’t your first time purchasing industrial equipment. Now that you know what factors to consider beforehand, you’re finally ready to obtain one or multiple silo tanks for your material storage needs. With the right silo, you’ll have a durable, efficient form of material storage to aid your facility’s day-to-day operations.