Jaguar has specified the conTeyor Roller Curtain as the closure system for its component containers

The conTeyor Roller Curtain, selected by Jaguar Cars as the closure system for sequencing racks used to transport and store interior and exterior components for the production of its new XJ series and XK8 sports car, has now been specified for use throughout the company’s UK manufacturing plants. These include Castle Bromwich and Halewood, which respectively make the Jaguar S-type and X-type models. The conTeyor Roller Curtain is now even included in the official Packaging Standards Document issued by Jaguar, Land Rover and Aston Martin Lagonda.

Easy to install and uninstall, the conTeyor Roller Curtain system comprises a roller blind, to be mounted in a U-shaped channel and is available in a range of widths to fit the most commonly used returnable steel containers. Once in place the Roller Curtain enables the full closure of stillages, used as inbound freight containers from tier suppliers, to prevent the ingress of dust or other contaminants and to protect painted, scratch sensitive components during transportation from the sequencing centre to plant or from point-to-point within the Jaguar plant.

According to Jaguar’s Materials Handling Engineering Department in Coventry, the conTeyor Roller Curtain system offers a number of unique advantages and benefits compared with alternative folding curtain closures. For example, because the Roller Curtain is frame-mounted it allows full uninhibited access when containers are stacked, this freedom of access is not possible with alternative systems where opening requires the curtain to be flipped-back on top of the container. Moreover, when curtains need to be folded back they are more likely to risk damage during stacking. Also differentiating the conTeyor Roller Curtain system is that they are secure in either the open or closed position, unlike folding curtains which are closed using only Velcro strips and can be torn or ripped-off when handled in a truck or warehouse because of their wavy appearance. Moreover, the conTeyor Roller Blind is a unique solution to enable swift access to high transport stillages.

The flexibility and durability of conTeyor Roller Curtains were key to Jaguar’s selection of the system. Availability in widths of 500-2000mm and heights up to 2000mm give it a broad fit to match with tier suppliers’ containers. Importantly, the roller curtain is made of an extremely durable, tear-resistant fabric that is weatherproof and unaffected by temperatures ranging from –30°C to 70°C.

Furthermore, durability is emphasised by conTeyor’s two-year or 3,500 opening and closing cycles warranty of the curtain’s spring mechanism. The value of this can be seen in an operational context: a transport rack will be opened and closed approximately 20-40 times per year, which would give 120-240 cycles over a six year lifetime of a car model. A sequencing rack would be subject to eight cycles a day, which over 220 working days would mean approx. 1800 cycles a year. For Jaguar the additional investment in the conTeyor system was more than outweighed by the greater cost efficiency it delivers over the life of a car model.

In the drive for ‘next generation’ efficiency, conTeyor and Jaguar Cars are currently engaged in the joint development of a rack with cantilever top and front opening, utilizing a gas spring mechanism, to provide a ‘total access’ component handling and storage system.

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