With six decades of experience behind it, Conveyor Components Company has a reputation for reliability in some of the harshest mining environments.
When a worker’s wellbeing is at stake, reliability is not negotiable. That is where Conveyor Components Company has staked its reputation.
Founded in Michigan in 1965, the family-owned business has grown into a global supplier of conveyor monitoring and safety controls, while still manufacturing from its US base.
Over the decades, the company has built a product portfolio that addresses the key challenges of material handling across industries. For the mining sector, that means equipment that can withstand dust, vibration, heavy loads and extreme weather while delivering a rapid response in emergencies.
The company’s core products include safety stop switches, belt alignment controls, pull cord switches, tilt switches, level controls and plugged chute detectors.
Each product is designed with one goal in mind: to protect people, equipment and productivity.
Belt alignment controls, for instance, detect when a conveyor belt begins to run off centre, which can quickly escalate into costly downtime or catastrophic belt damage.
Pull cord switches, often called safety stop switches, provide workers with an immediate way to shut down a conveyor in an emergency, no matter where they are along the line.
Tilt switches and level controls ensure bulk material is flowing as it should, while plugged chute detectors prevent blockages that can lead to spillage, fire or extended downtime.
Conveyor Components sales manager John Carlson told Australian Mining that what sets the company apart is not just the breadth of its range, but the rigour of its manufacturing and testing processes.
“We’re ISO 9001-certified, but certification is just the starting point,” Carlson said. “Every single switch we manufacture is tested numerous times before it leaves our facility. There is no unit that will ever leave our facility that is not tested.”
Unlike assembly operations, Conveyor Components machines most of its parts in-house. Castings, housings and other key components are manufactured and finished in Michigan, ensuring the company controls quality from start to finish.
This approach, Carlson said, has resulted in an almost indescribably low issue rate.
“Because we’re not relying on outsourced parts, we can be confident in the integrity of every single unit,” he said. “Because every device is tested repeatedly, customers can trust that when it is installed on-site it will perform exactly as needed.”
Feedback from the field plays an equally important role in shaping the product line.
“We listen to our distributors and dealer network,” Carlson said.
“If they’re seeing a concern or requesting an improvement, we can adjust on the fly. Our engineering team ensures that any change is a 100 per cent improvement.”
That customer-driven approach has helped the company refine its products for some of the world’s toughest environments.
Australian mine sites, with their remoteness, abrasive ores and extreme temperatures, are among those environments. The company’s third-party certifications serve as another assurance for miners.
“We meet CUL and NEMA-type ratings, which means our devices are tested for specific hazards, whether that is dust, water ingress or explosive atmospheres,” Carlson said.
“Those standards give customers confidence the switches will work when they are needed most.”
In mining, the stakes could not be higher. A malfunctioning switch is not just a matter of downtime, it can be the difference between safety and disaster.
Carlson said that is why quality has always been at the heart of Conveyor Components’ mission.
“At the end of the day, when someone is in a precarious situation, our device has to work,” he said. “That’s why quality is and always will be, the most important part of what we do.”
The company’s longevity also reflects its ability to adapt to customer needs quickly. Unlike manufacturers that build to order, Conveyor Components produces inventory in advance and ships from stock.
That means, according to Carlson, the company can meet urgent orders much faster.
“Our business model is to build and ship from stock,” he said.
“Right now, I’m closing major projects and shipping within five business days.”
That responsiveness is particularly important for mining companies, where downtime is measured in millions of dollars per day.
For Australian miners operating in remote regions, the ability to receive safety-critical equipment in a matter of days rather than weeks can be the difference between staying on schedule or halting production.
Conveyor Components’ family ownership has also played a role in its steady direction. Founded by an engineer in the mid-1960s, Conveyor Components remains a multi-generational business, with the founder’s son now serving as general manager.
Carlson said that continuity gives the company both deep institutional knowledge and a long-term perspective on customer relationships.
From its beginnings in Michigan to its current global footprint, Conveyor Components has built its reputation on one principle: a product is only as good as its ability to perform when it matters most.
As the resources sector continues to push deeper, faster and harder for the resources the world needs, Conveyor Components Company is positioning itself as the quiet but critical player keeping conveyors safe and reliable.
“Sixty years in, we’re still focused on the same thing we started with, making sure our devices protect people and equipment,” Carlson said.
“That commitment hasn’t changed, and it won’t.”