Conveyors are the foundation of many manufacturing operations because they are so versatile and come in a variety of styles and configurations. The bottom line is that they eliminate many wasted steps in the work place by moving the work in process (WIP) from one employee workstation to the next, quickly, efficiently, and in the correct orientation for the employee. This means an employee can stay in place and spend their time doing quality work as opposed to running around and fetching their materials. At the core of all assembly lines is some type of conveyor. Of course technology has advanced considerably to the point where some factories are now using AGVs (Automated Guided Vehicles), which are kind of like robotic islands on wheels that can move the WIP to wherever it is needed. One can think of these as conveyors that can go everywhere and anywhere, but in the end their root function is to move things from place to place efficiently just like the original conveyor. Click on the slide show to see a conveyor we built from scratch.