Everything from Conveyor Belting to Buckets with a 30-Year Grain Pro

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Unlock the hidden potential of your grain handling operations with insights from Joe Altenhofen, a conveyor belt virtuoso from IBT Industrial Solutions. In our latest conversation, Joe doesn't just spotlight the nuances of conveyor belt selection for grain efficiency; he digs deep into the very fabric that keeps the grain industry's heart beating. With a blend of technical wisdom and a knack for OSHA compliance, he shares his perspective on how tailored conveyor belts aren't just about movement—they're an essential part of grain quality preservation and the safety of the entire operation. 


Join us as we discuss grain handling with a guide who has more than three decades of experience under his belt—quite literally. As the operations manager and grain products specialist for IBT Industrial Solutions’ grain division, Joe Altenhofen walks us through the critical checkpoints of maintenance practices, the profound impact of choosing the right belt features and the strategic support IBT Industrial Solutions provides to the grain sector, from custom engineering to on-the-spot product training.  

 
This episode is loaded with professional anecdotes and actionable advice. It promises to elevate your understanding of the conveyor systems—the lifeblood of grain handling efficiency. 

Links:

• IBT Industrial Solutions
• IBT Industrial Solutions Grain Division
• Article: How to Select the Right Grain Conveyor Belt
• Article: Grain Conveyor and Elevator Belting
• A Helpful Guide to Drag Chain Conveyors
• IBT Industrial Solutions on Facebook 
• IBT Industrial Solutions on LinkedIn
• Jim Lenz's LinkedIn Page and Host and Producer of Whole Grain

IBT Industrial Solutions supports the GEAPS Partner Program (premiere partner). If your organization would like to learn more and be involved in the GEAPS Partner program, please reach out to [e-mail]. IBT Industrial Solutions is also a Platinum Sponsor for GEAPS Exchange. 

Grain Elevator and Processing Society champions, connects and serves the global grain industry and its members. Be sure to visit GEAPS’ website to learn how you can grow your network, support your personal professional development, and advance your career. Thank you for listening to another episode of GEAPS’ Whole Grain podcast.

Episode Transcript

Jim Lenz (00:00):
All right.
Conveyor belts are the backboneof efficient and modern grain
handling facilities, ensuring aseamless and automated process
from the point of intake throughprocessing, storage and
distribution.
Their importance lies inoptimizing efficiency,
preserving grain quality andcontributing to the overall
productivity and safety of thegrain handling industry.
That's why it's a completepleasure to welcome a seasoned

(00:23):
veteran when it comes toconveyor belts.
Our guest for today is JoeAlton Hoffman.
He's a technical salesprofessional from IBT Industrial
Solutions.
Thank you for yourparticipation in whole grain,
Joe.
Thank you.
I'm privileged this morning tobe talking with you, To allow
our listeners to get to know youand to start the show with a
bit of a positive spirit.

(00:43):
Could you share with ourlisteners a mantra or success
quote that you live byprofessionally?

Joe Altenhofen (00:48):
I have several that I go by.
One is I believe in treatingothers as you wish to be treated
.
The other would be promised todeliver and deliver on what you
promise.
And the third would be askyourself at the end of the day
if you contributed 100% to yourefforts.

Jim Lenz (01:07):
I love those great words of wisdom.
I appreciate that.
Thanks for sharing Now toprovide some context for our
whole grain listeners who arejoining us.
Joe, could you provide a briefoverview of the great work of
IBT Industrial Solutions,especially as they relate to the
grain industry?

Joe Altenhofen (01:23):
Yes, ibt Grain Division offers the grain
industry products and servicestailored to the grain industry
requirements to support ourcustomer needs.
Ibt Grain Division has 84-inchwide conveyor belt slitting and
custom bucket elevator punchingcapacities.
We offer engineering supportfor calculating existing

(01:45):
conveyor system configurationsand system capacity upgrades.
We have abundant quantities ofon-hand grain belting inventory
and related MRO item inventory.
We offer same-day service forthose critical downtime
situations.
We offer product andmaintenance training to educate

(02:06):
customers on what to and how toprevent downtime situations.
We offer guidance and properproduct selections, application
and installation of thoseproducts.
Ibt currently has 39 branchsales offices in 11 states
throughout the Midwest andCentral United States, as far

(02:29):
west as Phoenix, arizona, and asfar east as Spartanburg, north
Carolina.
Our grain division teamsupports the 39 IBT Sales Branch
offices, customers with grainindustry products, product
knowledge and applicationguidance and other
troubleshooting expertise.
Our 42,500 square feet graindivision warehouse is centrally

(02:53):
located in Wichita, kansas.
Being centrally located inWichita Kansas allows us to ship
product to any location in thecontinental US and Canada with
minimal transit times.
Through forwarding we do shipproduct all over the world China
, oh you do.

Jim Lenz (03:09):
Okay, uh-huh, no, joe, you have a great selection of
products and services.
One of those services that ourorganization offers is
individuals like yourself, whohave years of experience, who
have worked in the grainindustry, who's worked in
conveyor products, rubberproducts.
Just say, if you don't mind,share with our listeners a
little bit about you and yourbackground.

Joe Altenhofen (03:30):
I'm currently the operations manager and grain
product specialist for IBTindustrial solutions grain
division.
I have been in a conveyor,manufacturing and industrial
rubber products business for 35years.
The last 30 years I've beenfocused more so on grain
industry products, such as grainconveyor and bucket elevator

(03:52):
belting, along with othermaintenance and repair products.

Jim Lenz (03:56):
Thank you for sharing that, Joe.
Now today, in this episode,we'll shed light on the crucial
aspect of grain handlingselecting the right conveyor
belt.
Unlike some other commodities,grain is a fragile product and
handling it with care is crucial.
Big picture wise Joe, can youelaborate on the significance
that conveyor belts play incountry elevators and terminal

(04:18):
elevators, thereby stressing theimportance of maintenance and
optimizing systems?

Joe Altenhofen (04:22):
Yes, Conveyor belting and bucket elevator
belting used in the grainelevators and grain terminal
facilities are unique as theyare required to meet or exceed
OSHA compliance for staticconductivity and OSHA compliance
to have fire retardantproperties.
Also, grain belting should becompromised of MLR or SOR and

(04:47):
abrasion resistant compounds.
To expand on this, grainbelting covers are formulated to
resist the oily nature ofvarious grains, along with
having 60 to 65 durometerhardness on the belt covers to
have a cushioning effect on thegrain and also offer abrasion

(05:08):
resistant seal as well.
Maintaining the conveyor systemcomponents and belting is key
to safe and proper operationsand preventing critical downtime
.
We would suggest PM systeminspections to be performed,
often scheduled daily, weekly,monthly.
But often the things to lookfor during an inspection would

(05:30):
be proper belt alignment,overall belt condition, top and
bottom belt cover inspection.
The condition of the beltsupplies itself.
Inspect drive pulley laggingcondition.
Overall conveyor systems check,including drive package
bearings, lubrication of systems, drive and tail pulley and

(05:52):
carry idlers, along with propertensionings for some of the the
items that need to be inspected.

Jim Lenz (05:59):
Alright, so thank you, joe, for sharing that.
Joe, in what ways does theconveyor belt play in ensuring
the smooth and continuousmovement of grains in the
agricultural process?

Joe Altenhofen (06:10):
Conveyor belt systems are the most efficient
way to convey grain carefullythroughout the process to
achieve capacity requirements.
Grain conveyor belt systems aredesigned to convey large
volumes of grain productsthrough a series of troughing
eyelers matched with the properbelt or maximum load support and

(06:30):
optimal conveyor systemsperformance All add that a well
maintained conveyor system willconvey grain steadily and
uniformly through the process.

Jim Lenz (06:40):
I'm kind of curious, since you have such great
experience and you have a widebase of customers.
You're having new customers allthe time.
You are seeing and hearingissues and challenges and
problems that come up forfacilities.
If we look at the last 12months, for example in regards
to grain belting, what are someof those specific problems that

(07:01):
you have seen?
Were you able to consult andhelp with customers?
Are there any common issues ortrends that have emerged Common?

Joe Altenhofen (07:08):
issues that we see here in the grain industry
are worn and failed belt splices.
Generally that's due to eithernormal use or normal wear or
improper installation or someother unforeseen obstacle within
the conveyor system.
Belt delamination is somethingwe see as well.

(07:30):
That is where the belt coverand carcass are separating, and
generally that's due to idlerjunction failure or a proper
bucket mounting hardwareinstallation.
Also, inadequate belttensioning and the use of
aggressive dust suppressants canhave an effect on delamination

(07:53):
of the belt.

Jim Lenz (07:54):
Oh really, Can you state more about that?

Joe Altenhofen (07:56):
Generally, over the years we've seen mineral oil
used to suppress dust on thesystems.
Of course grain dust is highlyexplosive and so we try to
negate that.
The facilities try to negatethat wherever they can.
So in some situations they willactually treat or spray their

(08:17):
grain with a mineral oil or someother type of product to
prevent the grain dust fromaccumulating in the facility.
Some of the products out thereused today can be a little
aggressive towards thecompounding of the belt and
cause some belt delamination ordeterioration.

Jim Lenz (08:37):
That's a good point to be aware of and get concerned
about.
Thank you for sharing that.
Another thing I want to ask youwas about one of the things
that you see is splicing ofbelts.
Are there some tools that youhave in stock that can support
the splicing?
I'm sure you do.
What are some of the thingsthat you offer to support

(08:58):
splicing?

Joe Altenhofen (08:59):
There are mechanical splices available.
Common ones are called platefasteners.
There are also hinge fasteners.
There are clamp style fastenersas well.
The key thing here is thatthese fasteners should be
comprised of a non-sparkingalloy to keep from having a

(09:21):
spark or a source of ignitionwithin the grain conveyor system
.

Jim Lenz (09:26):
That's good information.
Now, it's no secret that inrecent history, not just the
grain industry, but it hit otherverticals as well.
The challenges faced in thesupply chain, affecting, in this
case, availability of conveyorbelts and other grain products.
Is this situation started tolevel out in your mind?
What changes have you witnessed?

Joe Altenhofen (09:48):
I believe that the supply chain issues have
leveled out.
Manufacturer delivery times aredown to a tolerable level they
are.
In the past, during the supplychain challenges, we were
looking at months for productdelivery, and now they're down
to days or weeks, so it hasleveled out a bit.

(10:10):
Manufacturers have adjusted,acquiring and stocking more raw
material, which has helped toalleviate the shortage, and
they've also looked foralternative sources raw
materials to shorten their leadtimes as well.

Jim Lenz (10:26):
I'm curious how IBT's grain division adapted to the
supply chain challenges in therecent history to ensure a
consistent and timely supply ofconveyor belts and grain
products to customers.
How did IBT prepare for thisand for their customers?

Joe Altenhofen (10:43):
Our procurement decision making team here at IBT
, we realized early on of theperceived supply chain
challenges to come.
So, ibt, we stayed ahead of thesupply chain shortages by
increasing our inventory levelson crucial belting inventory and
other related items.
By doing so, raising ourinventory levels, we could

(11:05):
assure that our customer basewas having inventory as needed,
but also having inventory forthe rising demand caused by
availability of inventory dryingup in the marketplace.

Jim Lenz (11:17):
So that's good preparation by IBT industrial.
Really forecasting needsthinking about, obviously, the
industry and the demand thatthere would be.
So that's really goodpreparation.
Great to hear.
So, given your wealth ofexperience and connecting with
so many organizations andindividuals, I think our
listeners may be interested inyour perspective on what you

(11:38):
believe are the at least some ofthe greatest challenges within
the grain industry right now and, just as important, where do
you believe are the greatestopportunities that exist in the
grain handling and processingindustry?
What kind of trends or patternsare you willing to share from
the many conversations you havewith customers and clients?
You know thinking broader grainindustry.

Joe Altenhofen (11:58):
Well, what I keep hearing is everyone is
having staffing shortages.
I believe that employmentopportunities within the grain
industry are in high demand andthey would offer a good career
for anybody to follow in thisindustry.
The grain industry has a lot ofgood people to work with.

(12:20):
It's a great industry to beinvolved in and people are again
generally very good to workwith, and they are looking for
young people to come into theindustry and grow as their
company grows.
The other thing I'm hearing isthey're looking for technology

(12:42):
to monitor their systemsremotely, as not to rely on some
of their personnel climbingladders or, possible, putting
employees in hazardoussituations to monitor equipment
and such.

Jim Lenz (12:58):
A lot of changes and adaptations that are occurring
to help alleviate some of thoseissues.
So any other things that yousee as trends right now or
within the industry, again, Ibelieve the trends would be the
technology to offset the laborshortage.

Joe Altenhofen (13:16):
Everybody is looking for an answer because of
the staffing issues.
Grain storage has been a realneed and over the past few years
been a high priority with a lotof facilities See that trend
continuing, that facilities willbe adding more storage.

Jim Lenz (13:34):
Yeah, those are some critical issues that are at
stake right now.
It's interesting to see how theindustry has evolved in just a
short number of years.
Now.
Conveyor belts, as you know,plays such a crucial role in the
operations of grain elevatorsand terminal elevators for so
many reasons.
It was a pleasure to connectwith you to offer your unique
perspective, joe.

(13:54):
If whole grain podcastlisteners want to follow up with
you and learn more about theproducts and solutions offered
at IBT industrial solutions,what are the best ways for
listeners to find out moreinformation?

Joe Altenhofen (14:08):
I would suggest going to our website, wwwibtcom,
and follow the links to grainproducts, and that should lead
you to my direction and we'd beable to answer your questions
and you'll be able to see theproduct offerings that we have

(14:29):
for the grain industry.

Jim Lenz (14:30):
That's fantastic.
You also have organizationsposted article on your website
on conveyor belts.
It's quite extensive.
I think that'd be greatresource.
We'll put that in the shownotes, of course with IBT
website as well.
Also, ibt industrial solutionswill be at the upcoming jeeps
exchange 2024.
That's happening a little bit,so excited for you and your team

(14:52):
to be there.
On behalf of the entire jeepsteam, we thank you for sharing
your time and talents with wholegrain listeners.

Joe Altenhofen (14:59):
Thank you again for having us and look forward
to visiting again.
Alright, thank you.