In many industries, the main constraint is not production capacity but available space and the smooth flow of products.

This was the challenge faced by a manufacturer specializing in filtration fabrics, which recently turned to OCA’s teams for expertise.

Before our intervention, the filtration fabrics produced by our client (each with a surface area of up to 15 m²) were dried and stored on floor-level racks.

This setup led to several major issues:

•    significant clutter in the workshop

•    difficulty for operators to move around

•    heavy and repetitive handling

•    suboptimal production flow

Furthermore, managing movement and intermediate storage were clear obstacles to our client’s productivity.

Floor-standing cabinets used prior to the OCA teams' intervention to dry the filter cloths

Coated fabrics present a significant technical constraint: they must never come into contact with one another.

This required the creation of a material handling solution capable of ensuring:

•    no contact between parts

•    secure overhead storage

•    smooth and continuous flow

•    a gradual reduction in the spacing between the fabrics as they dry

To best meet our client’s specifications, the OCA teams designed and installed a custom overhead material handling system that enables:

•    automatic and ergonomic loading of the canvases

•    automated transfer of the canvases to the drying area

•    overhead storage of more than 600 canvases

•    a continuous production flow

In addition to the benefits mentioned above, this solution minimizes floor space requirements by utilizing the overhead space in the production workshop, which had not been used until now.

OCA overhead conveyor custom-designed to meet the customer's specifications.

The implementation of the overhead handling system brought immediate benefits to our client:

• increased production space without the need for expansion
• improved working conditions and reduced risk of musculoskeletal disorders for operators
• consistent production rates
• overall optimization of production flows

This project highlights a common reality in industrial settings: performance losses are often linked to poorly optimized product flow and insufficient use of production space.

For over 45 years, OCA—Ouest Convoyeur Automatisme—has been supporting manufacturers in designing custom material handling solutions by developing overhead and floor-level conveyors as well as specialized machinery.

These solutions can incorporate dynamic storage and automation to ensure improved flow and traceability of production streams.

Our teams will assist you in analyzing and designing solutions tailored to your industrial needs.

In industry, an improperly sized production rate can have significant consequences: insufficient capacity, overinvestment, unforeseen costs, or even performance losses. Yet many industrial projects are still launched without a precise validation of flows and operating scenarios.

To support its clients with ever-greater reliability and precision, OCA, an expert in overhead material handling and custom machinery, is enhancing its engineering department’s capabilities by implementing industrial flow simulation software.

With this simulation tool, our teams are now able to model and analyze the operation of a material handling system even before it is deployed on-site.

This approach allows us to verify the overall consistency of a material handling project and anticipate potential bottlenecks to ensure that expected performance meets the requirements defined in the specifications.

Flow simulation offers numerous advantages for the design of overhead material handling systems and specialized machinery:

• validation of actual production rates

• assessment of the required working time

• determination of the number of operators needed

• identification of the number of essential machines

• analysis of interactions between different production stations

By relying on concrete data and realistic scenarios, OCA enables you to optimize your technical choices before making an investment.

Flow simulation prior to the manufacturing and installation of a material handling system is a powerful performance driver for manufacturers. In particular, it allows you to:

• avoid sizing errors

• minimize modification costs after installation

• secure investments

• guarantee the future performance of equipment

OCA flow management simulation based on the client's specifications

Industrial innovation does not rely solely on equipment. It also depends on intelligent tools capable of predicting, testing, and optimizing processes before they are implemented.

With this new expertise integrated into its engineering department, OCA remains committed to designing high-performance, safe overhead material handling solutions that are perfectly tailored to its customers’ production challenges.

Our teams are available to assess your needs and assist you in designing your future system.

The OCA team is delighted to be participating in the next edition of SEPEM Industries d'Angers, which will be held on October 7, 8, and 9, 2025. This trade show, a key event for industrial players in the Pays-de-la-Loire region, is the ideal opportunity to discuss your projects and discover the latest innovations in the sector.

SEPEM Industries in Angers is a regional trade show dedicated to industrial solutions for all production sectors. It brings together more than 450 exhibitors and welcomes thousands of professional visitors who come to find concrete answers to their maintenance, production, safety, and industrial environment issues. With 11,000 m² of exhibition space, it is a key event for manufacturers in western France who want to learn, innovate, and develop their network.

The OCA team at SEPEM Toulouse 2024

Visit us at stand H41, where our team will be on hand to advise you and assist you with your overhead handling needs. Transport, transfer, or storage of loads: for 44 years, we have been offering customized, high-performance conveyor solutions tailored to your production constraints.

Our systems also aim to improve the ergonomics of your employees' work, for simpler, faster, and safer operations.

Take advantage of this trade show to discover our equipment in operation and talk to our experts.

▪️Date: October 7, 8, and 9, 2025

▪️Hours: 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

▪️Location: PARC DES EXPOSITIONS – DESTINATION ANGERS – Route de Paris – 49480 Saint Sylvain-d'Anjou

▪️Free registration via this link :  https://angers.sepem-industries.com/registration/registration

Our customer wanted to integrate a paint line within its production site in order to gain greater autonomy. The aim was to reduce the costs and lead times associated with subcontracting, while optimizing the manufacturing process.

The overhead handling system had to be able to transport loads of up to 500 kg per spreader bar, and to accommodate parts of varying dimensions: from 400 mm to 1500 mm wide, with a maximum length of 7000 mm. In addition, the installation had to allow for future expansion with three additional storage rails.

Lifting beam for transporting parts to be surface-treated.

To meet these requirements, OCA designed and installed an optimized Telesto conveyor line comprising :

• A loading station equipped with a lifting station to facilitate loading and improve ergonomics for operators, thus reducing musculoskeletal disorders (MSD).
• One rail in the automatic shot-blasting machine for part pre-treatment.
• Three rails in the powder booth to ensure even application.
• Six rails in the baking oven to optimize paint curing.
• Six rails in front of the paint booth for smooth production flow.
• Six cooling rails for rapid drying before handling.

Thanks to this new installation, our customer is now completely autonomous in his painting operations. He has been able to make significant savings by eliminating transport costs and saving precious time - between 15 and 20 minutes per production cycle.

With this modular set-up, he also has scope for future expansion of his paint shop.

The OCA team is proud to have supported this customer in his production modernization and optimization project!

We will be present at the 5ᵉ edition of Full Robotics, the B2B event dedicated to industrial robotics organized by Proxinnov, to be held on Thursday, June 12, 2025.

As every year, this unmissable event will bring together the major players in robotics and automation around a central theme: agile production. This approach, which aims to improve the flexibility and responsiveness of industrial processes, fully echoes the mission and solutions proposed by OCA.

On this occasion, OCA will be exclusively presenting an intelligent conveyor for overhead flow processing. Designed for the automated transport of loads of up to 100 kg, this system enables the routing of parts between different workstations and production islands in an industrial environment.

This conveyor stands out for its ability to accumulate and trace loads, offering great flexibility in flow management. It fits perfectly into an agile production logic, facilitating rapid line reorganization and optimizing floor space thanks to overhead handling.

OCA intelligent conveyor for overhead flow processing

Throughout the day, visitors will be able to attend:

• Live demonstrations of innovative robotic and automated solutions,
• Business meetings to exchange with exhibitors and develop their network,
• Conferences and round tables on production flexibility, feedback and the outlook for the robotics market.

List of the 38 exhibitors at Full Robotics 2025

Join us on June 12, 2025 at Proxinnov and explore the possibilities offered by intelligent aerial handling for ever more agile production.

▪️Date: Thursday June 12, 2025
▪️Times: 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
▪️Venue: 15 rue Jean Esswein, 85000 La Roche sur Yon
▪️Free registration by following this link : https://fullrobotics2025.eventbrite.fr