Kairos Conveyor was formed in Kluang, Malaysia in 2014 initially to manufacture components to various Asian Conveyor Integrators in the Logistics industry and upon request from local airports for specialised belts and tapered rollers for all varieties of belt curve conveyors installed in major regional airport hubs.
It’s founder, Steve King, had helped in setting up Transnorm Malaysia in Kluang in 1995. Steve progressed from Manufacture, Installation and Service, Design, Customer Service and to Sales and Marketing Director for the Asian region for the Transnorm Group, eventually becoming an owner of the parent holding company in Germany in 2008.
This involved Steve with both Integrators and End Users in the airports and Logistics industry, creating a network of distributors and service operations – from India to New Zealand and from Singapore to Korea and Japan – for the specialist belt curve conveyor market.
With the burgeoning global Logistics market putting ever increasing demands on Integrators and materials handling hardware suppliers alike and acute price pressures caused by competition and global sourcing, Steve identified a concerning trend in the industry:
Equipment suppliers were redesigning their products under the supposed marketing banner of “innovation” or “value engineering” with the main view to keep prices down and maintain their own profit margins (which were being eroded by competition) – but was resulting in a trend to source cheaper materials, components, lightweighting which ultimately lead to lower product longevity and lifecycle costing for the end user which conflicted with the demands for longer warranties. “Quality Fade” has been the result over time.
With some 30 years of experience in curve design, manufacture and service behind him and with a close network of trusting customers, Steve discussed this problem with both logistics Integrators and end users in Asia. By 2016, with 2 years of research, design engineering and tests, the innovative KF130 curve was born – using the original proven belt/ beading between angled precision bearings which should give 5-7 years belt life – but now with a radical new concept of a frame structure using vertical pillars on which the stack of 4 quick release holders are mounted. All existing curves in the market have a continuous outer frame profile preventing any simple access to the curve from the outside and requiring all belt changes to be done from the top, down with the difficult removal of the deck plate.
Along with 4 or 5 other critical improvements, not only has the solidity of the engineering been enhanced but the maintainability has been dramatically improved compared to others with a belt change possible in little over 10 minutes. The perfect geometry of the curve enables it to run smoothly and gives the opportunity to have any inside radius, belt width or even larger end rollers (for exceptional loads). Spiral curves become simpler and competitiveness is guaranteed.
Richard Coles, twice a previous owner of the Transnorm Group, joined Steve in 2016. He had pioneered Transnorm’s global market penetration when he set up Transnorm in the UK in 1984, then USA in 1989 and finally Malaysia in 1994. He is now supporting Kairos’ introduction to the global logistics market.
With curves installed to major airport and parcel handling hubs in Europe and Asia over 3 years and over 1000 curves supplied to 4 continents, Kairos continues a dialogue to ensure it meets the demands and expectations of all regulatory bodies, key integration partners /consultants and logistics endusers alike for its newly patented and successful curve innovation.
Kairos are continuing their modules development with a new design for 30 and 45 degree belt merges to complement its range of curves and spirals. In addition its range of replacements belts and rollers for all curve designs ensures all customers are looked after as global M&A activity confuses the difference between Systems integrator and Curve or Module suppliers.
Kairos, as an independent module supplier, prioritise their growth organically by partnering and supporting all its customers with instant response to enquiries and long-term excellence of service, without the restricting financial demands of parent company shareholders.
Additional resources, factory expansion and machinery investments have been made to meet the growing demand for a proven curve from a specialist, service oriented and independent company. Partnership agreements in UK and Europe are in progress and a distribution partner identified to continue promotion in USA.
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