Custom Conveyor & Equipment Corporation engineers and builds custom conveyors and material handling equipment for manufacturers in Des Moines and across Central Iowa. We’re based in Cedar Rapids, about two hours east, where we design, fabricate, assemble and test each system, and we work with Central Iowa plants through on-site or remote engineering consultations.
Since 1984 we’ve produced thousands of specialty conveyors and industrial automation machines for customers ranging from Fortune 500 companies to mom-and-pop manufacturers. That experience includes window and door manufacturing and agricultural equipment manufacturing, along with the food processing, warehousing and general manufacturing work found throughout the region.
Talk to an engineer about your Central Iowa plant
Send us a description, a drawing or a few photos of the problem. We’ll set up an on-site or remote consultation and help gather the data needed to validate a concept.
Engineered and Built in Cedar Rapids
Design, fabrication and assembly happen in the same facility, a building we moved into in 2021 that tripled our production capacity. That tight integration gives us control over quality and flexibility in our timelines, and it keeps the engineers who design your conveyor close to the people building it.
Before a system leaves Cedar Rapids, our engineers and fabricators perform validation runs and real-world optimization tests while the design is still easy to modify. Adjustments happen in our shop rather than on your production floor.
How We Work With Central Iowa Manufacturers
Distance changes the logistics, not the process. A Central Iowa project follows the same steps as one across town from our shop, as outlined in our custom process.
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Define the need. We work with your engineering, maintenance or operations staff, on-site or remotely, to understand the product, rates, layout and constraints.
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Validate the concept. We help gather the data needed to confirm the idea will work before it’s committed to steel.
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Engineer the solution. We design around your building and existing equipment, or build to your print if you arrive with a machine already designed.
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Build and test. We fabricate, assemble and wire the system in Cedar Rapids, then run validation tests before shipment.
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Support it. We supply custom-made replacement parts and support the equipment for as long as you own it.
Window and Door Manufacturing Experience
Window and door plants move components that scratch or dent easily, run automated cells that can’t wait on material handlers, and generate wood scrap, sawdust and waste glass. Our work with window and door manufacturers covers each of those problems.
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Gentle, non-marking handling of wood and vinyl window and door components and complete units in packaging and warehouse operations
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An assembly outfeed and accumulation system for a window and door maker’s automated cell, which improved throughput by eliminating the need for the machine to wait for material handlers
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A dust collection trailer fill system for a window manufacturer, and scrap wood conveyor and saw waste collection modifications for a window and door manufacturer
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Glass breakers and cullet handling systems that turn breakout-table scrap into cullet and carry it to a bin or loadout
Agricultural Equipment Manufacturing
Agricultural equipment plants move large, heavy parts through fabrication, machining, assembly and shipping. Our project list includes ring gear conveyors and an outbound material conveyor for agricultural equipment manufacturing.
The same heavy-part experience shows up elsewhere in our work: a five-strand chain pop-up transfer that handles many part lengths on one mixed-model line at an equipment manufacturer, hydraulic height-adjustable live roller conveyors that carry thousands of pounds, and a fixtured slat conveyor that presents heavy parts to an automated cell.
We also build for agriculture itself, including lightweight aluminum conveyors for mobile ag platforms that run from the vehicle’s 24VDC bus, and prototypes for new concepts.
Other Central Iowa Industries We Build For
Central Iowa’s industrial base reaches well beyond windows and farm equipment. These are other areas where our project history applies.
Food Processing
We build simple, reliable conveyors that follow sanitary design best practices and minimize loss. One sanitary modular belt conveyor brought a customer’s existing metal detector to a new location, with a toolless UHMW center section that is easy to sanitize during washdown.
Warehousing and Distribution
Custom live roller, chain and belt conveyors, turntables and vertical lifts move cases or pallets through shipping departments, distribution centers and warehouses. We also help develop the layout for the flow you need.
General Manufacturing
For general manufacturing lines, we build pop-up transfers, turntables (including one for 3,000 lb pallets), accumulation conveyors, part feeders and automation support conveyors that position parts consistently into and out of automation cells.
What to Share Before a Consultation
Whether we meet at your plant or on a call, a few details help us move from question to concept. Our engineer’s checklist for specifying a conveyor covers each one in more depth.
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Product sizes, weights and the orientation the product needs to hold
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Required rates, and how the conveyor starts, stops and hands off to other equipment
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Layout drawings, photos or video of the space, including floor conditions and obstructions
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Existing equipment the system must interface with, and the power available at that location
Custom Conveyor at a Glance
The basics for Central Iowa manufacturers evaluating a conveyor builder.
Company facts
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Custom Conveyor & Equipment Corporation, founded in 1984
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1220 Capital Dr. SW, BLDG 2, Cedar Rapids, IA 52404, about two hours from Des Moines
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Phone (319) 449-3322 or email sales@customconveyor.com
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New building in 2021 tripled production capacity; design, fabrication and assembly in one facility
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3kW fiber laser (6 ft x 12 ft sheets) and a 12 ft, 300-ton press brake (±1 degree general bending tolerance)
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Carbon steel, stainless and aluminum welding, mechanical assembly, and wiring and electrical testing
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Automation support equipment as hardware only or as a turnkey system with complete controls
Des Moines & Central Iowa Conveyor FAQs
Common questions from Central Iowa manufacturers.
Related Resources
Explore related pages from Custom Conveyor.
Industries:Building Materials Glass Processing Agriculture Manufacturing Warehouse & Distribution
Equipment:Conveyor Systems Cullet Handling Pallet Handling
Project examples:Assembly Outfeed System Above-Floor Cullet System Mobile Ag Conveyor
Guides:What is a Custom Conveyor System? A Complete Guide
Other service areas:Cedar Rapids & Eastern Iowa Conveyor Manufacturing
Plan your Central Iowa conveyor project
Tell us what needs to move and what’s getting in the way. We’ll start with an on-site or remote consultation and engineer a solution that is built and tested in Cedar Rapids.
Custom conveyors for Central Iowa manufacturers, engineered and built in Cedar Rapids.