Posted to News on 9th May 2025, 09:00
FB Chain celebrates 40 years of driving conveyor performance
For four decades, FB Chain has been a pivotal force in enhancing conveyor performance worldwide. The UK-based company has cultivated a reputation for technical leadership, a customer-centric approach, and a steadfast commitment to sustainability, establishing itself as a trusted partner in global manufacturing sectors.
Celebrating 40 years of industrial chain innovation, FB Chain's journey began in 1985 as a supplier to British forklift truck manufacturers. Recognising the broader potential of its expertise, the company quickly expanded from leaf chain into large pitch chain, serving manufacturing equipment and conveyors across diverse sectors, including food and beverage, pharmaceuticals, paper and tissue, and textiles. Today, its products are sold in over 50 countries, a testament to FB Chain's global expansion and industry influence.
From its inception, FB Chain distinguished itself from bulk conveyor chain suppliers by prioritising quality, safety, and application advice, as well as delivering engineered solutions to customer challenges. This approach focused on enhancing conveyor performance, while saving customers time, money and waste.
A significant strategic shift came in 2019 with the acquisition of BKC Products, which broadened FB Chain's capabilities in the design, manufacture, installation and servicing of conveyor systems on all scales, enabling the company to tackle even more complex customer challenges. This expansion also brought the integration of the RotaLube system, invented in 2012 by David Chippendale, the former founder of BKC Products and now a director of FB Chain.
"In all my years of experience, ineffective chain lubrication came up time and time again as the main cause of conveyor issues - excessive wear, unplanned stoppages, and product contamination - and I knew there had to be a better way of doing things," Chippendale explains.
Chippendale devised a patented sprocket-shaped applicator, connected to a pump system, to deliver precise amounts of lubricant directly and only to the pivot points of the chain where it is needed. This ensures effective lubrication where the friction occurs, while cutting down on overall lubricant consumption, leading to greater uptime, longer component life, and lower costs.
Continuous innovation for efficiency and sustainability
In 2024, FB Chain introduced the ECO Kit, a handheld version of the RotaLube system. This innovation brings the precision of RotaLube's patented technology to a portable format, offering cost and operational efficiency benefits where customers might have lower lubrication frequency requirements or space and budget constraints.
Recognising the growing importance of supply chain sustainability, FB Chain is also actively addressing one of the biggest challenges its customers face today: reducing their Scope 3 emissions, namely the indirect emissions that occur in a company's value chain, including purchased components and their transportation.
"We're not just celebrating our past, but also laying the groundwork for the future," concludes FB Chain's managing director Peter Church. "We're committed to pushing the boundaries of what's possible in conveyor technology in terms of efficiency, reliability, and sustainability - and by doing so we're positioning ourselves to stay ahead of the evolving needs of our global customers for the next 40 years and beyond."
