Mechanical Design Engineer

mk North America uses QR codes to simplify conveyor support. At Automate 2026, mk North America highlighted how a small addition to its conveyors could simplify equipment support long after installation. The company uses QR codes to give customers direct access to conveyor manuals, recommended spare parts, approval drawings, and other equipment-specific information. mk places a serial tag with a unique QR code on every conveyor that leaves its Connecticut facility. Scanning the code opens a centralized portal containing information tied to the customer's specific order. "There is, in my opinion, no quicker way to be your own service manager aside from going up and scanning that QR portal," said Scott Blais Jr., sales and business development manager at mk North America, during an interview with Packaging OEM. The portal is designed for machine builders, maintenance technicians, engineers, and other employees who need access to equipment information after a conveyor has been installed. Users can scan the equipment with a smartphone rather than searching for the correct manual or contacting mk directly. Centralized portal for each conveyor. Each portal includes the conveyor manual, signed approval drawings for the project, and a list of recommended spare parts. Blais said the system can help maintenance teams respond during unplanned downtime while also making routine maintenance information easier to find. "It takes a very manual and separated or disjointed process and cleans it up in 30 seconds or less," he said. The QR codes are applied to every conveyor manufactured by mk North America, including individual units and equipment incorporated into larger automated systems. Get the latest news, trends, and technology updates delivered straight to your inbox and make smarter packaging decisions. Blais added that the QR initiative reflects a broader effort to make equipment support simpler and more accessible. "You don't need to be a service technician to get the assets you need to learn," he said. "Anything you can do to bridge the knowledge gap on your own equipment with all walks of life interfacing with it, that's partnership." Customers can also access the portal by entering their five-digit mk shop order number on the company's website. That provides an alternative when the QR tag has been damaged or is no longer available. Video support beyond the manual. mk North America also plans to add maintenance and training videos to the portals, which would demonstrate procedures for different conveyor platforms. For example, a customer with a flat-belt conveyor could access a video showing how to adjust belt tension or tracking. Blais said video could make technical information easier for employees to consume, particularly as a new generation enters manufacturing and machine-building roles. "If you're someone who likes to read or print the text, you have that accessible," he said. "If you want to watch a video, and you're more accustomed to that YouTube style of media consumption, that's absolutely going to be there." The goal is to give customers multiple ways to access and understand the same technical information. As production lines become larger and more automated, Blais expects digital access to equipment records and training materials to become increasingly important. "Sometimes keeping it simple is a good thing," he said. "Just because everything nowadays is nuanced, it doesn't mean that we need to make it hard for you to service your equipment."