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Customer Snapshot
Customer Snapshot
Customer Story
Turning conveyor cleanup from an end-of-shift grind into a smarter daily workflow
1000 hours
of manual shovelling are avoided and reassigned every year
0
Physical strain
Movex Innovation’s XC-48 all-terrain track carrier became the site’s go-to machine for moving 3,000 to 4,000 lb bins through tight work areas, every day
Customer
EBI Environnement
Application
Cleaning under approximately 60 continuously operating conveyors
Equipment
Movex Innovation’s MINIDOZER 27
Configuration
Initial bucket configuration, followed by a custom scraper developed with Movex’s engineering team
At a recycling sorting centre, what falls under the conveyors can build up really quickly. Cardboard, paper, loose debris, compacted material and snow dragged in with recyclable materials all end up under the line. Day after day, it can start to clog the area.
For EBI Environnement, cleanup used to happen at the end of the shift, once the conveyors stopped. That meant 7 to 8 workers, sometimes up to 12 in winter, had to finish their day by shovelling under the conveyors.
It was hard physical work. It was rough on morale. And it was not exactly the kind of task that makes a job look attractive to new hires.
For Denis Aubin, General Manager at EBI Environnement, the biggest issue was not only productivity. It was the people doing the work. “The biggest point is really the improvement in working conditions,” he said.
After integrating Movex Innovation’s next-generation mini loader, the MINIDOZER 27, EBI Environnement changed the way the work gets done. Instead of waiting until the end of the day and sending a team in with shovels, a trained mechanic now cleans progressively during the shift while the conveyors are still running.
The result is a cleaner, more flexible operation, less end-of-day physical strain, and a major improvement in working conditions.
The challenge: Too many people, too much shovelling, too late in the day
Before the MINIDOZER 27, cleanup under the conveyors at EBI Environnement was locked into one narrow window: the end of the shift.
Workers spent their day on the sorting line, then moved into one of the least attractive jobs in the facility: shovelling accumulated material from under the conveyors. On a regular day, the task mobilized 7 to 8 people. During winter, especially after storms or heavy buildup, that number could climb to 12.
The work was physically demanding, repetitive and rough on the body. With an aging workforce, the risk of back injuries was a real concern. It also created a morale issue. After a full shift, asking people to go shovel compacted material under conveyors was not exactly a source of motivation.
It also affected recruitment. During hiring visits, daily shovelling was not an easy sell. The work looked hard because it was hard. For new employees, it could make the position feel more punishing, more repetitive and less attractive from the start.
Winter made everything worse. Snow compacted into recyclable materials became the heaviest material to move. When accumulation was high, EBI Environnement needed more workers, more effort and more time just to get the area cleaned before the next cycle.
The real problem was not only the shovelling. It was the way the whole task was organized: too much physical effort, concentrated at the worst moment of the day.
The solution: An ultra-compact electric dozer built for ugly cleanup work
EBI Environnement was initially looking for what Denis Aubin described as a “miniature bulldozer as a cleaning machine.” That search led the team to Movex Innovation. About a month later, the MINIDOZER 27 was in operation.
The machine changed the cleanup model completely. Instead of waiting for the conveyors to stop, EBI Environnement now cleans under the lines throughout the day. A trained mechanic operates the MINIDOZER 27 while production continues, helping control buildup before it becomes a bigger problem.
As Denis Aubin explained, “We used to assign a group of workers at the end of the shift. Now the work is done progressively during the day.”
The job is now handled progressively with one machine and one trained operator. Workers who were previously pulled into manual shovelling can now be redirected to more value-added work, such as technical equipment cleaning and light maintenance.
A seasonal setup: Bucket in summer, custom scraper in winter
The MINIDOZER 27 was first delivered with a bucket. That worked well for pushing debris, but the team quickly realized that winter conditions required a different tool.
Compressed snow does not behave like loose cardboard or paper. It is heavier, more stubborn and harder to move in tight spaces. The bucket needed a pushing point, which was not always ideal under the conveyors. So Movex’s engineering services worked with EBI Environnement to develop a custom scraper.
Now, EBI Environnement uses the machine seasonally. In winter, the scraper helps pull compressed snow and work at an angle under the conveyors. In summer, the bucket is used to push lighter debris and accumulated material.
Safety: Treating the MINIDOZER like industrial equipment, not a gadget
Because the machine now operates while conveyors are running, EBI Environnement has put stricter procedures in place.
The mini loader is managed much like an industrial vehicle. Operators are trained. Safe distances are mandatory. No one is allowed to circulate around the machine while it is in operation.
The MINIDOZER 27 makes the task much easier and less physically demanding, but the company still treats it with the seriousness of industrial equipment.
The electric advantage: No fumes, no ventilation problem, no indoor headache
For an indoor recycling environment, electric power is not a nice-to-have. It is a major part of the fit.
The MINIDOZER 27 produces no carbon monoxide emissions, requires no special ventilation setup and does not force workers into masks because of exhaust. It can operate within EBI Environnement’s facility without creating the issues associated with combustion-powered equipment.
Day to day, the machine is simple to manage. It recharges between shifts, has enough autonomy for the work required and receives annual maintenance at Movex. After four years, EBI Environnement reports normal track wear, no major breakdowns and easy maintenance.
"
The biggest point is really the improvement in working conditions
Denis Aubin, General Manager at EBI Environnement
The results: Better working conditions and about 1,000 hours of manual shovelling avoided every year
For Denis Aubin, the main gain is still the same: better working conditions.
The MINIDOZER 27 reduced manual shovelling, lowered the physical effort required at the end of the day and helped reduce the risk of back injuries. The job is still industrial. It is still a recycling centre. But the hardest, most thankless part of the cleanup no longer falls on a large group of workers with shovels at the end of every shift.
Before the MINIDOZER 27, cleaning under the conveyors required about 8 employees at the end of the shift. Today, because cleanup is done progressively throughout the day with the machine, the task is handled by about 3 employees.
On a conservative basis:
- 5 fewer employees × 0.75 hour × 5 days per week × 48 weeks = approximately 900 hours
In winter, during heavy accumulations of compacted snow, EBI Environnement previously needed up to 12 workers. By reducing those peak cleanup events, the customer estimates another 100 hours of manual shovelling avoided annually.
Together, that represents roughly 1,000 hours of physically demanding work avoided and reassigned every year.
The people were still needed. They were just needed somewhere better than under the conveyors with shovels.
Four years later, still in operation
After four years of use, the MINIDOZER 27 still has a critical place in EBI Environnement’s daily cleanup routine. It recharges between shifts, has sufficient autonomy for the required work, and has not caused major maintenance issues beyond normal track wear. In a facility with roughly 60 conveyors operating continuously, reliability is a much-appreciated benefit.
EBI Environnement also sends the mini loader to Movex for annual maintenance, which keeps service simple and avoids long delays. Once equipment becomes part of the daily workflow, downtime creates pressure fast. Maintenance has to be quick, predictable and easy to manage, especially when the alternative is sending workers back under the conveyors with shovels.
"
The mini loader gave us the opportunity to ditch some grind work
Denis Aubin, General Manager at EBI Environnement
Equipment deployed
Mini loaders
MINIDOZER M-27
M- 27 (SS, ST)
The MINIDOZER M-27 is an ultra-compact loader perfect for cleaning under conveyors
Height: 22 5⁄16 in
Width: 27 3⁄4 in
Length: 110 in
Lifting capacity: 642 lb
Still sending workers under conveyors with shovels?
Movex Innovation’s MINIDOZER 27 helps industrial teams clean tight, hard-to-reach areas without tying up a full crew in physically demanding manual work.
Talk to Movex about your cleanup challenges.
Curious if our MINIDOZER M-27 could work at your site?
Schedule a call with the Movex team.