Industrial Automation & Conveyor FAQs

J+H Automation Solutions is a full-service systems integrator and automation engineering company that designs, builds, and installs material handling and manufacturing automation systems for manufacturers across North America. Our work includes conveyors and material handling, overhead conveyance, robotics and AGVs, controls and integration, and custom machinery — with engineering, fabrication, control panel building, and installation all handled by J+H's own teams.

J+H is headquartered at 100 N. Main St., Hackett, Arkansas 72937, near Fort Smith, with a Texas office at 18700 Becker Rd., Suite E103, Hockley, Texas 77447 in the Houston area. We have completed installations in 23 U.S. states and in Mexico, including San Luís Potosí, Toluca, Chihuahua, Monterrey, and Nuevo Laredo.

J+H has been in business since 1985 — more than 40 years. The company started as Johnson Material Handling Systems, offering custom fabrication and installation in the Fort Smith, Arkansas area, and grew into a multi-discipline systems integrator and full-service engineering firm. Read our story.

J+H serves manufacturers in HVAC, appliance, food and beverage, steel, tire and rubber, automotive and vehicle manufacturing, building materials, and industrial facilities, as well as municipalities. Most projects involve assembly lines, packaging and palletizing, overhead conveyance, or plant-wide material flow.

J+H keeps the entire project under one roof: mechanical and controls engineering, a fabrication and machine shop, a UL-listed control panel shop, in-house test and run-off, and our own installation crews. That single-source model means one accountable team from concept to startup, fewer handoffs between vendors, and systems that are proven in our facility before they reach your floor.

Turnkey engineer-build-install means J+H delivers the complete system under one contract — concept, layout, mechanical and controls design, fabrication, in-house run-off, installation, commissioning, and operator training. You work with one project manager and one team instead of coordinating separate designers, builders, panel shops, and installers. Learn about turnkey projects.

A typical J+H project moves through seven stages: (1) discovery and site visit, (2) concept, layout, and proposal, (3) mechanical and controls engineering with customer design approvals, (4) fabrication and control panel build, (5) full build and run-off in our facility with customer review, (6) installation and commissioning at your plant, and (7) training, documentation, and support after startup.

Yes. Systems are fully built, programmed, and run off in J+H's facility in the most real-world conditions possible, and customers review and approve the equipment before shipment. Catching issues on our floor instead of yours shortens installation and reduces startup risk.

Project timelines depend on scope, engineering approvals, and lead times on purchased components such as robots, drives, and conveyor sections. A single robotic cell or a controls retrofit moves much faster than conveyance for an entire new facility. J+H provides a project schedule with every proposal and builds it around your production calendar.

Yes. Many J+H projects are installed during planned plant outages and shutdown windows. Because equipment is pre-built and tested in our facility, our crews can focus on-site time on installation, tie-ins, and commissioning so your line returns to production on schedule.

Call (479) 638-8398, email sales@jhautomationsolutions.com, or use our contact form. Helpful details to share include what you need to move or automate, product sizes and weights, required rates, your current layout or drawings, and photos or video of the process. Automation is custom-engineered, so pricing is based on your project's scope rather than a catalog price.

J+H offers belt, roller, chain, motor-driven roller (MDR), enclosed track, power-and-free, I-beam, spiral, turntable, and transfer conveyors, plus fully custom conveyors designed, built, and tested in our Hackett, Arkansas facility. Standard and custom sections are engineered together into one connected system. See conveyor projects.

J+H is an authorized integrator for Roach and Dematic conveyors and for Daifuku (Jervis B. Webb) Unibilt enclosed track, power-and-free, and Unibeam I-beam systems, and represents Ryson spiral conveyors. J+H is a Top 5 Roach distributor and a Top 3 Daifuku Unibilt/Unibeam distributor.

Yes. Overhead conveyance is a J+H specialty. We integrate Daifuku Unibilt enclosed track, power-and-free, and Unibeam I-beam systems for loads ranging from light parts to 3,000-pound assemblies, freeing floor space and creating buffer and accumulation in assembly and finishing operations. See overhead projects.

Yes. J+H supplies and installs cranes, hoists, lift tables, tilt tables, intelligent lifting devices, and fall arrest systems from Gorbel, Southworth, and Harrington to reduce strain and injury risk at workstations.

J+H is an authorized robot integrator for Yaskawa, ABB, and Fanuc. We build robotic cells for material handling, palletizing and depalletizing, machine tending, and assembly, including custom end-of-arm tooling. See robotics projects.

Yes. J+H is an authorized integrator for Daifuku (Jervis B. Webb) SmartCart automatic guided carts and ranks among the Top 10 Daifuku AGV integrators nationwide. We specialize in AGC-based assembly lines, which can be re-routed as products and volumes change.

Yes. J+H designs and builds end-of-arm tooling (EOAT) in-house, engineered around your specific part, package, and process — including new tooling for robots you already own.

Yes. J+H integrates Cognex and Keyence machine vision for inspection, part verification, robot guidance, and quality control, connected to the line's controls and operator interfaces. See vision projects.

J+H programs Allen-Bradley ControlLogix and CompactLogix PLCs in Studio 5000, FactoryTalk View and Ignition HMI/SCADA, VFDs, servos, safety PLCs, and EtherNet/IP networks. We can also deploy other PLC brands to match plant standards and connect with existing systems.

Yes. J+H operates a UL-listed industrial control panel shop, so panels are designed, built, and tested in-house alongside the mechanical equipment they control.

Yes. J+H modernizes existing equipment — from individual machines to plant-wide systems — including legacy PLC migrations, safety system upgrades, HMI replacements, robot cell reprogramming, and layout improvements that increase throughput and reduce downtime. See controls projects.

Yes. J+H routinely integrates new robotic cells, conveyors, AGCs, and custom machines with a plant's existing equipment, controls, and operator interfaces so the line runs as one coordinated system.

J+H designs and builds purpose-built machinery for processes that off-the-shelf equipment can't handle — including assembly, test, measuring, and handling machines on small or large scales. Our mechanical and controls engineers design each machine around your part, process, and rate. See custom machinery projects.

Fabrication is done in-house. J+H maintains a fully staffed fabrication and machine shop and a UL-listed control panel shop in Hackett, Arkansas, which gives us direct control over quality and schedule.

J+H's own installation crews — millwrights, welders, and electrical and controls technicians — install and commission our systems, led by J+H project managers. The same company that designed and built the system is responsible for getting it running.

Yes. J+H disassembles, moves, reinstalls, and re-commissions existing production lines and equipment, including relocations completed within plant outage windows.

Yes. J+H provides operator and maintenance training at startup, complete system documentation, and continued engineering and controls support after the system is in production.

Yes. J+H has completed projects throughout Mexico. A common approach is a full build and run-off in our U.S. facility, customer approval before shipment, then a streamlined installation in Mexico with limited on-site U.S. labor.

J+H's strategic technology partners include Yaskawa, ABB, and Fanuc robotics; Daifuku, Roach, Dematic, and Ryson conveyance; Gorbel and Southworth lifting equipment; Husky; Allen-Bradley controls; Keyence and Cognex vision; and Ignition software. View all partners.

J+H regularly hires for field installation, engineering, and shop roles — including millwrights and field installation technicians, welders, controls engineers, machine designers, fabricators, and equipment assemblers. View current openings and apply.