Conveyor line process control system and method

A system for controlling a conveyor line having a conveyor for moving a plurality of hangars configured to carry units through processing areas for processing by equipment in the processing areas, the system including:

• a first loading station for entering process control variables corresponding to units, the first loading station being located at a first location along the conveyor;
• a second loading station for entering process control variables corresponding to units, the second loading station being located at a second location along the conveyor;
• a pair of conveyor sensors operably associated with the conveyor, each sensor for sensing movement of the hangars and outputting a signal indicating the passage of a hangar;
• and
• a controller connected to the first and second loading stations and the conveyor sensors, the controller activating the processing equipment according to the process control variables, determining, based on the process control variables, the time required for the processing equipment to reach a steady state condition, and determining, based upon the signals from the conveyor sensors, the appropriate time for loading units onto hangars at the first and the second loading stations such that the units reach the processing equipment when the equipment has reached the steady state condition.