Conveyor systems are used throughout a number of industry sectors, with different companies using different types of conveyor technology for use in a variety of situations. Some of the most common conveyor systems include conveyor belts, vertical conveyors, automotive conveyors, gravity roller conveyors, wire mesh conveyors, plastic belt conveyors, spiral conveyors, vibrating conveyors, and pneumatic conveyors. Conveyor belts are the most well know type of conveyor system, with a wide range of uses in retail stores, factories,and industrial locations. In terms of their industrial application, some of the uses of conveyor belts include factories, mines, automotive plants, packaging centres, and newspaper printing. Conveyor belts use a range of different devices and technologies, including carrier rollers (Tragrollen) , drive pulleys, idle pulleys, and rubber belts themselves. Carrier rollers are used together with conveyor belts, with the belt installed over a series of carrier rollers that are powered by a drive motor.

While there is a lot of variation in how conveyor systems are installed, automated, and used, the basic principle that lies behind their operation is fairly simple. In a common conveyor belt system, the belt rotates around a series of pulleys, and uses a series of cylinders called carrier rollers to guide the belt. Depending on the application, either one or many of these pulleys is powered by a motor, with powered pulleys called drivers and unpowered pulleys called idlers. Carrier rollers are integral to the process of material transportation, and are sometimes used by themselves without a rubber belt at all. Whether or not a belt is used will depend on the application, with small material transportation requiring a belt and large boxes and other materials often not needing one at all.

Conveyor systems are used in a wide range of applications, including extensive use in automated distribution and warehousing. However, for many people, conveyor systems are more noticeable in smaller applications, like when they are used in supermarket checkouts and sushi restaurants. Conveyor systems play an integral role in a wide range of modern industries, from bulk material transportation right through to the retail sector. Carrier rollers are one of the necessary components of any conveyor belt system, and work alongside pulleys, belts, motors, and automation technology to create powerful material handling systems.