16 August, 2021

Battery maintenance for electric forklifts during downtimes

Posted on 16 August, 202129 July, 2025 by David Priestman

Extended downtimes – during long weekends or holidays, for example – present a particular challenge for the traction batteries of electrically powered forklift trucks. They can discharge independently during this idle time and, in the worst-case scenario, even lose their capacity. Professional battery maintenance is the best way to ensure that the forklift truck fleet is ready for use again as soon as the time comes to restart.

Lead-acid batteries are most commonly used to power electric forklift trucks. During extended downtimes, these should be stored in a charged state – otherwise there is a risk of damage, which can drastically reduce the battery life. Fronius battery chargers have a dedicated conservation charge feature, which continuously supplies the battery with power. The batteries are therefore ready to use immediately, even if they have been out of action for a long time. This avoids high costs for maintenance or new purchases.

Lead-acid batteries feature a liquid electrolyte that must be filled with water regularly during both operation and extended downtimes. Battery-quality water must always be used here and the specified fill level observed. This type of battery is also prone to the development of highly explosive oxyhydrogen – and downtimes are no exception. Proper ventilation of the battery charging rooms is therefore essential and smoke, sparks and any sort of open flames in the vicinity of the batteries must be avoided. In addition, users should never remove the vent plugs from the battery cells during charging.

On top of this, the Selectiva 4.0 battery chargers offer a special deep discharge characteristic that can be easily set on the charger itself. Harmful sulphation caused by extended downtimes or older lead-acid batteries is thus reliably reduced. This significantly improves the capacity and performance of the battery. A clear advantage over other battery chargers, which often fail when batteries are in a deep discharge state, as the battery voltage is too low and can no longer be detected.

It is also important that a compatible battery charger and battery are selected. Thanks to their automatic voltage detection, the devices from the Fronius Selectiva series are suitable for different types of batteries, with various voltages and capacities – this makes allocation significantly easier. As a result, forklift truck operators can fully depend on the readiness of their traction batteries, even after extended downtimes.

DSV Panalpina completes acquisition of Agility Global Integrated Logistics

Posted on 16 August, 202131 July, 2025 by David Priestman

All conditions and requirements for the acquisition of Agility’s Global Integrated Logistics business (GIL) have been met, and DSV Panalpina A/S (DSV) is now formally taking over GIL from Kuwait-based Agility. With the acquisition of GIL, DSV is becoming a global top-three player within transport and logistics and the aim is to continue to grow the business from this strong position.

Today’s expected completion of the acquisition of GIL marks an important milestone on the growth journey for DSV. Within transport and logistics, size is critical and with the acquisition DSV fortifies its position as one of the world’s largest transport and logistics companies.

“I am very pleased to welcome our new colleagues from GIL on this important day. There are many similarities when you look at our two companies both in terms of the business models and services and, not least, when we look at our shared focus on local empowerment and putting customers first. DSV and GIL simply constitute an excellent match. We will now start the integration, and, together, we are going to grow the business and bring even more value to our many customers, partners and shareholders than we do separately,” says Jens Bjørn Andersen, Group CEO, DSV.

The enterprise value of the transaction is approximately DKK 30.2 billion and the equity value approximately DKK 29.6 billion. The combination of DSV and GIL will have an expected combined pro forma revenue of approximately DKK 160 billion (based on last 12 months) and a combined workforce of 75,000 employees in more than 90 countries.

As consideration for 100 pct. of GIL, Agility receives DSV shares representing approximately 8 pct. of all post-transaction outstanding shares of DSV. This will make Agility the second largest DSV shareholder based on today’s shareholder register. After completion of the transaction, DSV has agreed to nominate an Agility representative to DSV’s Board of Directors.

Improved service offerings across all three divisions

GIL has an annual revenue of DKK 29 billion (USD 4.6 billion) with Air & Sea freight as the main contributor. This will be added to DSV’s existing global network. Moreover, the inclusion of GIL is building on DSV’s presence in both APAC and the Middle East. With 1.4 million square meters of warehousing capacity, GIL will be a strong addition to DSV Solutions, while the road freight activities in Europe and the Middle East will strengthen the DSV Road network.

“By adding the GIL network and competencies to our existing network, we improve our competitiveness across all three divisions: Air & Sea, Road and Solutions. This brings commercial synergies and cross-selling opportunities while at the same time providing our customers with an even higher service level and a one-stop-shop for logistics needs,” says Jens Bjørn Andersen.

The combined DSV and GIL business is aiming to use the strengthened position in the market to continue to grow through enhanced service offerings for customers, market-leading IT infrastructure and economies of scale.

DSV’s acquisition strategy has proven successful in both acquiring and integrating companies, most recently Swiss Panalpina in 2019 and American UTi Worldwide in 2016.

The focus on scalability remains one of the key competitive advantages in freight forwarding with significant operational and commercial benefits in a highly fragmented market.

Now the integration process of GIL can begin. The two organisations will be merged in a country-by-country process, which means that for customers and employees in many countries the coming period will be business as usual until the country-specific merger process is initiated. As has been a key focus in previous acquisitions, DSV will be approaching this integration with due respect for both organisational and individual considerations.

Despite the expected completion of the transaction today and in line with what has been agreed, regulatory clearances are pending in a limited number of jurisdictions where revenues individually and combined are insignificant compared to the combined post-completion revenue, and in each such jurisdiction completion of the acquisition and commencement of integration activities are awaiting the relevant regulatory clearance.

Digital excise tax connector SAP certified

Posted on 16 August, 202129 July, 2025 by David Priestman

The digitalization specialist Implico Group is proud to announce that the Avalara Tax Connector 1.0 is now officially SAP certified for integration with SAP S/4HANA and SAP S/4HANA Cloud. The helpful interface was co-developed by the company’s subsidiary in the United States, Implico, Inc., and the tax experts at Avalara. By connecting the powerful tax tool AvaTax Excise with the SAP ERP system, it enables automated excise tax calculation for North American suppliers, distributors, retailers, and traders in the energy sector and other industries.

The proper calculation of excise taxes is a complex task – especially for downstream companies. In each process, there are many different factors that influence the tax rate: Products and blends. Origins and destinations. Effective dates and exemptions. Branded and unbranded products. Gross and net volumes. Additionally, there is another challenge for companies registered in North America: There, the different tax rates are regulated by the Federal Government as well as State Governments and Local Governments. Independently of each other, these jurisdictions adjust the rates several times a year.

As cloud service or on-premise installation, the Avalara Tax Connector 1.0 integrates the proven tax tool AvaTax Excise into the standard sales and purchase functions of a company’s SAP ERP system. In turn, this facilitates automated tax determination and calculation for a wide range of processes. The benefits are manifold and meaningful: AvaTax Excise minimizes the chance of inaccuracies and errors. It empowers its users to ensure consistency and manage complexity as their businesses grow. And it frees space for the teams to stay focused and deal with their key objectives rather than getting overwhelmed by manual work. Via automatic updates, the software is always up to speed. At any point, it provides quick and easy access to all relevant information.

The SAP integration certification confirms the technical compliance of Avalara Tax Connector 1.0 with SAP certification procedures. It also qualifies Implico and Avalara’s interface software for listing in the SAP Certified Solutions Directory. This creates visibility and builds trust. According to SAP, selecting a certified partner solution helps companies ensure that they can cut implementation times, lower integration costs, and be confident of compatibility with their SAP technology infrastructure.

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