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Tag: forklifts

Briggs commits to ongoing environmental strategy

Posted on by Keith McKinley

Briggs Equipment, one of the UK’s premier asset management and engineering services specialists, has underlined its ongoing commitment to sustainability by becoming an officially accredited carbon neutral business. The company will also be implementing a wide-ranging environmental strategy that will ensure Briggs and its customers can continue to operate in a sustainable fashion moving forward.

Working with Carbon Neutral Britain, Briggs is offsetting its carbon footprint via approved projects that contribute towards protecting the environment and supporting communities across the world with sustainable development. Additionally, Briggs is pledging to plant a tree for every new machine it sells. This activity will see thousands of new trees planted in the UK each year.

To support this initial work, the company is exploring a wide range of transformational infrastructure projects. This includes investigating the installation of green energy options like solar and wind power for onsite storage, the continued roll-out of hybrid and electric vehicles in its company fleet, the installation of electric charging points at Briggs locations, ongoing promotion of green technology and much more.

Sustainability forms a key part of the company’s overall business strategy moving forward, which means customers can build their carbon strategy with Briggs in the confidence that their equipment partner is fully committed to sustainable working.

In recent years there have been significant technological advancements in battery technology, bringing electrification to more and more applications and larger and larger equipment. This applies across the spectrum from warehouse operations to ports and container handling. These developments have enabled Briggs customers to invest with confidence in electrification across their equipment fleets and as a result they’re experiencing significant environmental benefits and uncompromised performance.

Briggs Equipment’s Group Managing Director, Pete Jones, commented: “We’re incredibly passionate about our environmental responsibilities and recognise the importance of operating as a sustainable organisation. This new programme of activity is a natural evolution for our business as for many years we’ve provided our customers with various tools to reduce their, and our, environmental impact. Our certification and offsetting initiative with Carbon Neutral Britain provides an umbrella for all these activities to come together as a comprehensive approach. We are pushing forward with a wide range of projects and initiatives that will deliver significant benefits and allow our customers to build their carbon strategy in partnership with us.

“We’re also exploring various infrastructure projects for renewable energy generation at our premises that will contribute significantly to our green objectives.  The phasing out of diesel and petrol vehicles from our company fleet, switching to hybrid and electric vehicles is already well underway.

“Many of our customers are also embarking on their own ‘green journey’ and we are pleased to see the industry responding to the challenges ahead. Briggs is here to support those companies as they evolve towards a more sustainable model of working.”

UgoWork wins software & technology providers award

Posted on by David Priestman

UgoWork, a Canadian energy solutions provider specialising in lithium-ion batteries for industrial trucks, has won Food Logistics’ 2021 Top Software & Technology Providers Award. This award honours software and technology providers that ensure safe and UL approved, efficient and reliable global cold food and beverage supply chains.

UgoWork helps organisations with manufacturing and warehousing challenges to reduce operational costs through improved efficiency in their material handling operations. Here are some key features:

  • Fast and easy charging: Universal charging infrastructure with automotive-grade connectors to power Class I, II and III industrial trucks
  • 24/7 support: Cloud-connected batteries enable constant remote monitoring of their state of health to ensure optimal uptimes
  • Energy as a service (EaaS): UgoWork’s flexible financing programmes and pay-per-use plans offer peace of mind including the replacement and recycling of lithium battery packs

“Energy as a Service is not new in terms of concept, but needed a technological shift to make it happen in the material handling market,” explained Philippe Beauchamp, President and CEO of UgoWork. “When we launched our lithium-ion battery several years ago, it was clear that our customers did not want batteries. They wanted a turnkey solution where the provider would take 100% responsibility of uptime of the systems and bring complete peace of mind for their operations. We introduced the industry with a battery infrastructure and IoT system that allows just that – and we top it off with a level of technical support that is unmatched in the industry.”

Equipment owners urged to review inspection programme

Posted on by David Priestman

Following a busy Christmas period, work equipment owners are being advised to examine their maintenance and inspection programme schedules to ensure everything is kept at a safe and legal standard throughout 2022.

CFTS – the industry’s accrediting body for Thorough Examinations in the UK – is aware that thousands of trucks and attachments may not currently have a suitable Thorough Examination plan to ensure they fulfil all requirements under LOLER and PUWER.

Geoff Martin, CFTS Chairman, explained: “A huge number of businesses have been working flat-out in recent months, so January is an ideal time to take stock and assess the condition of equipment.

“I’d suggest that your first step should be to check the truck’s paperwork for the last inspection date and see if there is a sticker on the equipment bearing the CFTS Quality Mark. If you don’t know what you are looking for, talk to the person at your company who oversees the equipment.”

Many companies also find themselves unclear over whose responsibility it is to book the inspections when trucks are leased or hired. It’s often assumed that any liability is with the company the trucks are hired from, but this is only sometimes the case. Speak to the hiring company if you are unsure of your obligations.

When trucks are owned outright, the responsibility is yours and if you let the inspection period lapse, you could potentially leave yourself open to fines or worse — letting the equipment become unsafe.

There is also a common misconception that the inspection is simply an annual undertaking, but in reality, it isn’t quite that simple.

“There’s no one-size-fits-all rule,” said Geoff Martin. “It’s important that each piece of equipment is on its own schedule appropriate to its type and use. Your nearest CFTS-accredited member will be able to advise on the frequency of inspections required on a case-by-case basis. And with the ever-changing situation we find ourselves in, it’s always best to be fully prepared as early as possible.”

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Linde takes pride in 2021 awards

Posted on by David Priestman

In reflecting on its seven awards received in 2021 and more than 80 accolades picked up over the last three decades, intralogistics specialist Linde Material Handling (MH) recognises this achievement as the result of its ongoing innovative strength and wealth of ideas produced for the benefit of its customers.

All the prizes that have been awarded to the company since the mid-1980s can now be seen in a dedicated “Awards” section on the corporate website, assigned to the categories of Brand, Product/Innovation, Design and Communication.

For almost 120 years, the name Linde (Material Handling) has stood for reliable technology, intelligent solutions and innovative products that offer users measurable added value. “Our entire workforce is committed to the success of our customers who benefit from our team’s great passion and innovative strength,” said Stefan Prokosch, SVP Brand Management Linde Material Handling.

“That’s why the Linde brand and our technical concepts, vehicle design and communication have won countless awards. We are particularly proud of these accolades because they are proof that our customers appreciate our commitment to offering the highest possible level of efficiency, safety, ergonomics and sustainability. With the new Award section on our homepage, we are making this success transparent for all visitors.”

2021 – another award-winning year

One of the most coveted awards in the material handling industry in Germany once again went to Linde MH in 2021. On behalf of the VerkehrsRundschau magazine, an independent market research institute surveyed a representative number of purchasing decision-makers from the transport and logistics sectors about the best-known brands.

Right back in 2002, when Springer Fachmedien München GmbH and the publishing house Heinrich Vogel offered the Image Award for the first time in the category “Forklift trucks, Handling and Warehouse Technology”, Linde MH won the coveted prize. Since then, the competition in this category has been held at different intervals. The constant, however, is the goods handling specialist, who has always emerged as the winner since then.

The VerkehrsRundschau editorial team commented on the latest results as follows: “When it comes to forklift trucks, pallet trucks, order pickers and so on, no manufacturer is as well regarded as Linde Material Handling.”

Linde MH also continued its successes of recent years in the 2021 readers’ poll carried out by publishing house ETM. For the 10th time, the company won the “Best Brands” award offered by the publications trans aktuell, lastauto omnibus, FERNFAHRER and eurotransport.de, which recognises innovative products and services from the transport and logistics industry. But it was not only in terms of brand image that Linde MH was able to impress customers and experts.

In the “materialfluss PRODUCT OF THE YEAR 2021” readers’ poll, the automated Linde R-MATIC reach truck took first place in the Industrial Trucks category. Moreover, the access authorisation system “Linde Safety Guard: Door Control” emerged victorious in the Identification Technology category. The competition, which was launched in 2020, is decided via online voting.

A large number of awards have been received over the past few decades. The various types fill a large glass showcase in the reception area of Linde MH’s headquarters in Aschaffenburg. Among them is the Business Superbrands Award, which is given by Superbrands Germany, the world’s largest brand evaluation organisation, who has listed Linde MH as one of the top companies in its industry since 2020.

Other prizes have been awarded in honour of innovations. One example is the “Best Practice Innovations” award from Logistra magazine, which belongs to the Huss publishing house. In this instance, an award was given in 2014 for the practical viability and innovative concept of the company’s fuel cell technology, and another was awarded in 2020 for Linde’s latest IC counterbalance trucks.

In the same year, the judges of the Fork Lift Truck Association (FTLA) were impressed by the ergonomic steering wheel of the Linde N20 C low-lift order picker and presented it with the coveted “Award for Excellence” in the “Ergonomics” category.

Increasingly, assistance and personal protection systems are becoming the focus of awards. One example is the “interactive warning vest for the protection of persons in in-warehouse traffic”. This solution, which is unique in the industry, received the 2021 Industry Award, presented by WirtschaftsWoche and DEKRA, in the category “Safety at Work”.

And the list of successes still does not end there: “interairport Europe 2019 Excellence Award”, “Öko Globe” and “MM Logistik Award” are further examples.

Added to this is the large number of accumulated design awards: Over the years, Linde MH has won as many as 10 “reddot” and 12 “iF Product Design” awards. Linde MH received its first iF Design Award in 1985 for the legendary 351 series forklift model in the henceforth typical Porsche industrial design.

In 2018, the roadster version of the Linde E20 R to E35 R electric forklift range was honoured with the prestigious French industrial design award Observeur du Design, which is presented annually by the design association Agence pour la promotion de la création industrielle (APCI). The German Design Award followed in 2019, presented in recognition of the exceptional forklift model designed without an A-pillar, which offers even better visibility of the driving area and load.

Last, but not least, Linde MH proved its creativity in terms of communication and marketing and was found to be worthy of a corresponding award. In particular, the StaplerCup, a championship in which forklift drivers can demonstrate their skills and promote occupational safety, has earned the company numerous prizes over the years – including the “Best of Business (BoB)”, “ECON”, “DPRG”, “Galaxy” and “PR Report Award Gold” awards.

Yale brings “Technology that moves” to LogiMAT

Posted on by David Priestman

Yale Europe Materials Handling is returning to the largest logistics expo in Europe, LogiMAT, set to take place in Stuttgart from 31 May – 2 June. Yale will be showcasing a wide variety of materials handling products and solutions under the theme ‘Technology that moves’, on Stand D31 in Hall 9.

“LogiMAT 2022 will be our first physical trade show in three years, and there isn’t a more fitting location to present our plans for the future,” said Timo Antony, Area Business Director Central Europe at Yale. “We’re looking forward to meeting with individuals in-person again, connecting with customers and telling them what we’ve been working on since the last time we met.”

In the three years since the previous LogiMAT, Yale has undergone an exciting business transformation, which will be demonstrated for the first time in Stuttgart.

On display will be a range of warehousing trucks as well as logistics innovations, combining technology and design to provide tailored solutions for tomorrow’s challenges.

Yale will reveal its new Series N ICE counterbalance truck for the very first time. Built on Yale’s modular and scalable platform, the Series N can easily be configured to match unique requirements, raising the bar for success in almost all applications and environments.

Visitors will also be able to learn more about the Yale UX Series for low intensity warehouse operations, which launched in 2020. Yale is keen to speak with warehouse managers to demonstrate how its UX products can benefit their operations.

A key element of the LogiMAT display will be lithium-ion technology. Yale will enhance its materials handling product offering with the recently launched SUNLIGHT lithium-ion batteries as a power solution for customers.

“There will be a lot of exciting announcements from Yale in the coming 12 months, and LogiMAT is set to kick-start a bright and prosperous chapter for our company, our dealers, and our customers old and new,” concluded Antony.

STILL reveals more iGo neo innovations

Posted on by David Priestman

STILL GmbH, the Hamburg-based provider of intralogistics solutions, was the first manufacturer to launch iGo neo in 2016, a technology that turns series-produced intralogistics trucks into independent assistants for their operators. The technology enables perfect interaction between man and machine. Now STILL is launching a series of further innovations for the OPX iGo neo horizontal order picker that result in even more autonomy and therefore additional safety and cost-effectiveness in the warehouse.

The OPX iGo neo horizontal order picker is a vehicle that autonomously follows the operator at every step during order picking. It reacts to its operator and the environment. It therefore provides ergonomic order picking that is unique in the market. The innovative technology ensures that the order picker is always ideally positioned in relation to the operator and that the operator does not have to walk unnecessarily, which in itself leads to increased efficiency.

Safety is also high on STILL’s agenda, especially for autonomous vehicles. The OPX iGo neo, for instance, has a unique safety concept. The horizontal order picker recognises and reacts situationally not only to people but also to dynamic and static objects. It independently detects and avoids non-critical obstacles and stops gently in front of critical barriers.

Collision avoidance in manual operation

Since November this year, the STILL Easy Protect collision protection system has been providing additional safety, even in manual operation. The assistance system is available for all OPX iGo neo models: “If the operator is on a collision course during manual operation, the truck detects this and brakes automatically depending on the distance of the obstacle,” explained Thede Baumann, Product Manager for the iGo neo.

When developing this assistance system, one of the key objectives was to keep the restrictions on driving as low as possible. “To achieve this,” said Volker Viereck, Head of intelligent autonomous software development at KION mobile automation, “the driving manoeuvre requested by the operator is constantly assessed and intervention only takes place if the operator is explicitly on a collision course”. This means that the closer the vehicle gets to an obstacle, the more the specified speed is reduced to avoid a collision.

“However, if the operator reacts to the obstacle by adjusting the steering angle, thus avoiding it,” continued the robotics development manager, “the vehicle automatically accelerates again to the driving speed desired by the operator.”

In addition, Easy Protect evaluates the distance at which the operator wants to pass an obstacle. This leads to a possible speed reduction of the vehicle depending on this distance.

“Easy Protect is comparable to the lane departure warning system in cars,” said Baumann. The great difference to the automotive industry, however, is that the operator is supported very discreetly by the assistance system. In a nutshell, the corrections made by the vehicle are minimal and very gentle, but nevertheless accurate to the centimetre.

The level of intervention of STILL’s new assistance system, which can also be retrofitted to trucks already on the market, can be selected by the operator and adjusted if necessary. Three modes are available for this: early intervention, standard intervention and late intervention.

“With this assistance system, the iGo neo was especially able to play to its strengths,” Viereck continued, “because the sensor technology for this was already available in the vehicle.” The new feature does not require any hardware upgrades and can be made available to all existing customers via a vehicle software update. This underlines STILL’s strategy of allowing the OPX iGo neo to benefit from new optimisations or even new features even after it has been delivered. If desired, the robotic vehicle can be kept permanently up-to-date.

3D collision protection

The 3D collision protection, which will be added to STILL’s OPX iGo neo from next year, uses a 3D camera to reliably detect obstacles in front of the truck – both in manual and autonomous operation. “The camera is positioned above the pedestrian protection system,” explained Viereck. “This means that its field of vision covers the entire height of the front of the vehicle, which was also an explicit request from our customers.”

In addition to increased safety, the 3D collision protection also leads to higher working efficiency, for example when using several scissor lift trucks. Until now, larger safety distances were necessary in practice because the raised forks of the vehicle in front cannot be detected by sensors.

“Since this restriction is resolved by Easy Protect 3D, vehicles can close in more closely,” said Baumann. This in turn reduces walking distances and increases productivity. This assistance system by STILL, which is unique on the market so far, can also be retrofitted for existing order pickers.

New industrial pallet version

As of now, a new vehicle version of STILL’s OPX iGo neo horizontal order picker is also available. The industrial pallet version enables the transport of load carriers up to a width of 1,000mm in autonomous assistance mode. Previously, this was only possible for a pallet width of 800mm.

This option increases the range of applications for the OPX iGo neo even more. It expands perspectives not only for industrial pallets but also for special load carriers with a width of up to 1,000mm. The integrated pedestrian protection system safeguards the enlarged vehicle and load width accordingly. In addition, the intelligent vehicle knows its own dimensions and operates accordingly. An adaptation of the desired distances is not necessary, this is done by the neo itself. The new industrial pallet version from STILL is available for all models.

“Since each country has different requirements for the use of autonomous vehicles, a number of system enhancements have been made,” explained Viereck. Due to this system expansion to adapt to the legal requirements of the different regions, the OPX iGo neo can now be offered throughout EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa) as well as in other regions, such as the USA, Australia or New Zealand. The success of the STILL horizontal order picker is therefore not limited to core Europe – the truck is now in demand worldwide.

STILL supports vaccination campaign

Posted on by Keith McKinley

STILL is supporting the City of Hamburg’s vaccination campaign by providing extensive premises and the necessary infrastructure for two open vaccination days organised by the social security authorities at the STILL Arena in Billbrook.

On 10th December, 2021, and 7th January, 2022, anyone over the age of 12 who is willing to be vaccinated can benefit from the offer without pre-registration. Primary, secondary and booster vaccinations will be offered and the vaccines available will be from Biontech, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson.

Taking responsibility is a matter of course for the Hamburg-based intralogistics company. STILL has been actively involved in the fight against the Coronavirus since the beginning of the pandemic, for example with a special vaccination line for the workforce and donations of vehicles for system-relevant supply areas. Now STILL is making its STILL Arena events hall, in Berzeliusstraße in Hamburg Billbrook available to the City of Hamburg’s social security office for two open vaccination days. The infrastructure – from furniture to routing to IT – will be organised by STILL as well.

“We can only overcome this pandemic if we stand together in solidarity,” emphasises Frank Müller, Senior Vice President Brand Management / Sales & Service Steering STILL EMEA. “It is therefore a matter of course for us to support the city’s vaccination campaign. And if we can use our resources to help provide even more Hamburg citizens with low-threshold access to a Corona vaccination, then we are very happy to do so. We hope that many citizens will make use of this offer and roll up their sleeves with us in the STILL Arena.”

Right next to the STILL Arena there is also a Corona test centre run by the German Red Cross (DRK). Here, too, the company has made premises available to support the containment of the pandemic and to offer employees an additional opportunity to protect themselves and implement the 3G regulation in the workplace (which stands for vaccinated, recovered, tested) with as little effort as possible.

Hyster to unveil scalable counterbalance series

Posted on by David Priestman

At LogiMAT 2022, Hyster will focus on ‘Powering YOUR Possibilities’ and will reveal the first preview of its new tough, scalable lift truck series.

Visitors to Stand C10 in Hall 10 from 31 May – 2 June in Stuttgart, Germany, will be among the first to discover the latest Hyster developments, including a sneak peek of a new modular and scalable IC counterbalanced truck series which is ‘distinctly Hyster – built for you’.

“At LogiMAT, we are excited to bring together our diverse global industry experience and our newest developments, showing how we support our customers specific needs with different solutions,” explains Rainer Marian, Director Network Development at Hyster Europe.

The expert team from Hyster, backed by the power of dealers from the DACH region, will be on-hand to discuss how Hyster can ‘power your possibilities’ with a range of solutions to address customers’ unique handling challenges across diverse applications and industries. Overall, the full product portfolio includes a comprehensive range of more than 140 models of counterbalance trucks, warehouse trucks and container handlers.

At the show, Hyster will also be inviting visitors to learn more about the wide selection of different power options available for its lift trucks and warehouse equipment, including intelligent lithium-ion battery solutions. Sustainability, automation, and lifetime cost reduction will also be high on the agenda.

“Space is becoming scarcer. Time pressure is increasing. Business costs are rising,” says Rainer. “As many companies are in the process of business transformation, Hyster is excited to have a range of solutions to help make it easier to overcome the specific challenges facing customers operations. We are very much looking forward to discussing this with visitors at LogiMAT 2022.”

Drinks wholesaler deploys articulated forklift fleet

Posted on by David Priestman

LWC Drinks Ltd – the UK’s largest independent drinks wholesaler – has introduced a fleet of space-saving Flexi Truck very narrow aisle (VNA) articulated forklifts across its nationwide estate of distribution depots, including the company’s recently opened new 173,000 sq ft bonded DC in Chadderton, Oldham.

The Oldham site – located just 10 miles from Manchester city centre, and 1.5 miles from junctions 20 and 21 of the M60 – is twice the size of LWC’s previous local facility at nearby Openshaw and represents an investment of £12.5 million for the company.

The national beverage wholesaler’s success has been built and continues to rely upon the smooth running of its supply chain network. Across most of the country same-day delivery is offered seven-days-a-week from LWC’s network of 14 depots. Meanwhile, in those areas where same-day delivery is not possible, LWC offer a next-day service to a client base that includes some 13,500 licensed establishments across both the on-and off-trade.

The Oldham site also features a dedicated area for Click N Drink, LWC’s DTC division, which it launched in 2020 when the majority of its trade customers had been forced to shut down to comply with the Covid-19 pandemic lockdown restrictions that were having such a devastating impact on swathes of the hospitality and leisure sectors.

With a relentlessly demanding delivery schedule and a product range comprised of more than 8,000 lines – including over 1,200 draughts, 500 bottled beers, 200 ciders, 2,800 spirits, 1,500 wines and 1,300 soft drinks – efficient and cost-effective storage systems and reliable materials handling equipment are essential for LWC.

Long-standing advocate

“LWC has long been an advocate of Flexi Truck space saving technology across its business and the intralogistics systems in operation throughout LWC’s national depot network have been based on Flexi Truck technology for many years,” said John Maguire, managing director of Narrow Aisle Ltd – the West Midlands-based designer and manufacturer of the Flexi Truck range.

“By providing a highly cost-effective format that is reproduced by LWC at all of its sites, Flexi Trucks deliver tremendous space savings within the stores as well as synergies with the company’s other handling equipment that enables LWC’s truck operators’ existing skills to be utilised – an important consideration in the current climate when qualified lift truck drivers are in short supply.”

The new very narrow aisle FLEXI Truck articulated forklifts supplied to LWC, are the latest ‘Digital’ Flexi Truck models to be developed by Narrow Aisle Ltd. ‘Digital’ Flexis require minimal maintenance, which means that they ensure optimum ‘up time’ while the trucks’ ultra-efficient battery system allows sustained levels of performance to be achieved so that even the most demanding pallet throughput targets can be met.

Ease of operation and, therefore, pallet put-away and picking speed, is further enhanced by the trucks’ unique independent digital power-steering which makes Flexi Trucks particularly easy to manoeuvre within aisleways.

Articulated ‘over rotation’ and smooth digital steering combine to ensure that one turn of a Flexi Truck’s steering wheel is all that is required to enter or de-stack a pallet.

IT investment

The drinks wholesaler has introduced a new warehouse management system (WMS) and duty management system at the Oldham site. The IT investment will help standardise LWC’s operations across its distribution network and ensure that the company continues to perform as efficiently and effectively as possible.

The data capture devices that link the materials handling equipment to the WMS are mounted on the Flexi Truck’s unique ‘Halo Bar’ – an innovative accessory option that acts as a mounting for RDTs, hands-free order picking screens, label printers etc and delivers unobstructed operator forward vision so that Flexi Truck drivers can perform productively and safely at all times.

The Flexi Trucks undertake a wide range of duties. For example, LWC’s new machines will be used both outside the Oldham unit and other sites to unload incoming curtain sided trailers and inside the store to deliver pallets directly to the pallet racking system – eliminating the need for the traditional double handling that is often required at facilities where a mix of counterbalance forklifts and reach trucks are deployed.

Because LWC is committed to running its business as sustainably as possible, energy efficiency was an important influence on the company’s MHE purchasing decision. The new ‘Digital’ Flexi Truck models provide extended shift life from a single battery that has not only cut energy consumption and brought about a considerable reduction in fleet operating costs at the new Oldham site as well as LWC’s other depot facilities, but has also delivered an upgrade in productivity efficiency due to the reduction in truck downtime required to change or charge batteries.

Battery charging technology

Furthermore, the trucks’ operational efficiency is given an extra boost thanks to an integrated battery charging and changing solution designed and delivered by Narrow Aisle’s Warehouse Systems team.

Featuring operator ‘call-forward’ alert technology to identify the most appropriate fully charged battery when a change is due, the advanced fast charge system will dramatically reduce LWC’s overall mains electricity consumption and, therefore, minimise truck fleet running costs across its properties. The unique 6 hour battery charging time will allow the company to operate with only two batteries per truck on a three-shift usage pattern as required.

Maguire commented: “LWC Drinks Ltd has operated Flexi Truck articulated forklift truck technology across its business for many years. The company recognises the space saving and operational benefits of Flexi Truck technology and we are delighted that we will continue to enjoy such a successful relationship.

“The ‘Digital’ Flexi Trucks supplied to LWC represent the next phase of the iconic Flexi Truck articulated forklift’s development. Designed to minimise the use of battery energy in every work cycle by using digital lift drive and steering systems that are integrated with the latest rapid low energy charging technologies, ‘Digital’ Flexi Truck models provide a sustainable and efficient long term solution to users.”

Narrow Aisle is providing fleet management and maintenance support services across the LWC national depot network.

The future of forklifts is electric

Posted on by David Priestman

With more and more forklift truck users opting for electric-power over IC-engine driven machines when the time comes to replace or upgrade their materials handling equipment fleet, the coming years are expected to bring a clear shift away from diesel and LPG towards electric forklifts. Indeed, Toyota Material Handling expect the UK market for electric counterbalanced forklift trucks to grow by as much as 10% in the next five years. In this article, Toyota’s counterbalance specialist, Paul Bowers, considers some of the factors driving the rise of the electric-powered forklift market.

According to the most reliable estimates, the forklift market has historically been split roughly 60/40 between LPG- or diesel-powered internal combustion engine (IC) trucks and battery-driven electric models – with diesel being the most dominant fuel. But the coming years are anticipated to bring a clear shift away from diesel and LPG towards electric forklifts.

At Toyota Material Handling, for example, we expect the UK market for electric counterbalanced forklift trucks to grow by as much as 10% in the next five years as more and more truck users opt for electric-power over IC-engine driven machines when the time comes to replace or upgrade their fleets.

The rise of the electric lift truck can be attributed to a number of different factors – including heightened environmental concerns, rising fuel prices and greater awareness of staff welfare.

Advances in battery technology, such as the further development of lithium-ion and  to a lesser extent (for now) hydrogen fuel cells, are also leading to greater interest in electric power, while the wide-ranging changes to intralogistics processes brought about by the seemingly relentless increase in internet shopping tend to favour electric trucks too.

Of course, environmental issues have been on the corporate agenda for many years but recent talk of the introduction of a ‘carbon emissions tax’ has seen a sharp increase in the truck users that include like-for-like carbon emissions comparisons as part of their forklift fleet purchasing process. IC-engine trucks rarely come top of the class in such tests, which will not be a surprise to many given that electric-powered trucks have always been perceived to have the edge over the IC-engine alternative in all matters ‘green’.

But it would be wrong to conclude that the electric truck market is only growing because diesel sales are in decline: recent developments in technology mean the electric lift truck is now a highly sophisticated product that offers real business benefits to the broadest range of users. And, furthermore, today’s battery-driven forklifts are capable of performing highly effectively within the type of harsh environments that historically only diesel trucks would be considered suitable for.

Perhaps the single biggest technological advance behind the upsurge in electric truck sales is the arrival of the lithium-ion battery. While lead acid remains by far the dominant battery type within the electric-powered forklift market, sales of lithium-ion forklifts have been on a sustained upward curve for some time.

Although it is estimated that in the region of 90% of all electric forklifts in operation throughout the world are still running on lead acid batteries, the lithium-ion solution has now become well established as a viable alternative. Indeed, nearly a quarter of all Toyota electric-powered forklift trucks ordered for delivery in the UK now feature lithium-ion battery (LiB) technology.

Today, lithium-ion is revolutionising the way that some companies operate their intralogistics processes. Lithium-ion batteries have the ability to be recharged in as little as one hour – which increases a truck’s overall availability. One hour’s charging will give in the region of 4 to 5 hours of operating time. Also, as these batteries allow for opportunity charging, trucks can be recharged anywhere by the operator during breaks in a shift or other periods of downtime. As a result, there is no need to swap batteries – so dedicated charging rooms and spare batteries are not necessary.

Hydrogen fuel cells are also emerging as another viable alternative to lead acid batteries. At the present time, Hydrogen only becomes financially realistic where in the region of 90+ trucks are in operation at one location due to the significant investment required in hydrogen generation and storage systems, so the potential user market is currently somewhat limited.

But large fleet operators are keen to embrace the technology and Toyota Hydrogen fuel cell-powered forklifts are already operating at sites across the Nordic region and Europe as well as Australia. Meanwhile in the automotive sector Toyota’s hydrogen-powered Mirai is at the forefront of a new age of hydrogen fuel cell cars that deliver long distance zero-emissions driving.

Of course, as with any new development, when the product matures the price will drop and there is every reason to believe hydrogen fuel cell power will be within reach of every business with a forklift fleet in the not-too-distant future.

But, despite the worldwide rush to eliminate – or at least minimise – the use of fossil fuels and the myriad benefits that electric trucks offer users in terms of running costs, productivity, reduced pollution etc, it is unlikely that we are witnessing the last days of the diesel-powered lift truck.

There are currently still numerous applications, particularly where extra-heavy lifting is involved and truck capacities of 8t and over are required, where a diesel forklift remains the best option. This might not be the case in 10 years’ time though.

Companies considering switching from IC- to electric-engine forklift trucks, should always discuss their options with their MHE supplier who will be able to assess the benefits of going electric for every type of operation.

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