Material Handling Wholesaler

What mega-trends in material handling industry are supported by Lithium Technology

The impact of material handling on the recovery of the USA economy is monumental. Some segments were certainly hit harder than others during 2020, but today the whole industry adapts to the new customer demands faster and moves quickly to adopt new enabling technologies. What are the three mega-trends supporting the post-pandemic growth in the material handling industry? Most experts name flexibility, automation, and workplace safety. It is in this need for flexibility in the warehouse, automation of operations, and top hygiene and safety standards, where lithium battery technology fills an essential piece of the puzzle. This article will explain how material handling companies can better harness these growth trends with the use of Li-ion power. The flexibility of equipment choice We wrote about the proliferation of various types of material handling equipment in the article about How Lithium-Ion Batteries Help Warehouses Keep Up with Modern Commerce. Increasing heights and reduced warehouse imprint, handling of very different, heavy, or bulky materials, all increase the need for diverse and specialized equipment. All forklift makes and models need their own unique power pack with varied requirements for weight, size, capacity, and power. Lithium technology offers great flexibility to battery engineers due to a much higher energy density compared to lead-acid. The best practice is to customize a battery for a lift truck fleet working in a specific application. A good example is the CUSTOM Series lithium battery by OneCharge that fits many Combilift models. Some Combilift models use a design that employs 2 separate battery cases for lead-acid, while the CUSTOM lithium solution puts all the required power (and sometimes even more ah capacity) into one case, and the second case contains only ballast to meet the counter-weight specification. Flexibility in work schedule Not only do lithium-ion batteries offer a full slate of options to match the needs of the operations, but they also require zero daily maintenance. Li-ion batteries DO NOT require daily watering or swapping at shift changes, so companies need not plan labor for this work or plan facility space around battery charging/changing rooms. The increased uptime that is achieved with the switch to lithium batteries similarly fills this need for higher productivity of equipment when the demand is higher. With Li-ion a lift truck can operate on a single battery with opportunity charging, and reach full charge in under two hours when needed. By comparison, traditional lead-acid batteries require eight to ten hours to charge and need two or more batteries per truck. Adoption of automation As the use of Autonomous Guided Vehicles (AGVs), Autonomous Mobile Robots (AMRs), and others grow within material handling, lithium-ion batteries gain more popularity because they are the best choice for this type of equipment. Flexible charging patterns, wireless charging, and other benefits are described in detail in the article on why switching AGVs to lithium batteries makes a lot of sense. There is a good reason to believe that with more warehouses going dark, most of the electric lift trucks will run on lithium batteries. Modern lithium battery management systems are Wi-Fi enabled and provide fleet managers with reliable data on each lift truck’s battery performance, including energy throughput, the timing of charging events, and multiple indicators of battery health. This data by itself provides valuable insights for better equipment utilization and can be further integrated with the warehouse managing software analytics. Safety and hygiene standards Many warehouses and distribution centers are required to keep up the highest hygiene standards to match the requirements of food and beverage, wine, pharma, and medical supplies manufacturers. Li-ion technology provides a non-toxic and safe power source for warehouses of all types, they produce no pollutants. Conventional lead-acid batteries, while widely used throughout the material handling industry in electric lift trucks, present toxic risks, and real issues due to possible acid spills and fumes. These common safety issues are often the result of overheating while charging or simple human mistakes in the course of daily maintenance. OneCharge Lithium Batteries OneCharge customers have seen these benefits in action after switching their electric lift trucks to lithium batteries. One of the largest medical supply distribution centers in California was struggling with the increasing labor needs for the daily maintenance of their lead-acid forklift batteries. Charging of the batteries was often interrupting regular operations, thus decreasing efficiency and equipment utilization. To make matters worse, they were a safety concern too. The company’s fleet of 20 electric forklifts was having issues with batteries growing disturbingly hot. Added to this were the occasional acid spills damaging the floor coating and the trucks, creating slippery, hazardous, corrosive conditions. Routine maintenance had ultimately expanded up to two hours of added labor daily. The distribution center’s switch to Li-ion batteries by OneCharge did not require operational infrastructure changes. Using lithium-ion batteries offered an immediate positive impact. Daily maintenance of batteries was eliminated, operations became more reliable and the total cost of the equipment ownership was reduced by twenty-two percent. The company then decided to switch to lithium-ion batteries exclusively at all its locations to replicate this best practice. Briggs & Stratton, a leading U.S. small engine manufacturer headquartered in Milwaukee, Wis., also secured safety benefits by switching to Li-ion. In 2019, the company was consolidating a number of smaller existing warehouses throughout the U.S. into two large distribution centers. The company switched the majority of its forklift fleet to lithium-ion batteries, and problems with leaking acid were eliminated. The opportunity charging capabilities and no memory effect in the OneCharge Li-ion batteries allowed Briggs & Stratton to charge randomly at any state of charge, creating a five percent overall efficiency increase. This greater uptime allows the company to be primed to meet the automation trend within the industry in the coming years. With over 600 lithium battery models available, OneCharge can provide material handling operations with the right kind of lithium-ion battery for any electric lift truck. The company offers the MAX POWER Series for heavy applications, the FROST Series for work in the

Store fulfillment transformed into Omni-Channel fulfillment

WITRON Logistic + Informatik Gmbh, (Parkstein, Germany) was tasked with reconfiguring UK health and beauty retail giant, Boots’ existing Nottingham Store Service Center (SSC) into a fully functioning Omni-Channel fulfillment center in three weeks. During the early stages of the COVID19 pandemic, Boots continued to see foot traffic in retail locations, which included in-store pick-ups from online ordering. As the UK entered full lockdown procedures, retail sales plummeted and direct-to-consumer shipping soared, forcing an on-the-fly adaptation of their SSC. Boots had been using an order management system for several months that was set up above the warehouse management system. WITRON IT experts “simply” redefined the SSC to a store – a huge store with a massive inventory in just 3 weeks. “We have never experienced anything like that – transforming a logistics center originally designed exclusively for store delivery into an omnichannel logistics center at record speed”, said Jack Kuypers, Vice President North-West Europe at WITRON. “We have been working very well with WITRON for more than ten years, always coming up with new, creative processes,” said Alan Penhale, Supply Chain Director at Boots. “I am surprised that we managed to ship over 6,000 online orders per day. It is top class what we have achieved together during the crisis.” lan Penhale, Supply Chain Director at Boots is responsible for the supply chain of more than 2,300 stores in the United Kingdom and The Republic of Ireland. Alan’s team also picks and packs orders for the health and beauty retailer’s online business. After the start of the Coronavirus Pandemic in just three weeks, the Boots and WITRON teams converted the processes in their main automated warehouse from store logistics to e-commerce logistics. Thus, the Store Service Center (SSC) in Nottingham, UK not has delivered proven high performance, but also its ability to be able to adapt to rapidly changing conditions. The SSC supplies millions of units a day for store delivery from a range of 37,000 different items, and now the SSC is also supporting the Boots online business. Boots recorded 150+ percent more orders in its online business in the months of the pandemic with customers choosing to order online during the lockdown. Boots operates its own e-commerce logistics center and the challenge was being able to adapt to these rapidly increasing order numbers. A solution was needed – not in a few years, but immediately! Part of the solution was the Store Service Center (SSC) in Nottingham, designed and realized by WITRON. “Here we still had logistics capacities available. At the beginning of the pandemic, customers were still shopping in the stores, but during the lockdown, e-commerce figures increased as store footfall declined” Penhale and his team ship beauty products, cosmetics, perfumes, healthcare items, and even Coca Cola; more than 37,000 products! “Boots needed a creative solution in spring of 2020”, reports Jack Kuypers, Vice President North-West Europe at WITRON. Boots and WITRON have been working together successfully for more than 10 years. The leading pharmacy-led health and beauty retailer is one of the largest retailers in the UK and together the teams have optimized processes for stores in the past. “We have never experienced anything like that – transforming a logistics center originally designed exclusively for store delivery into an omnichannel logistics center at record speed”, Kuypers admits. Store or online customer? Your response: The SSC become a store. In the past, many customers ordered their goods online but picked them up in the local store, and often picking still took place in the store. Click + collect was the solution to the pandemic. Boots has been using an order management system for several months that is set up above the warehouse management system. IT experts “simply” redefined the SSC to a store – admittedly a huge store with a lot of storage capacity. “Whether employees pick goods manually in the store in London or with the Dynamic Picking System (DPS)”, the software doesn’t care,” Penhale laughs. The heart of the system is and remains the DPS with its 252 workstations. The highly dynamic and automated picking of small parts in DPS is supported by a pick-by-light system. The DPS works according to both, the goods-to-person and the person-to-goods principle. Depending on the order structure, the items are arranged in the pick front either permanently or on-demand, such that the picking process is optimized at all times. The DPS supports different types of order picking: From tote into tote, from pallet into tote, from tote into the shipping carton, etc. Regardless of the picking type, the picker is always guided by a pick-by-light system. Large-volume items from the Boots assortment in the SSC are picked by radio data supported and route-optimized by the semi-automated Car Picking System (CPS) onto roll containers. In total, Boots colleagues in Nottingham pick almost 3 million units on a peak day. “Our colleagues don’t even know whether they are picking for the e-commerce customer or for the store”, Penhale reports. But the teams of WITRON and Boots still had to make some physical changes in the SSC. The logistics specialists built a new shipping area for the e-commerce orders. “At the moment, this area is still supplied manually. But we want to establish automation here in the near future as well”, explains the supply chain director. And another idea is the concept of picking orders to be sent to the stores for them to pack for customers. “We currently don’t have a system solution for this, but we will work on it together”. It is an option for the future. Within three weeks (!), the store logistics center transformed into an omnichannel warehouse. Did that surprise him? “No, we have been working very well with WITRON for more than ten years, always coming up with new, creative processes. I am surprised that we managed to ship over 6,000 online orders per day. It is top class what we have achieved together during the crisis.” The pandemic isn’t over yet, but Penhale

New Tests Prove: LFP Lithium Batteries live longer than NMC

Recent independent degradation tests of commercial lithium batteries reveal a big surprise! Contrary to the claims of many NMC-based lithium battery manufacturers, LFP chemistry is superior compared to NMC – it is safer, offers a longer lifespan, and is generally less expensive than NMC, NCA. The Two Main Types of Lithium-ion Battery Chemistries Used Of all the various types of lithium-ion batteries, two emerge as the best choices for forklifts and other lift trucks: Lithium Ferrum Phosphate, or Lithium Iron Phosphate (LFP) and Lithium Nickel Manganese Cobalt Oxide (NMC). The LFP battery chemistry has been around the longest. NMC is a relatively new technology. However, that doesn’t always translate into being a universally better technology. In electric vehicles (EVs), such as cars and trucks, it’s often the preferred choice due to overall less weight and higher energy density per kilogram. However, in the warehousing environment, where ambient temperature extremes are possible and weight is not the issue, the LFP battery is widespread and conversely may be a more favorable choice. As a default, both NMC and LFP chemistries’ useful life can range between 3,000 to 5,000 cycles. However, with opportunity charging, that can be increased significantly, anywhere up to 7,000 cycle count. Whereas lead-acid shouldn’t be charged until it’s depleted to 20% battery capacity, Lithium-ion batteries thrive on what it calls opportunity charging. While the two types—LFP and NMC—operate similarly, there are some differences. Degradation of Commercial Lithium-Ion Cells: Test Results According to a 2020 paper from the Journal of the Electrochemical Society (Degradation of Commercial Lithium-Ion Cells as a Function of Chemistry and Cycling Conditions), LFP batteries have a longer lifespan than NMCs. This data contradicts the wide-spread notion that NMC cells are more durable and have a longer life span. The authors of the article give one possible explanation – the data on real commercially available cells may vary with the change of manufacturing process, however subtle. Under strict test conditions, commercially available lithium cells of both types were repeatedly discharged and charged from 0% to 100%. The result? According to the paper, “The LFP cells exhibit substantially longer cycle life spans under the examined conditions.” The tests were performed at the Sandia National Laboratories as “part of a broader effort to determine and characterize the safety and reliability of commercial Li-ion cells.” The study examined the influence of temperature, depth of discharge (DOD), and discharge current on the long-term degradation of the commercial cells. All cells were charged and discharged at a 0.5 C rate or the amount of discharge that will deplete the full capacity of a battery in two hours. In the graphical representation shown (taken from the Journal’s 2020 technical paper), you can easily see that the discharge capacity retention for the LFP lithium battery (blue data points) far exceeded the NMC battery retention (indicated by the black data points) for each round of charge/discharge cycling. The graph indicates that the NMC degrades almost twice as quickly as the LFP, showing the superior overall performance of the LFP cells. The testing showed LFPs had a better RTE (round trip efficiency) than NMCs, calculated by dividing the discharge energy by the charge energy. This calculation shows that the LFP is the more efficient, economical choice. Lithium nickel cobalt aluminum oxide battery, or NCA, was also a part of this experiment and performed similar or worse than NMC. We do not focus on NCA in this article as it is not mainstream in the commercial use of lithium batteries for Material Handling, mainly due to safety and cost issues. Both NMC and NCA cells demonstrated strong dependence on the depth of discharge, with greater sensitivity to full SOC range cycling compared to LFP cells. LFP cells had the highest cycle lifetime across all conditions, but this performance gap was reduced when cells were compared according to the discharge energy throughput. LFP and NMC Lithium Cells Chemistry: Charging Speed There is one other major difference between LFP and NMC often used as a selling point in material handling. NMC lithium-ion batteries are sometimes charged at a higher, faster rate, often compared to LFP using a 0 to 100% charge cycle. However, there is a tradeoff. To do this, the cables and connectors must be beefed up as the temperature generated by the process is higher. Additionally, the individual cells must be insulated from each other to contain and dissipate the heat. This is usually done using ceramic shields, increasing the cost of the battery unit. LFP Lithium ion batteries normally charge at a lower rate, often up to 1.5 C rate. They can be fitted with dual plugs, however, that doubles the charge rate, while still maintaining a lower charging temperature. The current draw during the charging process is lower overall, potentially translating into a safer charge. In reality, the higher charge rate of the NMC is a non-issue. With the use of opportunity charging (which benefits lithium batteries), the battery should never become fully discharged. Therefore, charging from a fully discharged battery to a fully charged battery will rarely, if ever, be encountered. The takeaway is simple. Even though it may be promoted that the higher charge rate for NMC is possible, there is no measurable time savings increase nor downtime decrease to validate the necessity of charge rates over 1 C rate. LFP vs NMC While NMC cells are often promoted as a newer, more advanced technology, they carry some other significant pitfalls. The flashpoint (the temperature at which a chemical will ignite) is significantly lower than LFP. The flashpoint for NMC is 419 degrees Fahrenheit, while LFP’s flashpoint is as high as 518 degrees. In other words, the NMC is more likely to ignite and burn under the right conditions. For example, a high charge rate contributes to thermal runaway, potential heat damage and is more prevalent in NMC battery pack than in LFP. Both the technology and chemistry of the NMC cause it to run hotter during both use and charging, requiring more heat

Innovation as a holistic process: The GRI Story

What does it mean for a specialist tire manufacturer to innovate? How can a company embed innovation into its DNA? As a leading producer of specialty tires, innovation goes far beyond the final product for GRI. “The future outlook for the specialty tire market is a robust one. New technologies, business agility, and innovations can yield vast opportunities for growth for players in the industry. While technology and innovation go hand in hand, it is important to remember that this is only one driver of innovation. Innovation is a holistic process that encompasses all parts of a business’s operations,” commented Dr. Mahesha Ranasoma, Chief Executive Officer – GRI. For GRI, innovation began at the outset of its journey setting a sturdy foundation to build on. Its mission was to produce tires that would challenge the best tire producers in the world. The company began by installing cutting-edge technology and equipment that was best in class. Some equipment was the first of its kind in Sri Lanka. And GRI expanded their R&D capabilities in both its factories, employing skilled personnel who were the best at what they do. These initial steps to incorporate innovation in its production and development have yielded results. GRI has focused innovation in designs and compounds, developing new tread patterns and advanced compounds that give a higher performance at the same costs. This has enabled GRI to serve customers better, creating a high demand for its products in both solid and pneumatic specialty tires, resulting in the expansion of both its factories. Agility in innovation can be seen in GRI’s ability to persistently add value to its customers. A recent development in its solid tires was a special tire with a wider footprint but the same weight and structure. GRI also worked collaboratively with its Japanese customer to produce a winter tire with a special compound and tread that functions in sub-zero temperatures. GRI also innovates through its processes and systems. Employees are encouraged to think out of the box and develop new ways of working to increase efficiency, find new ways of servicing their diverse clientele, and adding value at every stage. Innovation in sustainability is another driver at GRI. Sustainable business is at the heart of its operations. GRI is a global stakeholder actively adapting and aligning its practices and policies in accordance with UN Sustainability Development Goals and incorporating eco-friendly innovations across the board. Environmental sustainability and innovations in this regard are key thrusts throughout the GRI organization. When GRI initiates a development, it looks at whether it would reduce its carbon footprint and if it leads to a reduction in wastage and better recyclability. The company focuses on ensuring there is a reduction in the customer’s carbon footprint as well – energy consumption also decreases thanks to the use of GRI Tires. Even within GRI’s own manufacturing systems, it looks at energy efficiency. GRI’s innovation has a firm sustainability foundation. While natural rubber is a renewable commodity, in an industry where demand is disproportionately large, sustainability in sourcing is of foremost importance. GRI sources pure natural rubber from Sri Lankan farmers and plantations around the island nation. This natural rubber, which is sourced from smallholder rubber farmers in Sri Lanka to build GRI’s high-grade Agriculture Tires that are eventually fitted on the machinery of farmers across the world, creates a unique value chain that begins and ends from one farmer to another. GRI’s GREEN X circle highlights this unique linkage creating an end-to-end farmer eco-system between Sri Lankan rubber farmers who harvest natural rubber and the agricultural farmers worldwide who use tires made from this natural rubber. This is an example where creative thinking on innovation and sustainability connects in an end-to-end manner. GRI uses innovation to push different boundaries beyond the product. “Our focus is to develop products that function above-anticipated performance and are always made at the upper limits of performance and quality tolerance. This guarantees the utility value to the end-user beyond what they expect. It leads to our virtuous cycle of continuously increasing the customer’s value creation boundaries. Innovation is an everyday process of continuous improvement. We at GRI are proud to say that innovation is truly in our DNA,” said Dr. Mahesha Ranasoma.

Loading and palletizing cement bags simultaneously with the BEUMER autopac

Fully automatic loading of bags on trucks The BEUMER autopac of the 2400 and 3000 construction series is a system that enables users to automatically load bagged bulk materials like cement on trucks and simultaneously palletize them – quickly and with the desired packing pattern. The BEUMER autopac consumes very little energy, is reliable even in dusty environments, and can be easily operated and maintained. The machine is also suitable for paper, HDPE, and PP valve bags. The truck with the empty loading space slowly stops under the BEUMER autopac. To load and palletize the cement bags, the employee enters the number of bags, the packing pattern, and the desired number of rows and layers in the BEUMER Group Human Machine Interface (HMI). Laser positioning aids have been mounted to the left and right of the BEUMER autopac. They project the outer contours of the machine with a clearly visible red beam on the loading space, helping the operator to position the loading head on the truck. From its starting position, the BEUMER autopac now starts the automatic loading process, bag by bag, directly from the filling machine via belt conveyors onto the truck. “With our BEUMER autopac, we have a system in our product range that can load trucks automatically,” explains Markus Peitzmeier, senior sales manager at BEUMER Group. “And it does so extremely reliably”. The use of an electronic bag counting system makes sure that the truck is neither underloaded nor overloaded. Manual corrections are completely omitted. “The program control recalculates the height setting for each layer,” Peitzmeier describes. In order to attain the highest possible degree of stability for the whole load on the truck, and in order to optimally utilize the loading space, two mirror-inverted layers are palletized next to one another. Two belt conveyors positioned one above the other flatten the bags before the loading process and thus remove the air from them. After being positioned, the bags are also pressed by the loading head, which makes the stack more compact and more stable. Meanwhile, the next layer is already being prepared. The bag feeding lines can be adapted to the customer’s installation conditions. Corresponding technical solutions are available for variable conveyor lines. “The BEUMER autopac is ideally suited for use in emerging countries, where the transshipment of bagged bulk goods is increasing. In these countries, labor costs are rising, and it is becoming more and more difficult to find appropriate personnel for this kind of work,” says Peitzmeier. Manual truck loading is exhausting and usually requires two people who alternate with their colleagues for each loading process due to the heavy physical work involved. Furthermore, there is a high level of dust formation, which negatively affects employees’ health. During the manual loading process, the loading performance as well as the quality of the bag stacks often fluctuates. “These problems are eliminated with our BEUMER autopac,” says Peitzmeier. One employee is able to operate more than one machine.” This enables owners to optimize processes, achieve high loading capacities, and work very efficiently from bagging up to loading. Depending on the bag dimensions and their length and width ratio, the user has flexibility in layer formation. Patterns of ten, twelve, and twenty bags per layer are possible. The very low positioning height of the loading head contributes to the gentle handling of the bags, as they are supported during the loading process and not lifted or possibly deformed, as is the case with vacuum suction modules. The system provider uses the specially developed BEUMER Group HMI for operating the BEUMER autopac. This is a touch panel with an optimized user interface and graphic navigation. This operator panel provides users with an easily understandable and intuitive interaction concept, enabling them to define efficient working sequences. Sustainable all along the line BEUMER Group is committed to evaluating its products comprehensively on the levels of economy, ecology, and social responsibility. “We follow a total value of ownership (TVO) approach. This means we consider the system in its entirety, not only from its cost side,” says Peitzmeier. For example, we continuously look to reduce energy and resource consumption in the production cycle and during the operation of the systems, all while keeping emissions to a minimum. When loading 3,000 bags per hour, each weighing 50 kilograms, power consumption is held below 0.1 kWh per ton. The BEUMER autopac is both energy-efficient and extremely robust, as demonstrated by the many systems that have been in daily use for decades. “The machine has been designed for heavy-duty operation to resist extreme ambient conditions like heat, high air humidity, dust formation and the three-shift operation in packing plants”, says Peitzmeier. In addition, the owner profits from a smaller footprint compared to other loading systems. With its compact design, the BEUMER system can be quickly and easily maintained, is reliable and safe to operate. “This is supported by the fact that we have only integrated electromechanical components,” describes Peitzmeier. “This eliminates the need for hydraulic or pneumatic components, which wear out fast or require expensive compressed air.” As for the sensors, the system provider installs contactless proximity switches that reliably transmit signals without mechanical contacts. The use of high-quality photocells ensures signal transmission even under difficult environmental conditions. In addition, the sensors used to increase both machine capacity and product quality and make sure that a wide variety of materials and bags is safely handled with the BEUMER autopac. “Remote maintenance is also possible, around the clock, every day of the week, during which we can connect to the system from the BEUMER site,” says Peitzmeier. “This increases system availability because we can react faster without having to travel long distances.” The pre-assembled modules allow the BEUMER autopac to be quickly installed and commissioned at the customer’s site. “The fully automatic loading process enables users to achieve a constantly high loading performance and stack quality,” promises Peitzmeier. “Our BEUMER autopac has proven itself in the cement industry worldwide for decades.”

R&M Materials Handling Inc.installs underground 20-ton capacity overhead crane and hoist

The height available was an important consideration because the hoist and trolley ride on top of the bridge girders. image

A 20-ton capacity overhead crane and hoist from R&M Materials Handling Inc., sold by Harriman Material Handling (HMH), has been built and installed by CraneWerks 400 ft. beneath the surface at the U.S. Gypsum Company Shoals Mine in Indiana. The Application The top running double girder crane, principally chosen based on the short lead time offered by R&M and its Indiana-based distributor, CraneWerks, is being used to assemble and maintain equipment for the mine underground. It spans 35 ft. and travels on a 62 ft. long runway. CraneWerks is a Master Distributor for R&M components, which builds cranes that are sold through distributors nationwide. They offer cranes that are pre-engineered, which makes building and shipping them fast. The Challenge Harriman Material Handling, a distributor for both R&M Materials Handling and CraneWerks, came to the team with a unique opportunity. Challenges were encountered both on the surface and below ground. For instance, the shaft used to get equipment into the mine was much smaller than most of the machinery used below. A 35 ft. bridge beam was too long to go down the shaft in one piece. HMH and CraneWerks had to find a way to get the crane components and steel underground. U.S. Gypsum said: “Being underground is its own challenge. Everything from pouring concrete to lifting the beams is difficult because you don’t have access to a lot of the equipment you would normally think of using. It’s constant problem-solving.” The Solution CraneWerks designed a bridge that was built in two pieces so it could fit down the narrow mine shaft before it was welded together at the bottom. The crane provides a lifting solution on a daily basis, raising mobile equipment components, typically weighing approximately 10 tons, around the area. U.S. Gypsum explained that loads are normally large pieces of fabricated steel components of a larger machine. “We have trained around 10 people on how to use the crane. Four or five of them use it on a daily basis,” they added. A top running crane was chosen because it offers the same hook height as a single girder crane, which would require a higher ceiling. The height available is important because the hoist and trolley ride on top of the bridge girders rather than being suspended beneath the bridge girder. This gives the best hook height of any overhead bridge crane option, giving users the maximum amount of lift (the distance that the hook can be raised above the floor below) available. The Results U.S. Gypsum said: “We needed a crane capable of moving large pieces around for assembly of equipment in the mine, and the results suggest we found a solution. We could have acquired a few telehandlers that had the necessary weight capacities, but the EOT (electric overhead traveling) crane was the preferred option.” The crane has been installed at the south end of the mine. The plan is to relocate the site’s maintenance facility to this location in the future.

1C Charging Speed Of Lithium Batteries: A Necessity or a Fad?

If you’re reading this, you’re likely considering switching your fleet of forklifts and hand jacks to Lithium-Ion batteries. Or you might be in the market for new batteries and are looking for guidance on which Li-Ion technology to purchase. If switching from older lead-acid technology, you’re making a sound business decision on several levels. It doesn’t matter if you have a single forklift working a single shift, or a large fleet working multiple shifts, upgrading to Li-Ion batteries offers you many benefits over lead-acid. Here are just a few highlights to consider before we go myth-busting on needed Li-Ion charging times. In no particular order: Li-Ion batteries give you more consistent, stable power when in use. Unlike lead-acid types, the voltage level and power availability remain at a higher, more even level. Lead-acid technology loses both voltage level and power in a downward curve, from the time you plug in the battery to the final job. This can be particularly important in cold storage or freezer applications. Cold is the sworn enemy of lead-acid batteries. You will lose between 30-50% of available capacity in cold or freezing applications with lead-acid. Li-Ion batteries are virtually maintenance-free. Lead-acid batteries need to be cleaned, watered and equalized on a regular basis. Li-Ion batteries don’t need these operations. And there’s no crusty caustic build-up to remove. Li-Ion batteries are designed for opportunity charging. In other words, you can plug them into a charger anytime the forklift isn’t in use. This saves time by eliminating the need for labor-intensive battery swaps. Of course, because they can be opportunity charged, you eliminate the need for and expense for additional batteries, normally at least one per forklift. In some cases, this may even allow you to cut down on the number of lifts needed for your operation. Not to mention the related battery handling equipment required for lead-acid. Along with opportunity charging capability, Li-Ion batteries have much faster charging times than their older, lead-acid batteries counterparts. It’s that last item—faster charging times—that will be addressed in the remainder of this article. There are two main Li-Ion battery technologies used in forklifts, each with its own unique characteristics, advantages, and limitations. LFP, or Lithium Iron Phosphate, has been around for quite some time. Because of that, it has a better track record for reliability and other factors than its Li-Ion battery counterpart, NMC. NMC, or Nickel Magnesium Cobalt Oxide batteries, are a newer technology. When first developed, NMC Li-Ion batteries were much more expensive than LFP Li-Ion batteries. That’s often the case when a new technology is developed. However, the cost between them is leveling out, so the price may or may not be your main consideration. There are other, more important differences. The Myth of a Necessary 1C Charging Rate Revealed What is an important consideration is charging times during normal forklift operations? The charging rate is designated by C, which stands for charge current, not charge voltage. A battery that can be charged at 1C will go from 0% charge to fully charged in one hour. NMC batteries achieve this charging rate easily, as many manufacturers and sales reps will inform you. In fact, that’s one of the main selling points they’ll tout during their pitch. An LFP Li-Ion battery, on the other hand, normally has a charging rate of between .5 to .8 C. What this means is that the battery will charge from 0% to 100% in about two hours at .5C and perhaps closer to 1-1/2 hours at .8C. That seems significantly slower, a potential downside to LFP batteries. So obviously, the sales rep’s biggest draw is that the NMC will charge completely in half the time of the LFP Li-Ion battery. The cost to do that may be slightly higher, both for the battery and the accompanying heavy-duty hardware required. But the time saved for the entire charge cycle makes up for it, right? Not necessarily. The need for a zero to 100% charge in 60 minutes sidesteps one of the main benefits of Li-Ion batteries as a whole: opportunity charging. Think about it for a minute. When will you ever completely drain your battery? If you’re seeing that happen, you’ve likely got a personnel problem not a battery issue. One of your drivers is not taking advantage of opportunity charging. The fact is that if opportunity charging is used, you’ll rarely get more than a 20-30% power drain, even in freezers and cold storage operations. Therefore, the higher charging rate of 1C for an NMC Li-Ion battery is really a non-issue. It’s just an exaggerated selling point with no real tangible benefit. You’re being sold a tractor/trailer rig … when a box truck or van will do the job. But there’s one final and important nail to hammer in the coffin of the 1C myth. Safety. You Really Don’t Want the Heat of 1C NMC Charging Rates Any form of flowing electrical current generates heat. That’s a fact. It’s an immutable law of electricity that must be accounted for and dealt with. The higher the amperage or current, the higher the heat. How do you get a faster charge rate? You raise the current flow, producing more heat. That heat must be dissipated by either using larger diameter cables, more robust insulation, or a combination of both. And the connectors that join battery to cable must also be heavier made or they’ll melt. Even the battery charger must be constructed more robustly, adding to the overall cost of the installation. Look at the cabling of an NMC high charge rate battery compare it with an LFP cable set. The size difference is quite noticeable. And remember, the heavier hardware is NOT for using the battery, but for charging it. More heat from higher charging rates mean more potential for fire and other heat-related accidents during charging. High amperage burns hot. Need a practical example? Turn on a 100-watt incandescent light bulb and let it sit for a minute. Then, unscrew

Food Process Solutions bridge cranes

Norelco, Master Distributor for R&M Materials Handling in Canada, was tasked with providing the lifting capacity at a food processing manufacturing facility.

The Application Food Process Solutions (FPS) is a rapidly expanding company that specializes in the design and manufacture of large refrigeration vessels for the food processing industry worldwide. Most of the equipment FPS manufactures is made from stainless steel. FPS has a strategy to invest in in-house manufacturing to ensure its customers receive the highest quality and best technologies in its freezing and cooling equipment. The company maintains sheet metal fabrication, a machine shop, specialized insulated enclosure manufacturing, and control panel assembly in-house. Its new 80,000 sq ft facility in Richmond, B.C. increases the company’s production area by 80 percent with a 50 percent uplift in capacity anticipated once fully utilized. The Challenge Eric Lau, plant operation manager at FPS, explained: “We expect the monthly volume of stainless steel coil for sheet metal to be about 200,000lbs. Other raw materials will be about 80,000lbs per month. The sheet metal coil size has a diameter of 4 x 5ft, weighing about 20,000lbs. The size of our tunnel freezer is, on average, 100 x 18 x 15ft.” As such, overhead lifting is an essential part of its operations, offloading incoming materials, during the fabricating process, and when handling finished products. Norelco, Master Distributor for R&M Materials Handling in Canada, was tasked with providing the lifting capacity at FPS’s massive new manufacturing facility. Over the last few years, Norelco has supplied FPS manufacturing sites with more than 20 R&M QX® bridge cranes with capacities ranging from five to 10 tons. For this project, Norelco received an order for 18 QX 10-ton bridge cranes and runways to drive FPS’s enhanced manufacturing capacity. Keith Ellis, General Manager at Norelco, added: “Not only are there 18 cranes to manufacture but also included in the contract were all of the crane runway beams, rails and down shop conductors.” The scale of this project provided its own challenges to Norelco, such as sourcing the steel to fulfill the job, storing six 200ft crane runways, and storage the R&M hoists and components until the cranes were ready to be assembled. For FPS, Lau noted that different production teams are located at different bays around the facility. Different teams will make their own parts, before final assembly and packing. Each bay must have overhead cranes to support the progress of jobs through manufacturing. “As mentioned before, our freezer is heavy and big in size. Even though we will disassemble the freezer, each part is still heavy, and we need overhead cranes for loading.” The Solution All 18 cranes and runways have now been installed to drive FPS’s enhanced manufacturing capacity. Norelco designed, manufactured, and installed complete crane systems in collaboration with the building engineer to incorporate the crane runways into the building. Norelco initially supplied FPS with two 10 ton x 55ft span R&M QX top running single girder (TRSG) cranes. Ellis notes that FPS was impressed by the performance and reliability of the R&M SX hoists and now specifies R&M for all new additional cranes. As a Master Distributor, Norelco supplies R&M SX hoists for most of the overhead cranes it manufactures. Ellis stated: “We have the utmost confidence in the reliability and performance of the R&M product and recommend them to all potential customers. Using R&M allows us to maintain our esteemed reputation as a reliable crane manufacturer.” “We have supplied several cranes to FPS over the past several years for its existing facilities. To date, these existing cranes have been trouble-free with little or no downtime due to maintenance issues, etc. FPS relies heavily on the performance of its overhead cranes to maintain its ongoing production. FPS is extremely pleased with R&M SX hoists.” The Result “The overhead cranes are definitely important equipment to assist our production,” said Lau. “With most of our components made in stainless steel, we always use cranes to support the heavy parts for our production. We use sling and shackles to hang the parts. Under proper rigging training by our safety team, our production team uses overhead cranes frequently and safely. “If we don’t have this equipment, the efficiency will drop 30 percent at least, as lots of raw materials and finished components will be moved by the cranes.” For R&M and Norelco, the food processing industry is one that offers lots of opportunities, as Ellis explained: “Presently, FPS is our only customer in the food process industry. However, this is a sector that is showing signs for significant growth especially due to the ever-expanding global population’s insatiable need for food products.”

How Architecture & Engineering firms benefit from Handling Specialty

Architecture & Engineering (A&E) firms provide professional services to support large industrial and infrastructure projects across a wide range of market segments. As large projects begin to take form, owners or government agencies often reach out to A&E firms to provide expertise in project management, engineering services, specification development, procurement, and construction management. Specifying the correct equipment, working with suppliers and the overall system integration (i.e. making sure all of the elements work together) is a major responsibility of the firm. There are typically two broad categories for implementing large projects such as at a transportation maintenance facility: design-bid-build & design-build. Both require a high degree of sophistication in managing the physical and operational features of an evolving, immensely complex project with multiple procurement contracts, users, and stakeholders. Identifying and defining the equipment required to effectively put these projects into operation lands on the A&E firm. With more than 60 years of experience in providing solutions to complex material handling challenges, Handling Specialty is often called upon by owners and A&E firms early in the development phase of the equipment specifications. A&E firms find considerable value in drawing from Handling Specialty’s experience with the design/build of custom-engineered maintenance & production equipment early in the process. Handling Specialty’s team works with A&E firms to understand operational challenges, propose effective solutions, and develop comprehensive technical specifications. In particular, A&E firms and owners rely on Handling Specialty for turnkey solutions for challenging applications that have high duty cycles, large weight capacities, unique mounting configurations, robust environments, and stringent process, quality, and safety demands. In addition to the technical or performance aspects of a project, A&E firms reach out to Handling Specialty to assist with establishing equipment budgets and schedules. With a dedicated applications engineering team, Handling Specialty undertakes a thorough review of the costs and timelines associated with the successful completion of a project. This information is provided to the firm to assist with the overall project budget and schedule planning. Given that each project has different technical and scope requirements, Handling Specialty’s creative engineering team collaborates with A&E firms from conceptual engineering through detailed design. In addition to a comprehensive inspection and validation process, all equipment undergoes thorough performance testing and each stakeholder is invited to participate in a full factory acceptance test prior to shipment. Turnkey installations, onsite training, maintenance, spare parts, and technical support are routine activities provided by Handling Specialty’s Professional Services Group. A highly skilled and dedicated workforce delivers innovative solutions, exceptional professional support, world-class credentials, and unmatched experience. If you are looking to incorporate robust, reliable, turn-key material handling equipment into your assembly, manufacturing, or maintenance project, look no further than Handling Specialty. From concept development, engineering, manufacturing, installation, and support services, Handling Specialty is a solid partner to both A&E firms and owners. For more information about Handling Specialty’s expertise with custom-engineered material handling solutions, please contact Mike Roper at 906-945-9661 ext. 234 or via email at mroper@handlng.com.

Yale makes SDCE 100 list for Custom-Spec Lift Trucks at High-Density Goya Foods Facility

Yale Materials Handling Corporation announces recognition on Supply & Demand Chain Executive’s annual list of 100 top supply chain projects. Yale made the list for its work with Goya Foods, designing a custom Goya-Spec lift truck to efficiently serve the company’s high-density storage racking. To keep up with growing demand for a large, 2,700-SKU inventory, Goya built a 643,000-square-foot facility in Jersey City, New Jersey with new, taller racking and narrow aisles for higher-density warehousing. Yale and the local dealer, Barclay Brand Ferdon, developed a custom Goya-spec lift truck capable of navigating the low clearance of the high-density drive-in racking. “When we moved into this facility, the overhead guard on the standard lift truck we were using wouldn’t allow us to drive into the new, lower-clearance rack,” says John Quinones, Director of Operations for Goya Foods. “That would have forced us to use two different vehicles for putaway and retrieval. But by modifying the truck to our custom spec, we were able to eliminate that extra touch and work more efficiently.” The Goya spec truck features larger tires, no fender over the front wheels, and an overhead guard with camber on both sides – still providing protection while avoiding contact with low-clearance racks. Modifications and key features on other lift truck models included an onboard laser positioning system and camera for reach trucks and Yale’s tri-form mast on very narrow aisle models for support and visibility at a great height. The Jersey City facility moves 60,000 to 90,000 cases per night, with overnight turnaround from order receipt to shipping. The storage configuration and custom-spec Yale® lift trucks are now the standards across Goya distribution centers. The SDCE 100 is an annual list of the most innovative, effective supply chain projects. To read the full Goya Foods case study, click here.

Li-ion vs TPPL Battery for Forklifts

As lithium-ion batteries continue to grow in popularity, lead-acid battery manufacturers are now offering thin plate pure lead batteries (TTPL) in response, an offspring of the absorbed glass mat (AGM) technology, as an alternative. Are you interested in learning about the test results from an expert battery user? Nigel Calder has written an expert overview to provide you with a closer look into the difference between a TPPL battery and a Lithium-ion battery. This is an abridged version of his article. Keep reading to learn more! What Are TPPL Batteries? TPPL is an abbreviation for Thin Plate Pure Lead batteries. These types of batteries are a new type of Absorbed Glass Mat batteries or AGM, which have been on the market for some time now. TPPL Batteries and AGM Batteries Are Both Lead-acid. The way that TPPL batteries work is very similar to the AGM battery. The total time it takes for a TPPL battery to reach its full charge is reduced, however, TPPL batteries need to be brought to full charge to limit sulfation. The largest difference between AGM batteries and TPPL batteries is the rate of charge. TPPL batteries can absorb more charge than the standard AGM battery faster. This results in an increased but declining acceptance rate. This means a TPPL battery can charge quickly up to 70-80%, but it takes a long time to get it to the fully charged state. Performance of TPPL Batteries Compared To Li-ion When you compare TPPL batteries to lithium-ion batteries, you will find that TPPL batteries need roughly double the nominal capacity to do the same job. They typically can not be discharged below 40% SOC without damaging the battery and/or voiding the warranty. (It’s still lead acid). With a Li-ion battery, you do not have this limitation. TPPL batteries have a high rate of charge and discharge. This increased rate translates to an increased level of internal heat inside of the battery. This can cause a reduction in the life expectancy of TPPL batteries. Even if you take proper care of TPPL batteries, TPPL batteries won’t have as long a life expectancy as the majority of the Lithium-ion batteries that you’ll find on the market. Life expectancy is routinely measured in cycles. When you compare Lithium batteries to lead-acid batteries, you’ll find that lead-acid batteries will lose their capacity when being used at a permanent partial state of charge, or “opportunity charged”. This isn’t the case with lithium-ion batteries! NO Memory effect! TPPL Battery Claims There have been many performance claims made about TPPL batteries, based on their beneficial characteristics. Let’s take a closer look at some of the claims made about TPPL batteries. Increased Charging Rate. According to some manufacturers TPPL batteries can be charged at a rate up to six times the rated capacity that they have. One of the leading manufacturers of TPPL batteries on the market claims that TPPL batteries can go from completely dead to a full charge in under 30 minutes. However, based on testing performed by Nigel Calder, even as TPPL batteries absorb 2 times their rated capacity, this rate only lasts for a limited amount of time. When a TPPL battery reaches around 70% charge, the acceptance rate dramatically slows down (about 300%). While many manufacturers will claim that TPPL batteries charge faster than other types of batteries on the market, testing has shown that TPPL batteries follow the same charging curve as lead acid-based batteries. (It’s still lead acid). Charge Capacity. When TPPL batteries are being used in a partially charged state, they work in the same way that AGM batteries do. This means that when a battery is partially charged, there’s an increased risk of a loss of charge capacity. (Memory effect). While a TPPL battery charge capacity can be adjusted, there’s special equipment that’s needed to modify the charge capacity. The charge capacity can be adjusted by controlling how much the battery can be overcharged, but this only occurs when the voltage of the battery is driven to high levels. During the process of recovering the capacity of the battery’s charge, it’s to be expected that the venting of electrolytes will take place. In simpler terms – expect acid fumes or “gassing”. Usable Capacity. Another common claim about TPPL batteries is the usable capacity. Manufacturers will claim that up to 80% of the capacity will be usable for up to 1200 cycles. Compare to Li-ion batteries that offer above 80% of usable capacity at 3000 plus cycles, depending on charging habits and application. That’s more than double the cycles! Whenever there isn’t a complete full recharge, the entire capacity to which a TPPL battery can be charged is reduced. This results in an additional drop in the battery’s charging capacity. As an end result, this can cause a reduction in the capacity to around 50%, i.e. “memory effect”. Li-ion batteries can be charged at any given moment and for any amount of time with no loss of capacity. NO Memory effect! Storage. One claim that has been proven to be true about TPPL batteries is the shelf-life of their charge. When a TPPL battery is brought to a full charge, the battery can be stored for several months without losing any charge. This is because of the low self-discharge rates that are found with TPPL batteries. Some Li-ion batteries have an “on-off” button to switch off the battery when not in use for as long as 6-12 months. The Differences Between a Lithium-Ion Battery Vs the TPPL Battery – Not a Fair Comparison Now that you have a basic knowledge of the differences between Li-ion and TPPL batteries, we hope you understand that this is not really a fair comparison. They are often included in the same conversation because two technologies can be said to have the “no-maintenance” feature. Aside from that, they are completely different technologies. It’s like comparing “apples” to “Lions”! Are you interested in learning more about how to take advantage of the lithium

OneCharge Lithium-ion Batteries help a leading U.S. Manufacturer stay at the Top of the Game

Briggs & Stratton, a U.S. small engine manufacturer, made the switch to OneCharge lithium-ion batteries to achieve the highest performance for its forklift fleet at the company’s U.S. distribution centers. “What’s nice about lithium batteries is that there is no memory effect! You can randomly charge it at 90% or at 10% (SOC)” – Bill Harlow Director of Global Distribution and Warehousing, Briggs & Stratton Executive Summary Briggs & Stratton merged its smaller warehouses across the U.S. into two large distribution centers and switched forklift fleets at both locations to li-ion batteries from previously used lead-acid batteries. The detailed cost analysis demonstrated significant savings of lithium batteries compared to both LPG (propane) and lead-acid batteries. After over a year of impeccable performance from OneCharge li-ion batteries, the company is committed to switching all of its remaining lead-acid batteries to Li-ion. Challenges With over 110 years of experience, Briggs & Stratton is trusted by millions of people around the globe and backed by the largest service network in the industry. Headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Briggs & Stratton Corporation is the world’s leading producer of gasoline engines for outdoor power lawn and garden equipment and pressure washers through its Briggs & Stratton®, Simplicity®, Snapper®, Ferris®, Vanguard®, Allmand™, Billy Goat®, Murray®, Branco® and Victa® brands. Briggs & Stratton products are designed, manufactured, marketed, and serviced in over 100 countries on six continents. In 2019, Briggs & Stratton was consolidating a number of its smaller existing warehouses throughout the U.S. into two large warehouses in Richfield, Wisconsin and Auburn, Alabama, with a total area of 1.1 million square feet. “By consolidating our current footprint into two large distribution centers, we’re increasing efficiencies to more effectively serve our customers,” Bill Harlow stated in the company PR release at the time. The drive for efficiency has guided Harlow’s decisions for 42 years at Briggs & Stratton. His career started in August 1978, and in 2020, Harlow is responsible for over 1.5 million square feet of warehouses and distribution centers in the U.S. and Europe (Netherlands). About 10 years ago, the company started to experiment with an alternative charging pattern of these “wet-cell” batteries to increase uptime. Instead of a standard practice of 8 hours of operations and 8 hours of charging followed by 8 hours of cooling, Harlow’s team was charging lead-acid batteries frequently to keep them in the 40-70 percent SOC (state of charge) corridor. Harlow thought this was not enough. There was still maintenance to take care of. With an average of 20 minutes per day spent on watering and changing the lead-acid batteries during shifts, the inefficiencies were piling up quickly for the 150 people operating over 50 trucks. The uptime increase has become a real issue for the company with the two-shift operations. So, Harlow decided to test the long-standing practice of using lead-acid batteries as a power source for the company’s fleet of electric forklifts. Harlow had been closely following the developments in li-ion technology. One of the company’s commercial brands, Vanguard, has a line of lithium-based power solutions. Harlow asked his longtime trade partner Dwayne Lawhorn from YES Equipment to help estimate the available options for the two new distribution centers. How OneCharge Lithium Batteries helped The initial comparison included all available alternatives of power sources: fuel cells praised for their safety, li-ion batteries for longevity, “wet cell” batteries, and LPG (propane) for lower initial costs. Both battery types and LPG went into the total cost of ownership calculations. “The cost analysis made the decision straightforward,” said Lawhorn. The estimate was based on the 15 years of operations of 54 trucks, alternatively powered by LPG, lead-acid, and OneCharge lithium batteries, and factored in the lease, daily maintenance, and fuel/electricity costs. The li-ion option was by far the most attractive: it demonstrated a savings of $2,800 per truck compared to lead-acid and $8,100 compared to LPG. Accumulated over the full period for all 54 units, the savings add up to a $2.2 million vs. lead-acid and $6.6 million vs. LPG. And this analysis did not even take into account the air ventilation makeup, battery room expenses, potential hazards with acid spills, and potential safety costs for LPG tank changeouts! Once the deal was sealed, there was no problem fitting all of the new Class I and III lift trucks with the optimal li-ion batteries. Lawhorn and Jerry Mastroianni, sales manager from OneCharge, developed the battery specs to choose from the OneCharge product line of over 550 models. Results, Return on Investment and Future Plans One and half years after the start of the operations at new distribution centers powered by li-ion batteries, Briggs & Stratton has seen no issues with the equipment, and Harlow is happy with the performance boost. No leaking acid, none of the downtime associated with lead-acid batteries, and “what’s nice about lithium batteries is that there is no memory effect! You can randomly charge it at 90 percent or at 10 percent,” Harlow said. This is true “opportunity” charging. If you can’t opportunity charge a lead-acid battery outside of the 40-70 percent SOC range, this actually is a strict pattern of a “memory effect”. Bill reports a 5 percent overall efficiency increase, and for a large company, this is a big deal. There are a few lead-acid-powered trucks left until the current lease term is over, and the plan is to transition to li-ion only at Briggs & Stratton. Efficient li-ion batteries are replacing the old lead-acid technology across industries and applications. Tried-and-tested lithium solutions are no longer the newcomers, and we will see an accelerating adoption of li-ion batteries by all players in material handling over the next few years.

Tried, tested and now trusted by Food Industry: OneCharge Li-ion Batteries became the power solution of choice for a leading dairy producer

One of the leading US dairy producers made the switch to OneCharge Lithium-Ion batteries to ensure uninterrupted multishift warehouse forklift fleet operations in temperatures ranging from -30 to 70F. “We ran the numbers and never bought a lift truck without a Li-ion battery after that!”. Warehouse Manager. Executive Summary The Company featured here is one of the country’s largest branded food and beverage companies with 13 manufacturing plants throughout the United States. In 2018 the Company was looking into ways to improve its operating efficiency and safety. Freezer and Cooler environment with low temperatures put a lot of strain on lead-acid batteries resulting in long charging hours and operations’ disruptions. The switch to Yale trucks powered by OneCharge FROST Li-ion batteries was smooth and did not require any operational or infrastructure changes. As a result, the operations management saw an increase in forklifts’ runtime and a major decrease in charging and overall battery maintenance time. Workplace safety has also improved. Challenges In close to 200 years of its history, this dairy producer has grown to become one of the leading national dairy producers with the highest operational and safety standards. Although electric forklifts are the best choice for food manufacturing and personnel safety, the lead-acid batteries were creating constant issues. Besides acid spills and fumes in the course of daily maintenance, lead-acid technology has an inherent weakness – these batteries lose up to 33% of its power in a cold environment (30F), not to mention Freezer with its brutal -20F. Taking into account that a lead-acid battery can’t go under 20% of discharge, and a rigid charging schedule of 8 hours of charging and 8 hours of cooling, the fleet performance was obviously suboptimal. The uptime increase has become a real issue for the company with the 2 shifts operations when batteries needed to be charged and changed in the middle of a shift. “There was a lot of frustration!”, said Steve Castrignano, NITCO Sales Manager, one of the leading national dealers of Material Handling Equipment. How OneCharge Lithium Batteries helped When Steve Castrignano from NITCO introduced the facility management to the new Li-ion technology, they already knew about this technology for years. Warehouse Manager was however apprehensive of the actual performance of Li-ion batteries in the cold environment. There were no benchmarks and other cases at the hand of Li-ion batteries operating in similar applications. Steve started with a full power study of the equipment application, including an analysis of data on charging time, maintenance time, and full ROI calculations. He came up with a “one truck – one battery” design based on Li-ion power solution, and a new set up of the chargers closer to the operations. The Company decided to start with a Demo battery to make a data-driven decision. OneCharge Lithium solution features advanced data capabilities. The battery’s BMS (Battery Management System) provides insights on the battery State of Discharge, exact timing and duration of charge and discharge events, and calculates total Ah throughput. Not only this allow us to calculate exactly the battery useful lifetime, but also makes a decision on voltage and capacity best suited for the specific operation! After a few weeks of operations, the actual use of data from the Demo battery was clear – a battery of a bigger capacity is required for optimal performance. 630Ah capacity recommendation was corrected to an 830Ah. OneCharge offered FROST I batteries for lift trucks operating in the Cooler environment. These batteries have thermal insulation of the cells, allowing to safely operate at around 30F and occasional trips into the Freezer. These batteries need to be charged outside of a Freezer. For the Freezer operations, the Company acquired OneCharge FROST II batteries, which can operate at temperatures as low as -22F, and never leave a Freezer, including charging time! These batteries have thermostat-controlled heater placed below the cells, cells are insulated, the case is sealed to keep out dust and condensation. Opportunity charging during any break and lunchtime provides top performance to a Li-ion battery at any given moment, one, two or even 3 shifts a day! Results, Return on Investment and Future Plans This dairy producer branch now operates forklifts powered with OneCharge Li-ion Batteries specifically designed and customized for each operation – FROST I and II for Freezer and Cooler environment and Standard American Lithium for regular ambient temperatures. The Warehouse Manager reports a slight increase of forklifts’ runtime and a massive decrease in charging and overall maintenance time. The safety improvements are also important – there are no more risks of acid spill and fumes or heavy batteries swapped related risks. Other company facilities are looking closely at this case and some are already on the way to the switch to Li-ion. Any major stress on the economy and business propels the trends in technology that were already building momentum in “peaceful” time. Companies are looking for ways to improve efficiency as a matter of survival, not just a nice-to-have or expendable environmental initiative. Efficient Li-ion batteries are replacing the old lead-acid technology. Tried-and-tested lithium solutions are no longer newcomers and we will see accelerating adoption of Li-ion batteries by all players in material handling over the next few years.

Hyster makes list of 100 Top Supply Chain Projects for work with New Belgium Brewing Company

Hyster Company has earned a spot on the Supply & Demand Chain Executive annual list of 100 top supply chain projects, for helping to increase the efficiency of New Belgium Brewing Company’s keg line operations. “Based on the size of our lines and the smaller footprint of our brewery, we needed forklifts that were easy to maneuver in small, tight spaces,” says Phillip Pollick, Packing Manager, and Beer Traffic Controller, New Belgium Brewing Company. “Our operators appreciate the comfort and ease of use Hyster® forklifts provide and that’s helped us grow from zero barrels to 250,000 in less than two years.” Hyster worked with New Belgium to deploy electric forklifts that allow for strong maneuverability in tight spaces, with greater fuel efficiency and reduced emissions compared to other power options. With the smaller profiled forklifts, operators can now easily load and unload supplies at the keg line and elsewhere throughout the Asheville facility. New Belgium worked with the experts at Hyster to help identify appropriate, beneficial add-ons, such as reverse lights and seat-side mini-levers to meet needs for operator control and visibility in the New Belgium facility. Additionally, ergonomic features of the trucks helped increase productivity and limit operator fatigue. The SDCE 100 is an annual list of the most innovative, effective supply chain projects. To read the full case study on New Belgium Brewing Company, click here.

3PL-provider Romark Logistics automates inventory counts with drones

The biggest impact of the ongoing pandemic, by far, has been the disruption in supply chains – from farm to fork, and from shop floors to shop fronts. This public health crisis has highlighted the need for resilient supply chains, powered by digital transformation. Warehouses and distribution centers (DCs) are an integral part of the move towards intelligent automation. It is a trend that will accelerate, as the world responds to the normalization of consumer demand. Romark Logistics (Romark), a pioneer in technology adoption within the third-party logistics (3PL) ecosystem, has been at the leading edge of this trend. From very narrow aisle (VNA) racking and swing reach trucks to robots and cloud-connected information systems, Romark has constantly innovated, to continuously improve its operating metrics, including the traceability, granularity, and accuracy of warehoused inventory. Marc Lebovitz, President & Owner of Romark Logistics, highlighted this industry-wide challenge. “As a 3PL, we are faced with higher velocity supply chains, dynamic service level agreements with our customers, and their expectations of same-day delivery,” Lebovitz said. “Frequent, accurate, and in-depth inventory data is key to our ability to manage customer inventory efficiently, minimize inaccuracies, avoid adjusting orders, and differentiate ourselves in a highly-competitive marketplace.” Romark pursued this innovation by evaluating drones for automated scans of pallet barcodes at its DC in Lancaster, TX. Since frequent inventory counts consumed valuable resources and equipment, yet were necessary to meet customer expectations, Romark wanted to invest in inventory drones that could aerially and autonomously scan front-facing barcodes across all the VNA racking at the Lancaster-based DC. Romark established key principles for replacing manual counts. For example, a drone-based inventory solution must first ensure the safety and security of Romark’s warehouse workers. Moreover, it must be extremely user-friendly, cost-effective, and autonomous, requiring no human intervention. In 2019, Romark engaged FlytBase, an enterprise drone software company whose mission is to help businesses automate and scale drone operations. FlytBase’s aerial inventory scanning solution, FlytWare, was deployed in six-feet wide VNAs. End-to-end automation was the key to success; this required not only autonomous navigation within and across the aisles, but also precision landing, autonomous charging, and 100% accurate barcode scans and localization. Continuous interactions with the warehouse operations, inventory, IT and innovation teams at Romark unveiled adjacent use cases, such as empty bin audits, put-away audits, aerial scans of bulk storage, and even outdoor applications, such as identifying containers and trailers in the yard. Nitin Gupta, CEO of FlytBase said the deployment at Romark’s warehouse helped refine the FlytWare production roadmap, to ensure that this solution can be reliably deployed on weekends, nights, and in-between shifts. “The thought leadership and resourcefulness of the management team at Lancaster DC were instrumental to the success of this engagement,” Gupta said. “We expect to create sustainable business value for Romark and their customers, not only from savings in time, effort, and costs but also by conducting frequent inventory counts without impacting the core warehousing operations.” The availability of live video feeds and location-wise images, coupled with seamless WMS integration, make FlytWare a highly compelling alternative to manual inventory counts, he added. The solution is now being readied for production deployment at Romark’s Lancaster DC in the coming months, with the intent to scale to all relevant sites. A detailed case study has been published to showcase inventory drone adoption at Romark’s Lancaster facility. It can be viewed at https://flytware.com/romark-logistics-case-study/.

Signaling Technology is critically important to maintaining safety in Crane Hoist Applications

Maintaining Safety in Crane Hoist Applications image 1

Audible and visible signals reduce risk of dangerous, costly accidents There are significant dangers to technicians, operators, and other workers on the floor in settings employing crane hoists, and so it is imperative that everyone on the floor knows that a crane and its load are nearby. Audible and visible signals help to protect from these dangers, notifying those underneath or near a moving load so that they can take necessary precautions to avoid harm. Proper signals are thus critically important; inferior signals that are inaudible on the shop floor or not sufficiently visible can lead to dangerous and costly accidents. In particular, dual sounder and strobe combination signaling devices are recommended for overhead cranes for an added safety benefit. There is little cost difference between combination and individual signaling devices; the added benefit to the user is immense, however, since shop conditions may prevent workers from either hearing or seeing a signal, but rarely prevent both. Advantages of audible and visual signaling in overhead crane use Combination signaling devices in overhead crane settings can offer cost savings through two different avenues: reduced risk of harm to personnel, and increased throughput of the factory floor. Signaling devices reduce risk to personnel by warning them of impending danger so that there are no deaths, injuries, or even lost time. This reduced risk, however, depends on the efficacy of a signaling device in a given application, based on its decibel and joules level. In terms of increased throughput, signals can reduce the likelihood of crane downtime. Cutting-edge combination signaling devices are capable not only of warning personnel of a moving load but also of using separate tones or lights to warn the operator of conditions that can cause downtime. This can include collision avoidance, over-speed alarms, hoist brake failure alarms, overload alarms, and over-temp of VHD alarms. These, in turn, save on costs, as businesses that use cranes to facilitate production rely on them to make them for revenue. If the crane is down, there is a high likelihood of significant revenue loss, so signaling the need to change conditions or perform maintenance reduces the risk of that revenue loss. Selecting and installing the correct audible signal When choosing an audible signal for an overhead crane application, it is important to ensure that the signal is the correct decibel level for the given application – able to be heard over machinery, but not so loud as to pose a risk to workers. Determining the correct audible signal decibel level is based on the application and area that the device will be used. Signals should be set at no less than +5dB above the application’s maximum sound pressure level; however, the ideal set point is +10dB above this sound pressure level for added safety. For example, a steel mill might have hundreds of overhead cranes used for production and throughput of raw steel. It does not make sense to use the same signal on a crane in the blast furnace like the one that is used in a coil stacking yard, as having an audible signal with the kind of low decibel level that would suffice in the coil stacking yard would add even more risk to the already dangerous blast furnace area. Companies specializing in audible and visual signaling technology like Pfannenberg maintain extensive data to helps determine appropriate volume levels for signaling sounders in a wide range of different applications. Once the decibel level of a sounder is determined, where to install the sounder is of next concern. Most often, signaling devices are mounted on the moving trolley or the bridge of the crane. Additionally, it is important to mount the cone of the sounder in the direction of the load the crane is carrying so the sound travels to those in the risk path. Selecting and installing the correct visible signal Next, of course, is determining the correct joules level for the combination signaling device’s visual signal. Sound decreases significantly over distance, and significantly louder-than-necessary audible signals can be startling or even dangerous to workers. Light, on the other hand, does not undergo the same kind of decrease in intensity over distance and is not as obtrusive if overly intense in a given environment. Visible signaling devices are thus rated by distance, but adding power (and thus intensity and brightness) can only add to the signal’s safety factor and reduce personnel risk without causing inconvenience. As with the audible signal, once the brightness level of a visible signal is determined, where to install the signal is the next important choice. Visible signaling devices are also usually mounted on the moving trolley or the bridge of the crane, and the pyramid shape of the strobe light should also be mounted in the direction of the load the crane is carrying to minimize risk. Extreme environments demand specialized signaling equipment Applications with extreme environments demand specialized signaling technology. Some signaling products, like the PATROL and PYRA series signaling devices from Pfannenberg, are designed for extreme high and low temperatures; these feature electronic board, digital sound capsule, and polycarbonate housing designs that enable them to be rated for use in -40ºF to +131ºF environments. Meanwhile, the company’s DS series sounders feature aluminum die-cast housings for use in areas up to +160ºF. In loud environments, this same PATROL and DS series devices offer exceptionally high sound pressure outputs of and the capacity to be volume controlled up to -12dB to fit each exact application.

AGVs and Li-ion Batteries. A match made in Heaven

Automation brings unprecedented opportunities for the warehouses to improve operating efficiency and reduce costs. Among other innovations, Automated Guided Vehicles (AGVs) are getting momentum. An automated guided vehicle (AGV) system is a computer-controlled, wheel-based load carrier (normally battery powered) that runs on the plant or warehouse floor (or if outdoors on a paved area) without the need for an onboard operator or driver (MHI definition). Essentially, it is a mobile robot. The Pioneer Companies. To make an AGV you need a truck, a connected computer with sensors, and motive power. Balyo, a manufacturer of the “brains” for AGVs, partnered with Hyster-Yale Group and Linde. At the start of operations 3 years ago Balyo researched available options for motive power for their offering and decided to go with Lithium batteries. Baptiste Mauget, VP Marketing at Balyo, said the key requirement was an automated charging system, so electric power was an obvious choice: “The best energy solution for robots is Lithium batteries. We chose LTO chemistry for its longest cycle life and highest availability”. Baptiste further explains that “availability” of AGV in effect means uptime when the vehicle is not paused for charging. AGVs are sold by the advanced material handling equipment dealers, like Papé. Balyo has supplied a few of its AGVs to Papé’s Demo facility in Seattle, where warehouse managers can see these robots in action. Shane Fairbanks, Manager of the facility: “AGVs are mostly applicable in operations involving “stacker” lift trucks, where you need to pick things from a conveyor and stack them on shelves. Automotive, pharmaceutical, or logistics business are good examples.” Shane said that customers value AGVs because they can run 24/7 without needing an operator. With tangible efficiency improvements, AGVs are starting to get traction with technologically advanced companies with high volumes of material handling and warehouse space. You guessed it right – Amazon. “AGVs in our offer are 100% electric and all of them run on Li-ion,” Shane continues. OneCharge manufactures Li-ion batteries for material handling industry, with over 550 models for Class I, II and III lift trucks, sweepers, scrubbers, and Ground Support Equipment at airports. OneCharge has supplied Li-ion batteries to Papé’s demo AGV trucks in April 2018, and Shane says that clients’ interests in AGV solutions have started to pick up in the last few months. He calls it the “Amazon Effect on Things”. “Bigger companies may be slow on the adoption, but they have the money to experiment and once they test and prove a solution, others follow in a stream”, Shane says. Why Lithium Ion? Facilities that use AGV lead-acid battery-powered fleets consistently face about 20% asset downtime. This is due to the five to six hours of battery charging required for each AGV each day. Additionally, each lead-acid battery is required to be down for another 8 hours weekly for trickle charging and cell equalization. Indeed, Li-ion batteries’ benefits are even more pronounced with AGVs: significantly less charging time overall and flexible charging schedule, zero daily maintenance and stable voltage with higher travel and lifting speeds provide minimum downtime and highest operational efficiency. In the case with OneCharge Batteries, one can expect enhanced safety and advanced data capabilities with the top-notch Battery Management System and one can’t fail to recognize that AGVs and Li-ion is a perfect match! Spirit AeroSystems is one of the world’s leading designers and manufacturers of aerostructures, which provides products and solutions for both commercial and defense customers, including Airbus and Boeing. In late 2018 Spirit AeroSystems has started a demo project to stress-test one AGV Li-ion Battery, which was recommended to them by Green Energy Concept, Inc., consultant and installer of motive power solutions. After 9 months the whole fleet of the company’s lift trucks in Kinston, NC is switching to OneCharge Li-ion Batteries. Most of Spirit AeroSystems NC facility lift trucks are AGVs and MGVs (manually guided by an operator with a remote control). The company was permanently facing problems with maintenance and overall reduced runtime with the sealed lead-acid / TPPL batteries they were using for the last 5 years. The main reasons for switching to Li-ion were increased operational demands which the old lead-acid batteries could not support any longer. Allen Grady, Equipment Maintenance Manager at Spirit AeroSystems: ”We have a large facility to manufacture parts for AirBus A350, and we use lift trucks to move around big tools 24 hours a day. We had to stack spare lead-acid batteries at a special section of our facility and install special ventilation and other safety features there. Each truck was down for at least 30-40 minutes 6 times a day (twice per shift) changing big and heavy batteries. Big hassle and a big loss of time! With the new Li-ion technology we managed to sync our production schedule with batteries charging. It is now only once or twice per day, the battery stays inside the truck, and it takes 1-1,5 hour to fully charge a battery.” Oliver Kuarsingh, Director at GECI said: “OneCharge batteries can stand much more abuse and need much less attention compared to lead-acid batteries. ROI calculations and overall stability of OneCharge Li-ion Batteries were the main reasons we recommended OneCharge to Spirit AeroSystems.” Driving Style: Autonomous Vehicles vs. Humans How is battery performance is different when used by a human driver compared to the Automated system? In their article in “Electronics & Test,” Sudhi Uppuluri and Doug Kolak are discussing the relative performance of an electric car driven by a human and by an autonomous driver. It turns out that humans are much less gentle with the motor and battery. What it actually means is that a performance boost for the warehouse with AGVs introduction can be amplified by even higher battery performance and less downtime for charging and maintenance when a truck is controlled by a computer. https://www.designnews.com/electronics-test/how-autonomous-driving-affects-heat-loads-and-component-sizing-electric-vehicles/41833506461562?ADTRK=InformaMarkets&elq_mid=10411&elq_cid=4827409 Who shall pay attention? AGVs + Li-ion combination can dramatically improve any warehouse or conveyor operation with the efficiencies and savings mounting with scale. We expect the following industries

BEUMER Group: Technical Report: The start-up company Codept is developing a productive logistic platform

Young companies benefit from the Beam GmbH by comprehensive intralogistics know-how and access to BEUMER experts, suppliers and customers.

BEUMER Group supports the start-up company Codept in developing a productive logistic platform BEUMER Group has declared digitization a top priority in order to maximize customer satisfaction while remaining competitive. How can this be achieved? The system supplier relies on the support of start-up companies to bring digital projects into the group. Felix Ostwald and Jonas Grunwald with their company Codept GmbH belong to the so-called “Young and Wild”. Their newly developed logistic platform simplifies the data interchange between retailers and fulfillment service providers. This saves time and money for both parties, provides more flexibility, and allows warehouse logistics operators to better use their capabilities. The idea was born out of an acute experience. “The logistics sector clearly lacks what has long been the standard in payment transactions or online advertising: an integrative platform which offers simple access to a wide variety of different service providers and develops optimization services that are too complex for retailers and logistics providers individually”, Felix Ostwald describes their solution that will considerably simplify the connection between fulfillment providers and e-commerce retailers. The 31-year-old co-founder and managing director and his partner Jonas Grunwald, 34 years old, have founded the company Codept. But not alone. They are supported by the company builder Beam, a spin-off of BEUMER Group based in Berlin. “We try to solve big problems in logistics together with the start-up teams”, says managing director Robert Bach. “My job is to find young companies with business ideas that are relevant for us and to support them in their establishment. We want to create three start-ups per year and transform them each into a separate company under the umbrella of Beam – like the Codept GmbH.” The aim is to open new business areas in logistics together with these companies. The simplification of application programming interfaces “What made us come up with the idea?”, Jonas Grunwald repeats the question. “It started out of an acute experience. Fulfillment providers often lose potential customers because they lack the resources for an IT connection or because the initial costs are too high. We simplify the application programming interface of our customers’ systems considerably so that they can concentrate on their core business.” This becomes more and more important especially considering growing internationalization. E-commerce retailers increasingly must be able to dispatch goods to France, Italy or the Netherlands. Big online sellers like Amazon or Zalando manage it within 24 to 48 hours. If a mid-sized company is not able to achieve this, it quickly loses potential customers. In order to meet this standard, the company not only needs warehouse locations in Germany but throughout Europe. “Integrating operators into your own system landscape has so far been extremely time-consuming”, says Felix Ostwald from his own experience. If a retailer, for example, needs five logistic service providers for storage, packaging, dispatching or also for processing returns, they must set up five interfaces. A programmer is on duty for at least one month both on the dealer’s side and on the service provider’s side, which is both time and cost-intensive. “Our new logistic platform offers homogenous interface management as well as reliable data management”, promises Grunwald. “We take care of this connection for the customer. Our platform allows quick and simple integration of a new partner into the customer’s system without additional efforts.” Motivation and at least two years of experience Not everyone is suitable to be a founder, says Robert Bach, managing director of Beam GmbH. “We require at least two years of experience – ideally in a start-up company. If you’re fresh out of college you’re probably not the best fit for us.” Felix completed his business studies with a bachelor’s degree and worked at Contorion, an e-commerce platform for industrial needs. There, he met Jonas in 2015. At that time Felix selected the corresponding logistics providers and took care of their integration – a good basis for his future company. He graduated with a master’s degree in Global Supply Management at the Cass Business School in London and then started working at Zalando. Afterward, he started to work at Otto Group as Supply-Chain project manager. “As part of a project, I developed a new material flow software for Otto Group in cooperation with Siemens Digital Logistics,” he describes. “But no matter where I worked, interfaces were never standardized; the integration was always a challenge.” Jonas also has quite some experience to look back on – especially in the start-up scene. In Copenhagen, for example, he helped set up a fish import company. “In the food industry, I went through three start-up-like companies”, he says. At 24, he went back to university to study business administration and sociology. After his bachelor’s degree, he went to the London School of Economics and Political Science, an elite university, and studied economic sociology. “This was the very right place for me”, he says. He is a passionate nerd and points laughingly to his Microsoft socks. “Besides risk analysis, I am interested in game theory, logic, and systems theory. The road to software was then not far away.” He first worked as a project manager in a start-up company in London. Then he came to Berlin and worked for the same employer as Felix. Among other things, he developed and improved logistic systems. One task, for example, was to automate the process and integrate the service providers. Very early on, both colleagues felt the desire to create something of their own. “We were in Berlin in the middle of a start-up environment. If you are young and more or less dynamic, crazy ideas come up very quickly”, Felix says. We had ants in our pants;” it was 2015. They never lost sight of each other after that. In 2018 Jonas got in touch with the company builder Beam. He had to face a video interview and convincingly show his motivation and passion. “We spent four months looking exactly were the focus was”, says Robert Bach. “Is he making any progress? How seriously

Lithium battery price: Good investment?

Purchasing a forklift battery is an important investment. The question for many companies, however, is whether their choice is a good investment. The average cost of a lithium-ion battery is between $3,000 and $20,000, depending on battery size. This price tag can be up to twice as much as the average purchase price of a lead-acid battery. However, when you factor in the long-term costs, a lithium-ion battery is less expensive than a lead-acid battery. Lithium-ion batteries offer significantly more benefits that make them a better long-term investment for most companies. Here’s why. A Longer Lifespan One of the first attributes a manager looks at is the average lifespan of a battery type. A battery with a longer lifespan generally makes it a more valuable investment. If employees properly maintain the batteries in their fleet, the average lifespan of a lithium-ion battery is between 2,000 and 3,000 cycles. A lithium-ion battery’s lifespan is twice as long as the average lifespan of a lead-acid battery, which is between 1,000 and 1,500 cycles. Batteries with shorter lifespans need to be replaced more often, and you may need at least two lead-acid batteries to last the lifespan of one lithium-ion battery. Longer Run Times How long a battery runs before it must be charged impacts productivity and the overall efficiency of an operation. Lithium-ion batteries typically run about 7.2 hours before requiring a charge. And, they can be safely discharged down to 20% capacity.Lead-acid batteries, on the other hand, require charging after about 5.4 hours of use. And, they can only be safely discharged down to 30% capacity. The longer a battery is in service, the more cost-efficient it is to an operation. Swapping batteries after just 5.4 hours of use can lead to costly downtime for employees who must then remove the batteries from equipment and replace them with charged batteries so equipment can go back into service. This takes away productive time. Shorter Charging Times Lithium-ion batteries take just 1 to 2 hours to charge. They can be opportunity charged in between shifts or while employees are on break. Because of this, only one lithium-ion battery is typically needed per piece of equipment, regardless of how many shifts a company works. Lead-acid batteries require 8 hours to charge and another 8 hours to cool down. This means that the true amount of time needed for a lead-acid battery to charge and go back into service is closer to 16 hours. This is key for companies that have multi-shift operations. If a warehouse operates 24 hours a day, equipment that is powered by lithium-ion batteries can be opportunity charged a few times throughout the day. That means one lithium-ion battery can be used for the entire duration of the 24-hour period as long as it has been charged. If using lead-acid batteries to power equipment over the course of 24 hours, one piece of equipment would require three lead-acid batteries since workers would need to completely replace the battery after approximately 5 to 6 hours of use and then charge and cool it for 16 hours. In other words, managers must purchase three lead-acid batteries for each piece of equipment to cover a 24-hour period. Saved Labor Costs Labor costs are key to determining the true cost of a battery. As mentioned above, lithium-ion batteries can be opportunity charged quickly and efficiently. The process of charging a lithium-ion battery can also save a company substantially in labor costs. That’s because of lithium-ion batteries: Remain in the equipment during charging Do not require transport to a separate charging space Do not require extra time to refill the battery with an electrolyte solution In contrast, when charging a lead-acid battery: An operator must use special lifting equipment and because of the battery’s weight, trained personnel must then remove the battery and place it on a storage rack where the charging will be done The battery is then charged for approximately 8 hours. Once the charging process is completed, the cooling down stage begins. This lasts an additional 8 hours. The battery will either remain where it was charged or personnel may transport it to a designated cooling area if space is needed in the battery room to charge other batteries. In fact, one major equipment manufacturer discovered it could save over $1 million by switching to lithium-ion batteries, simply due to the amount of lost productivity per day associated with charging the lead-acid batteries they were using to power their fleet of equipment. Safer For Employees A safer work environment is one of the best investments a company can make. Lithium-ion battery technology offers several enhanced safety features: They do not require water maintenance. Lithium-ion batteries are sealed shut, whereas lead-acid batteries are filled with an electrolyte solution. They require regular refilling with water or the chemical process will degrade and the battery could suffer an early failure. Watering a battery comes with risks. If a spill occurs, highly-toxic sulfuric acid can splash onto the body and cause serious injury. There is minimal risk of overheating. Lithium-ion batteries have a battery management system that tracks cell temperatures to ensure they remain in safe operating ranges. If lead-acid batteries overcharge, the electrolyte solution can overheat, increasing pressure inside the battery. This can damage the battery, or worse, cause an explosion. Less movement of the battery reduces the risk of injuries. Because lithium-ion batteries can stay inside the forklift for the charging process, workers avoid any risks associated with battery swapping. Batteries can weigh several thousand pounds, and lead-acid batteries require material handling equipment to lift and swap the batteries for charging. You can read more about how using lithium-ion batteries can improve the overall safety of your operations in our article, The Top 5 Ways A Lithium-Ion Battery Makes Your Forklift Safer. A Good Investment For The Future Often, an option that has a low upfront cost can be the most costly choice in the long run, which is why it is important to know what you are buying.

Pandemic preparedness in the workplace: Employer responsibilities and rights under the ADA

Pandemic preparedness in the workplace cover image

CDC Advice: Employee Health Protections Starting in January 2020, an outbreak of coronavirus (COVID-19) started in China and began to spread worldwide. As a result, several agencies of the U.S. government have advised employers on how to respond to the threat. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) offers this advice to employers for keeping employees healthy and preventing the spread of the virus: Actively encourage sick employees to stay home Employees who have symptoms of acute respiratory illness (typically fever, cough and shortness of breath) should stay at home and away from work until they are free of fever and other symptoms for at least 24 hours. Ensure your sick-leave policies are flexible enough to make employees feel they can stay home without risking their jobs. Instruct supervisors not to retaliate against employees who take sick leave. Do not require a health care provider’s note for employees who are sick with acute respiratory illness; doctors’ offices may be too overwhelmed to provide notes. Your policy should explicitly permit employees to stay home to care for sick family members. Segregate sick employees. If employees appear to have acute respiratory illness symptoms when they arrive for work or become sick during the day, send them home immediately. If an employee is confirmed to have COVID-19, inform co-workers of their possible exposure, but maintain confidentiality as required by the ADA. Emphasize good hygiene Tell employees to regularly wash their hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds or clean their hands with an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol. Provide soap and water, alcohol-based wipes, tissues and no-touch wastebaskets. Remind employees to cover their noses and mouths with a tissue when coughing or sneezing (or an elbow if no tissue is available). They should dispose of used tissues immediately. The CDC offers posters describing good hygiene practices that you can display in your workplace at www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/communication/. Perform routine cleaning. Regularly clean all frequently touched surfaces in the workplace, such as workstations, countertops and doorknobs. Use the cleaning agents that are usually used in these areas and follow the directions on the label. At this time, the CDC does not recommend additional disinfection beyond routine cleaning. Provide disposable wipes so employees can wipe down commonly used surfaces (for example, doorknobs, keyboards, remote controls, desks) before each use. Advise employees to take precautions before traveling Tell them to check the CDC’s Traveler’s Health Notices for the latest country-by-country guidance and recommendations. Advise employees to check themselves for symptoms of acute respiratory illness before starting travel and notify their supervisor and stay home if they are sick. If outside the United States, sick employees should follow your policy for obtaining medical care or contact a health care provider or overseas medical assistance company to help them find an appropriate health care provider in that country. A U.S. consular officer can help locate health care services, but cannot evacuate or provide care to private U.S. citizens. Online resource: Find links to more CDC resources for employers at www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/specific-groups/guidance-business-response.html. EEOC Advice: Coronavirus and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) The ADA, which protects applicants and employees from disability discrimination, is relevant to pandemic preparation in at least three major ways. First, the ADA regulates employers’ disability-related inquiries and medical examinations for all applicants and employees, including those who do not have ADA disabilities. Second, the ADA prohibits covered employers from excluding individuals with disabilities from the workplace for health or safety reasons unless they pose a “direct threat” (i.e. a significant risk of substantial harm even with reasonable accommodation). Third, the ADA requires reasonable accommodations for individuals with disabilities (absent undue hardship) during a pandemic. This section summarizes these ADA provisions. The subsequent sections answer frequently asked questions about how they apply during an influenza pandemic. The answers are based on existing EEOC guidance regarding disability-related inquiries and medical examinations, direct threat, and reasonable accommodation. A. DISABILITY-RELATED INQUIRIES AND MEDICAL EXAMINATIONS The ADA prohibits an employer from making disability-related inquiries and requiring medical examinations of employees, except under limited circumstances, as set forth below. 1. Definitions: Disability-Related Inquiries and Medical Examinations An inquiry is “disability-related” if it is likely to elicit information about a disability. For example, asking an individual if his immune system is compromised is a disability-related inquiry because a weak or compromised immune system can be closely associated with conditions such as cancer or HIV/AIDS. By contrast, an inquiry is not disability-related if it is not likely to elicit information about a disability. For example, asking an individual about symptoms of a cold or the seasonal flu is not likely to elicit information about a disability. A “medical examination” is a procedure or test that seeks information about an individual’s physical or mental impairments or health. Whether a procedure is a medical examination under the ADA is determined by considering factors such as whether the test involves the use of medical equipment; whether it is invasive; whether it is designed to reveal the existence of physical or mental impairment; and whether it is given or interpreted by a medical professional. 2. ADA Standards for Disability-Related Inquiries and Medical Examinations The ADA regulates disability-related inquiries and medical examinations in the following ways: Before a conditional offer of employment: The ADA prohibits employers from making disability-related inquiries and conducting medical examinations of applicants before a conditional offer of employment is made. After a conditional offer of employment, but before an individual begins working: The ADA permits employers to make disability-related inquiries and conduct medical examinations if all entering employees in the same job category are subject to the same inquiries and examinations. During employment: The ADA prohibits employee disability-related inquiries or medical examinations unless they are job-related and consistent with business necessity. Generally, a disability-related inquiry or medical examination of an employee is job-related and consistent with business necessity when an employer has a reasonable belief, based on objective evidence, that : An employee’s ability to perform essential job functions

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