Electric Evolution: Tackling the Real-World Challenges of Fleet Transition
Impact Handling, the leading material handling specialist and UK distributor for CAT® Lift Trucks, explores the key challenges facing food and drink processing operations as they transition to electric power—and shares the proactive steps it has taken to help customers overcome the unique infrastructure and cost-related hurdles associated with the change.
The Upside of Electric Equipment
There is no doubt that the potential upsides to operating electric material handling equipment are significant. Lower fuel costs, a cleaner working environment, lower maintenance costs, less downtime… the list goes on. There are also the broader environmental benefits of moving to electric machines which are well documented and can bring both reputational and financial rewards, particularly for larger organisations – Helping to achieve accreditations and meeting carbon targets.
Infrastructure: The Hidden Hurdle
But, as is often the way, with the pleasure comes a degree of pain. And for many handling equipment users that pain comes in the form of the initial outlay. The largest of which is typically the availability of an adequate power supply to the operational site. Particularly if the site and its infrastructure were developed before the world had visibility of the age of electric.
Although rarely an issue for one or two trucks users, across larger fleets the power demands become increasingly challenging. Lithium-ion battery charging, in particular, draws a very high current that existing infrastructure can struggle to accommodate. If this is affecting your operation it is important to seek specialist advice.
Expert Guidance from Impact
At Impact, our experienced electric equipment team can help customers through any necessary change with guidance and advice to support a successful and cost-effective change.
Firstly though, it is important to accurately specify the desired capacity, layout and utilisation of the power system on site. To understand that the operation will need to have defined the size, nature and functionality of its fleet.
At Impact, we conduct a thorough analysis and survey of every customer site and operation. This enables us to recommend a handling solution that optimises material flow while integrating as seamlessly as possible with the rest of the operation. It also allows us to carefully analyse safety and environmental needs as well as factoring for future growth and seasonal fluctuations in demand.
Stakeholder Engagement is Key
Something we always strongly encourage is the involvement of a broad team of stakeholders in the project at the earliest possible stage. Finance or procurement teams may, for example, buy energy in advance to manage costs. It is important they are aware of the implications of an electric fleet and the nature of any potential increases in energy usage, well in advance.
Looking Beyond the Price Tag
Aside from the power infrastructure, the other common negative of electric handling is that the equipment itself usually carries a price premium. However, this only manifests as a concern if it is looked at from a short-term perspective. In the mid to longer term, the total cost of ownership and fuel saving more than offsets the initial investment. In a well-managed fleet, the premium can be recovered surprisingly quickly.
As Impact operates a rental fleet of well over 10,000 units in the UK, many carrying advanced telemetrics, we can illustrate the rate of recovery for any given site based on live real-world data from comparable operations. Cat Lift Trucks’ ongoing pipeline of innovations also continues to lower the price difference between electric and IC machines.
Battery Specification Matters
It is important to check that any competitive quotations received for electric machines are like for like. The batteries make up a significant part of the cost of the equipment. Some suppliers may fit smaller or lower rated batteries, which can have a notable impact on the usability of the machines. Make sure the battery is specified to the utilisation. Skimping on battery quality or capacity can be a false economy.
Performance That Surpasses Expectations
The final frequent negative of electric handling equipment is the perception that it will not perform to same level as equivalent IC machinery. The reality, however, is that the latest generation of electric machines now often OUTPERFORM their IC counterparts. The current offering from CAT Lift Trucks for example offers advantages in most parameters, including load capacity, lift height, and runtime on a full ‘fuel load’. There are of course applications where Diesel or LPG are still the optimum solution, and mixed fleets remain a popular solution.
Electric: A Smart Investment for the Future
Today’s electric machines do bring many benefits despite requiring a not insignificant upfront investment. Happily, though this is almost always offset by the savings throughout the life of the equipment. And with some useful flexibility from the right handling partner, even the upfront costs don’t need to come as a shock.
