Full power package
July 1st 2007 David Callis, operations manager at Powercell
Industrial Battery Engineers, advises lift truck users
looking for an efficient yet environmentally friendly
power source for their lift truck fleets to seek out
battery suppliers who can offer not just a battery but
a full package
Environmental issues are beginning to
impact significantly on many business
decisions and will certainly influence
the decisions on lift truck power sources. Not
only will lift truck users need the optimum
power source in terms of efficiency and
suitability to the application but there is now
also a need to find a complete,
environmentally friendly package for power.
The Industrial Battery industry has been
developed around the lead acid product,
which over the years has been refined into
a clean, environmentally friendly package.
'Package' is the key word here and to
appreciate the full extent of the
development of the lead acid battery you
have to look at the complete Energy
Package offered by suppliers – from the
battery through to the charger and service
support. It's this complete package that
demonstrates battery power's true place in
supporting our environment. In addition to
the battery itself this package should
include the most cost effective chargers
available, along with watering systems and
preventive maintenance.
A high frequency charger provides the
most cost effective charging. Add to this a
single point filling system – which avoids
tank corrosion and overspill, topping up
each battery to the correct level every time,
together these elements of the package
can deliver dramatic cost reductions.
Adding the right kind of service support to
the package will mean the user need only
worry about driving the truck and plugging it
in to charge. The correct package will ensure
the battery is topped up to its optimum level
on every charge, is kept in good repair and
that any repairs that look likely can be
brought to the user's
immediate attention.
The use of the battery
can also be optimised
thanks to the facility to
generate reports over the
last one hundred cycles
to assess how the
battery has been
used – if, for example,
there has been
opportunistic charging
or over discharging.
This allows the
supplier to advise the
user on their battery
use and how to get
the best from it, thus
improving the battery's
efficiency and extending its life.
However, no battery can live forever and
lead acid can still, of course, be hazardous
so the transportation and disposal of
exhausted packages, along with recycling,
is critical and, therefore, another key aspect
to any package is that the batteries at the
end of their life should only be transported
by licensed companies and disposed of by
a licensed smelter. This can be managed
as part of a good quality energy package.
Overall, a well designed energy package
can deliver energy savings in excess of
30% over separate and older systems. More articles from Powercell Industrial Battery Engineers Ltd: | 
