Bathroom fittings and shower specialist Hansgrohe SE sells its products around the world. Goods have to be transported from A to B quickly and in the most cost-effective way possible This means that attention is paid to the energy consumed by the logistics processes. Reducing the amount of energy used by the electrically powered forklift trucks is not only environmentally friendly, it results in significant cost savings.

Faster flows

Johannes Kopf, investment planning project manager at Hansgrohe SE, explains: “In 2015 we decided to update the charging technology used by our forklift fleet. We had two main objectives: firstly, to create more space in the halls and secondly, to reduce the amount of energy used during the charging process – without ignoring any of the legal requirements.”

To free up space in warehouse logistics, goods-in/goods-out and in manufacturing, it was decided to reduce the number of charging stations from seven to four. Fleet availability was another factor: “We work two- and three-shift systems, so the forklifts have to be available practically all the time,” said Kopf.

Thomas Blechschmidt, warehouse technology sales manager at Schöler Fördertechnik explains: “We visited Hansgrohe to see exactly what was needed and recommended a leasing package consisting of forklift trucks, batteries and battery charging systems. We provided a complete solution, including a full service package, giving Hansgrohe not just efficient technology, but a single point of contact for all matters relating to their fleet.”

The lease period is 60 months. Most of the forklift trucks come from Linde, the batteries from Hoppecke.

Kopf says: “The electricity consumption of the battery charging systems that we used to use was higher. This was because the traditional charging processes converted a large proportion of the energy into heat, which was then lost. This consumed a lot of electricity and also resulted in lower efficiency figures. It could also damage the battery and significantly reduce its capacity and service life. It was above all the high costs that persuaded us to modernise our charging technology.” 

Fronius used its I-SPoT lifecycle costs calculator to compute current consumption levels and show where potentials savings could be made. “The Fronius technicians calculated that we could reduce energy costs by 25% if we used the appropriate charging technology. That clinched it for us,” explained Kopf. Fronius delivered the first 3 and 8kW Selectiva devices in the autumn of 2015. These devices feature Active Inverter Technology and Ri charging process.

“What’s really neat about them is that the charging process does not follow a fixed characteristic, but adapts itself according to the age, temperature and condition of the battery,” observed Martin Obereigner, area sales manager at Fronius. “Our approach minimises the overcharging that produces the high energy losses seen in some other processes, with the result that charging is extremely energy efficient and gentle. This in turn reduces electricity consumption and increases the service life and performance of the batteries.“

Ease of use 

Other plus points include simple operation and compact, lightweight design, as Frank Weber, goods-in and internal transport team leader, explains: “All our employees have to do is plug in the batteries and unplug them again at the end of the process. Everything else is handled by the external automatic Start-Stop system. Another nice touch is the LED strip on the device, which shows if the connected battery has been fully charged and has now cooled down. This helps us achieve a much more uniform use of the forklifts and batteries."

The presence of USB ports on the Selectiva battery charging systems enables settings such as characteristics to be copied and loaded onto other devices, as well as providing the ability to retrieve and analyse data from previous charging cycles.

Fronius charging technology is found not just in the production halls, but outside as well: A Selectiva 8kW charger was installed outside in a special housing. The rugged aluminium design of the housing is certified to IP54 and protects the sensitive electronics against dust and water spray from all directions. It also has a dust filter and a large viewing window.

“The Fronius chargers have worked without a hitch since we started using them and have not caused any damage. We haven’t had to replace a single battery,” reports Weber. This has resulted in better fleet availability. Switching to Selectiva devices has paid for itself, despite the slight increase in leasing costs: “The 25% reduction in electricity consumption that the Fronius technicians predicted at the start of the project has materialised. The additional monthly costs are paid off in the first week – and for the rest of the month we save hard cash every time we charge our batteries,” explained Kopf.

Schöler sales manager Blechschmidt is impressed: “The gentle charging process reduces energy costs for Hansgrohe and the batteries retain their charge for much longer. For us, this means less servicing and repair work, and we are able to reuse the batteries without any difficulties when they’re returned to us at the end of the 60 months. A real win-win situation, both for Hansgrohe and for us as the distributor.” The new technology has also had a major impact in terms of space utilisation: the compact footprint of the chargers means they take up much less space than their predecessors. “This gives the forklift trucks more room in which to manoeuvre, and we have been able to reduce the number of charging stations from seven to four,” explained Kopf, before concluding: “The chargers work perfectly and have brought us numerous benefits. The collaboration with Fronius has been excellent as well, right from the initial planning phase through to installation.”