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DBL Logistics Increase Their Green Credentials With a Move to Electric Forklifts
DBL Logistics are a local, family-owned transport company dedicated to providing the best possible pallet delivery service. Offering industry leading delivery success rates is only achievable if the forklift fleet in operation can support the workload, so CAM Fork Lift Trucks were tasked with supplying forklifts that could cope with the growing business demands and at the same time enhancing DBL’s “green credentials”.
A shareholder of the Pall-Ex network, DBL Logistics is committed to reducing its carbon footprint and installed solar panels on their customer build facility in 2013 situated on the warehouse roof. To meet its own environmental targets, the business made the decision to see if some of its gas-powered IC engine 2.5 tonne
counterbalance forklifts could be replaced with electric machines.
Working in partnership with Hoppecke, the challenge was to provide a cost-effective and ecological solution to their issue. CAM Fork Lift Trucks successfully
achieved this by updating parts of the DBL forklift fleet from IC engine LPG to the latest TCM 80-volt FHB25-F1 4-wheel counterbalance trucks and fitted with Hoppecke’s low maintenance 49.6Kw Trak Uplift Air batteries. This material handling solution also incorporated Hoppecke’s versatile and energy efficient TCHF Air chargers.
Like many businesses considering this type of conversion DBL had its doubts about the capabilities of electrically-powered trucks to support its busy and growing operation so took the time to assess what the material handling
marketplace has to offer.
A number of equipment suppliers focused on the provision of lithium battery-powered electric machines without carrying out any detailed analysis of the DBL Logistics operation. CAM Fork Lift Trucks took a different approach and called us in to examine actual power requirements and help develop a solution that capitalises on the latest innovations in vented lead-acid battery technology.
Gus Whyte
Hoppecke’s Sales Director-UK and Ireland
By switching a number of their LPG gas trucks to electric DBL Logistics could make significant savings based on the cost of fuel, which after being analysed could potentially exceed £15k over a five-year contract.
The battery/charger solution developed by Hoppecke in partnership with CAM Fork Lift Trucks allows for programmed opportunity charging during busy days and peak requirements. In this way it guarantees to support the DBL Logistics operation, which includes pallet networking, general haulage & bespoke warehousing.
Not only does the solution use tried and tested technology, backed by Hoppecke’s guarantee of power provision, but it also came in at a much lower initial cost than many lithium-powered options.
As a manufacturer of all types of battery technologies, Hoppecke, in partnership with CAM Fork Lift Trucks, are ideally placed to offer the right technology and determine the most cost-effective solution for logistics businesses of all shapes and sizes.
