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By: Jake Stewart<\/p>\n
Link<\/a> to original article.<\/p>\n Evolving business needs often lead to major changes in organizations and operations. For the management of material handling applications, many companies have undergone a transformation to electric forklift fleets. It\u2019s a trend that has occurred over the last decade for a variety of reasons \u2013 including rising environmental standards, the impact on total cost of ownership, and, in some cases, efficiency advantages that can be provided by electric forklifts under the right conditions.<\/p>\n Among those conditions to consider include:<\/p>\n If you determine an electric conversion is right for you, here are some things to consider as you begin on the path to transition.<\/p>\n What is my current ownership\/financing model for forklifts?<\/strong><\/p>\n How and when you make the transition to\u00a0electric forklifts<\/a>\u00a0may be a matter of financing structure. Some organizations have full ownership over their fleet. If this is the case, you\u2019ll need to make sure your usage either justifies a replacement process or that you can receive enough capital from resale to justify the transition to new\/used electric models.<\/p>\n If you leased all trucks in your fleet simultaneously, prepare your conversion for the time those leases expire. Work with your forklift provider to facilitate transition to new leases \u2013 this can be easily facilitated by a provider who works directly with\u00a0a captive finance company<\/a>\u00a0(like Toyota does with Toyota Industrial Commercial Finance).<\/p>\n Other organizations will have a mixture of leased and owned models, or leases that expire at different times. If this is the case, you\u2019ll need to consider the more complicated question of whether your facility is equipped to perform a gradual transition, replacing internal combustion forklifts with electric forklifts as it makes sense to do so. Maintaining operation and maintenance, as well as fueling and battery swapping activities, simultaneously can be time-consuming and have an impact on things like facility routing and organization. Make sure you\u2019re equipped to handle it.<\/p>\n What do I need to do to prepare my facility for electric forklift conversion?<\/strong><\/p>\n While you may be used to the speed and relatively low storage needs of swapping propane tanks to power your forklifts, providing energy to your electric models can take more storage space and time. Depending on the battery you select, storage for those batteries can be somewhat cumbersome. They are bigger and heavier than propane tanks and may have to swapped as often as every shift depending on your charging method and usage. Speaking of weight, you\u2019ll also need dedicated space for swapping batteries and associates trained to do so. Preparing your facility for this kind of activity is important before you make the transition.<\/p>\n Making a transition to electric also means considering the type of battery you want to select \u2013 including traditional lead-acid batteries or lithium-ion batteries. Each can provide\u00a0unique energy advantages<\/a>\u00a0that can be closely evaluated for your specific operation.<\/p>\n\n