Batteries and battery management systems from Hoppecke Industrial Batteries have helped the UK’s largest builders’ merchant and home improvement retailers to save around £250,000 a year on the costs of running a fleet of counterbalance and reach trucks.

In its distribution centres, the Travis Perkins Group wanted to move away from using internal combustion (IC) engine trucks to electric machines, and as part of a £5m contract with Briggs Equipment were supplied with 57 counterbalance Yale trucks on a three year contract. Hoppecke supplied trak® air batteries, 52 high frequency chargers, five battery changing systems and five trak® monitor call forward and management systems. This was all backed up by the company’s Power for Life contract, which not only takes away any risks associated with managing batteries but dramatically improves their operation.

Travis Perkins worked out that with the cost of the new trucks and their maintenance and fuel costs, it would save around £750,000 over the length of the contract. This includes the cost for Hoppecke to provide all battery filling and maintenance as well as the battery changing equipment.

Not only has Hoppecke’s equipment ensured minimum downtime of trucks but it has also improved the efficiency, safety and aesthetics of the battery changing areas while ensuring the correct rotation of reach truck batteries is always achieved.

Travis Perkins selected equipment from Hoppecke for use in one of its distribution centres. The company was connecting truck batteries for recharge to 50Hz chargers when the truck was not in use, but this was reducing battery life and increasing the need to top up and incurring needless electrical charging costs. With the Hoppecke high frequency chargers, charging is restricted to when it is needed, which has cut the charging requirement to twice a week, and reduced topping intervals. The Hoppecke Power for Life service means that all the warehouse counterbalance Yale trucks have filling carried out under an annual service contract from Hoppecke.

Liam Holland, Group Transport Manager, Travis Perkins Group, said: “We have been working with Hoppecke for a number of years and we highly rate the customer service, innovation and attention to detail that we receive from them. This project not only involved saving money but also making the working environment both cleaner and safer for our colleagues, we could not have done this without the support from both Briggs and Hoppecke.”

Says Gus Whyte, Sales Director – National Accounts and Systems at Hoppecke: “A lot of companies with trucks only insist on IC engines because they feel they need access to that machine 24 hours a day during their weekly shift requirements. However, if they don’t use the truck over the full 24 hours there can be unnecessary costs.”

Gus adds: “Not only has Travis Perkins saved a huge amount of money but they now have a tidy and safe charging area with easy effortless battery changing, reduced damage battery organisation and reduced changing times. Also, with Power for Life all responsibility of battery filling and maintenance has been removed from the operators. This has eliminated all health and safety issues, taken away problems with battery corrosion on the floor and allowed the company to concentrate on its core business and not on batteries and chargers.”

Hoppecke Industrial Batteries Ltd

David Millett

Tel: 01782 667305

E: davidmillett@hoppecke.co.uk

www.hoppecke.co.uk

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