ventura-prAn advanced battery management system that manages change and charge operations for warehouse truck batteries has been installed by Ventura Network Distribution at its massive state-of-the-art distribution centre at Wath on Dearne. The installation is designed to optimise the performance of Ventura’s warehouse truck fleet over the entire five year contract, minimise energy consumption and provide the company with flexibility to adapt its operations in line with business requirements.

“We are looking for good performance from the batteries and warehouse trucks through to year five of the contract,” says Harry Dooley, Group MHE Manager for Ventura Network Distribution. “The EnerSys battery management system will allow us to manage the batteries over the whole lifetime and help us reduce overall costs and power consumption.”

The Wath on Dearne distribution complex near Rotherham was opened in 2007 by Ventura Network Distribution to offer a complete logistics operation for its fashion and home accessories customers. Two massive warehouses on the site stock a complete range of clothing and household items supplied, stored & distributed  for retail and home shopping  customers. Operations are split between general pallet handling and order picking. The materials handling fleet includes powered pallet trucks, counterbalance trucks, reach trucks and VNA trucks supplied by Crown. The majority of the trucks operate in one of the warehouses because the other is mostly automated for pallet and case handling. Capacity is still growing and there is room for expansion, for example by adding mezzanines in the main picking warehouse.

The new development presented an ideal opportunity to introduce best practice across the entire operation. The company recognised that warehouse truck batteries at its other sites were becoming unreliable and inefficient before the end of their projected lifetimes and it wanted a better solution at the new facility.

“Some batteries at other sites were nearing the end of their life prematurely due to improper charging practices,” says Harry Dooley. “We wanted a new system that forces proper charge and change operations.”

During its truck selection process Ventura asked the potential suppliers who they would recommend for the batteries. A number mentioned EnerSys as a specialist who could demonstrate a track record in similar applications with their own equipment.

“Our criteria included having all battery management facilities in one place, making better use of the available space and working with an optimised specification,” says Harry Dooley. “EnerSys ticked all our boxes and appeared to be best for the purpose.”

The lift truck supplier worked with Ventura and EnerSys to agree the final specification for the battery management system. Unlike smaller warehouses, which tend to have a single battery installation, it was decided to have separate charge and change areas located throughout the warehouse close to where specific types of truck are operating. The battery area for the 40 order picking trucks, for example, is on the mezzanine floor of the main picking and order assembly warehouse. The precise position was finalised during the warehouse planning phase to take into account the pick paths and one way system employed in the area. It is also against a wall and close to one of the ventilation points for convenience.

EnerSys supplied 80 of its high-performance Perfect Plus batteries which offer extended work cycles between charges for the order pickers. Charging is achieved using Powertech high frequency chargers which are up to 20 per cent more efficient than traditional 50Hz units. Powertech automatically detects the battery’s level of discharge and supplies only the amount of power needed, and no more, to restore full charge. This means less power is required to charge a battery with significant savings in electricity costs.

At any time 40 batteries are being charged along a bank of 42 charging stations. When a truck needs a fresh battery it pulls up alongside the area where a large overhead screen indicates the position and identity of the next available unit. The EnerSys management system ensures batteries are allocated in strict rotation so that the best available unit – the one which has been in a fully charged condition the longest – is always used. This overcomes the potential problems associated with operators simply taking the nearest available battery, regardless of its true state of charge.

EnerSys Motive Power

Karen Smith

Tel: 0161 727 3800

E: karen.smith@uk.enersys.com

www.enersys.com

www.enersys-hawker.com

Comments are closed.