Driven by the aim of providing intelligent energy management systems that ensure maximum cost-effectiveness and performance, Fronius have set new standards in energy efficiency and battery service life with their range of battery chargers for intralogistics. They have become among the leading suppliers in Europe within this segment. In 2005, Fronius pioneered a technical revolution by combining the benefits of transformer technology with those of efficient inverter technology. The result is the still unique, economical and flexible Active Inverter Technology. In 2013, they unveiled the Ri charging process, further improving efficiency. The company manufactures its systems in Austria and operates its Perfect Charging Division in 20 countries around the world.
Ross Adams, Sales, Fronius UK, spoke to Warehouse & Logistics News.
WLN – As the Power Sources – Batteries category experts, how has the category been performing in the last 12 months? What are the major trends and developments?
During times when intralogistics represent a growing cost factor in many businesses, with energy costs accounting for a large proportion of the overall costs, a trend towards greater efficiency is increasingly apparent. Fronius have reacted to this by releasing new technology designed to reduce the costs associated with battery charging. The previous 12 months have seen a growing trend for companies wishing to optimise the entire energy flow within their forklift truck fleet.
WLN – What are your core products and services: what are you best known for providing?
Fronius are best known within the intralogistics sector for supplying a range of energy-efficient battery charging systems for traction batteries from 12V – 80V that increase the service life of the battery, reducing the total cost of ownership. We provide these products both as individual stand-alone products for single charging places and, where required, as part of total charging systems involving battery charging stations or even entire charging rooms. We don’t just provide the infrastructure for these system solutions – we are involved from the analysis and planning stages right through to design, commissioning and then operation.
As well as our range of traction battery chargers, we also have a portfolio of products for the automotive industry. We provide fail-safe battery charging systems for workshops and showrooms of some of Europe’s leading car manufacturers.
WLN – Remind us of the revolutionary technology behind your systems
All Fronius battery charging systems are based on “Active Inverter Technology” that is proven to extend the service life of the battery by detecting and monitoring the charge status of the battery. This avoids unnecessary overcharging. Advantages include a more gentle and cooler charge and greater energy efficiency.
Last year saw Fronius setting new standards with its range of battery chargers for intralogistics. We opted for a completely alternative technical approach with our self-regulating “Ri” charging process which allows every single charging cycle to be unique. The process allows the charging characteristic to be adapted according to the type of battery, age, temperature and discharge level – all of which are continually monitored from the moment the battery is connected to the charger. Thanks to this technology, Fronius Selectiva devices with this process achieve charging efficiency levels that were previously inconceivable at a staggering 90%.
WLN – What developments or upgrades have you made to your core products and services in the last 12 months?
In July of this year, we introduced a new control unit to extend the battery life even further by clearly showing which battery in a large secondary battery charging station is currently the coolest. It’s called, “Cool Battery Guide – Easy.”
I’m sure all logistics managers operating a fleet of forklift trucks with recognise this scenario: Drivers take the charged batteries that are the quickest and easiest to reach from the charging facilities. This situation causes some to be used more than others causing such batteries to show defects earlier and a decrease in their life expectancy leading to unneeded costs arising.
The new control unit will provide effective support. Cooling a battery after charging increases the life expectancy. A colour system indicates which of the charged batteries has cooled down the most. The LED on the new Selectiva battery charging system lights up in four colours: yellow during charging, green when fully charged, red for an error and blue signals when it is cool enough to be used. Furthermore, a minute counter is a built-in extra, indicating which batteries should be used first.
WLN – What makes you the ‘go to’ supplier in your area of expertise?
That will be the quality of our offering, and the unbeatable benefits for users. Our battery charging systems enable the end-user to gain maximum efficiency from their materials handling fleet. Our systems save on electricity costs, significantly reduce the levels of CO2 emissions and increase the total service life of batteries – bringing the total cost of ownership down.
We don’t just supply a product, we use our expertise to deliver bespoke solutions to our customers. This means working with them to assess their current situation, highlighting potential savings and improvements, planning in compliance with technical and legal standards and then managing the project through to assembly and commissioning.
WLN – How much can people expect to save with your unique battery charging systems?
Our technology could save an organisation between 20 and 30% on its energy costs of running a forklift truck fleet alone. On top of this other operating costs can be saved such as battery replacement costs.
We offer an intelligent savings potential tool (I-SpoT) to demonstrate what saving could be achieved using our technology over traditional battery charging systems. This calculator gives a comprehensive overview of a company’s forklift truck fleet, displaying energy costs, CO2 emissions, battery service life and maintenance costs. It evaluates which sites/departments would achieve the greatest savings by switching over to Fronius systems and which would offer the quickest R.O.I by changing over. You can find free access to this service online at www.fronius.com/intralogistics
WLN – Which industry sectors are your customers in?
We work very closely with most of the major handling equipment manufacturers and some battery manufacturers as well as producers of minor traction products. Within the intralogistics sector our customers are in transport and logistics, the food industry, motor vehicle manufacturing, machine building industry and ports and airports to name just a few.
WLN – Can you tell us about your latest major projects, and what they involve?
We are very excited to have introduced complete systems for the charging of traction batteries for forklift trucks. This means we can now offer customised solutions for companies looking to optimise the energy flow within their forklift truck fleet. Whether single charging places are required, a charging station with several modules, or entire battery charging rooms we can realise this. From analysis through to planning, commissioning and operation, we can offer the entire package. And it doesn’t stop there. We take care of all on-site staff training and continue to evaluate the system after installation.
The customer can leave us to address all the hazards inherent in using charging systems. The very latest standards and requirements will all be met, including signage and fire precautions, ensuring safe charging at all times. Organisations can remain focused on their core processes whilst we take care of the entire transition.
WLN – Have you made any big moves recently in terms of investment in the business, recruitment and so on?
Since Guenter Fronius founded the company in 1945 and created the first Fronius battery charging system, the company has focused on managing and contributing towards preserving the energy resources of the planet.
We therefore continue to invest heavily on developing our battery charging systems, creating the technology with which to make the systems more and more efficient and friendly to the environment.
We also believe one of our most important investments is our team and as such invest greatly in the training and development of our employees. By the way the aforementioned Mr Fronius celebrated his 107th birthday in November!
WLN – What was your company’s single biggest achievement in the last year?
We have achieved a significant increase in market share by working closely with companies such as Linde Material Handling East and Linde M. H. Ireland – one of the biggest suppliers of forklift trucks. End-users can benefit from significantly reduced operating costs by combining their fork-lift purchases with our Selectiva range of chargers. We were fortunate enough to be able to attend the Linde World of Handling trade fair in Germany back in May.
WLN – What are your plans for 2015? Are you planning to bring out any more products or services?
We plan to continue expanding the Battery Charging Division of Fronius in Europe. In the UK we will be working closely with our customers and distributors, IBCS and Powercell. We hope to build on the success of our new generation of Selectiva chargers by further increasing awareness and, consequently, market share – growing into a household name within the industry. We will also continue to develop our offering within complete system solutions for companies looking to improve the efficiency of their entire intralogistics operation.
WLN – Are you exhibiting at any major trade shows this year?
Yes, we will be attending Logimat in Stuttgart in February 2015.
WLN – What other headline news from your company can our readers look forward to reading about in Warehouse & Logistics News in 2015?
Look out for further developments and case studies surrounding complete charging systems from Fronius. Safety is a major topic at the moment in the area of battery charging and we address this in a big way with our safety module and attention to detail. Readers can expect to learn a lot more about how we place safety at the forefront of our systems.
Phone: 01908 512300
Email: Info-uk@fronius.com
Web: www.fronius.com/intralogistics
YouTube: FroniusCharging
Facebook: froniusuk
LinkedIn: fronius-uk-ltd
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