Hoppecke batteries at Norish Foods

Hoppecke Industrial Batteries has supplied batteries to power a fleet of articulated forklifts that has been operating on three shifts in low temperatures for nearly seven years.

The durable batteries are installed on Flexi Narrow Aisle articulated forklifts working at the Norish Foods cold store at Brierley Hill in the Midlands, in temperatures as low as -28°C.

According to Hoppecke, the normal operating life of a lead acid battery in cold store conditions is four or five years. Batteries, on average, lose about 30% of their capacity in cold storage applications.

Hoppecke says one of the main benefits of its "trak air system" is that it protects the batteries from overcharge, which allows them to have a much longer service life than other batteries in the field. Also, the high frequency chargers cut charging times by around 2.5 hours.

The special batteries and high-frequency charger system have helped Norish Foods save on truck running costs with a six-hour charging time, leading to fewer batteries and chargers used.

Typically, on traditional battery types, Hoppecke says at least two spares are required per truck to allow a 24-hour operation, while in extreme cases, a spare charger would be needed per truck.

Norman Hatcliffe, managing director of Norish Foods, says: "The really great additional benefit of Hoppecke 'trak air' is the 40% energy saving we achieved. It meant we were able to obtain payback on our investment in fewer than 12 months as well as real long-term high-power performance from our fleet of Flexi trucks."

Hoppecke, founded in 1927, is one of the largest battery manufacturers in Europe. Its UK operation is based in Newcastle-Under-Lyme in the Midlands.