Charging station, ©Exide Technologies

Intralogistics has a simple bottom line: every working hour of a truck equals money. The longer a forklift or pallet truck is in operation, the more goods that can be handled. It all sounds fairly easy, but it is often not thought through at the level of industrial traction batteries powering vehicles in warehouses. "We already have a battery-changing system in place - it can't be improved!" is a common viewpoint. Yet many applications have optimization potential just waiting to be released. "We're excited to find more customers with untapped savings in their intralogistics operations," said Magnus Ohlsson, Business Director, Sales and Marketing Nordics for Exide Technologies and Business Director for GNB Motive Power. "The right combination of high-performance battery, charger technology, fleet management and professional service can minimize total cost of ownership for your business."

Maximum uptime: Smart batteries and chargers call for help when needed

GNB Fleet, a battery fleet management software, stands for maximum fleet uptime. It doesn't matter if it is lead acid or lithium-Ion batteries, if one site or multiple sites worldwide: smart connected chargers provide GNB Fleet with the batteries' vital parameters. Traffic light based reports guide through the optimization of productivity and energy consumption. With the next generation of Fleet Management battery and charger issues are detected prior to affecting your daily business. Why wait until it is too late and a battery or charger have reached the end of life? Let your equipment automatically alert you and avoid downtime of vehicles and ultimately production and delivery delays. Once the batteries are part of the Internet of Things and connected via GNB Fleet they may simply call Service upon themselves or even place spare part or replacement orders to keep the intralogistics flow running at all times. Alternatively, Site and Shift Managers may receive relevant information via e-mail for pro-active countermeasures and preventive service. Convenience that pays off!

GNB Fleet, ©Exide Technologies

Increased warehouse efficiency

Process optimization relies on monitoring real-life data, its subsequent analysis and initiation of countermeasures. Therefore, GNB Fleet provides real-time data on all the batteries connected to the chargers. Life time status is being reported which will e.g. schedule preventive maintenance if required. The easiest example is a real-time battery rotation system. Replacing an empty battery with a charged one decreases vehicle downtime, which increases operating hours. But critical evaluation reveals challenges, especially at large changing stations. Which of the many charged batteries available should be picked? For a stressed forklift operator, it is the one closest to the entrance, because that is quickest. But this means batteries at the front are picked too often, sometimes even while still warm from charging. They are unintentionally put in continuous operation, greatly reducing their life cycle. Batteries at the back of the station, meanwhile, are sleeping beauties, rarely or never used, and are ultimately dead capital. But how is the driver supposed to know? GNB Fleet includes a prioritization system. Thanks to the chargers' smart communication, just one battery is marked as available, using a green light and the bay is displayed on a screen at the entrance of the station. For operators, the message is crystal-clear. This system results in consistent use of batteries, which eliminates undue stress on any one of them. It also removes downtime, which keeps the fleet moving constantly and elevates the handling rate.

Sonnenschein Material Handling Battery, ©Exide Technologies

Optimized Total Cost of Ownership with Sonnenschein Lithium Material Handling Battery

Exide's new Sonnenschein Lithium Material Handling battery is specially designed to minimize total cost of ownership in material handling applications. Switching from lead-acid batteries to the Material Handling Battery may yield savings of up to 1.125 M€ annually for a fleet of 25 forklifts.

The battery offers exceptional electrical performance and advanced safety features. In conjunction with GNB's retrofitting communicator all information is presented via the truck's on-board display without any additional external instruments.

Moreover, the Sonnenschein Lithium Material Handling Battery is available in DIN trays for fast and plug&play retrofitting of lead acid batteries.


Focusing on your business: full energy storage solutions from one hand

GNB believes that the answer to electrification goes beyond just batteries. A complete solution is needed that includes battery charger, charging algorithms, battery management system, accessories, consulting, application know-how, services and support.

GNB Charger, ©Exide Technologies

GNB has a market-leading range of battery chargers, including GNB 2100 HP, the versatile all-round charger designed for high-performance, energy-efficient charging. It provides highly efficient power conversion, which reduces power consumption and energy costs. It is also available in the 2100 Weatherproof version, which protects from debris, weather and other externalities. This is used to charge ground support vehicles at airports, and in the metal industry, where filtering and dust-proof housing are required.


Author: Dr. Dominik Margraf, Senior Product Manager Motive Power EMEA
Exide Technologies GmbH, Im Thiergarten, 63654 Büdingen



For more information, contact:

GNB Industrial Power
Arian Hashani
Send an email
www.exide.com/eu