Yale Equipment & Services LLC has responsibility to deliver 219 fuel cell-powered forklifts for use in a new Joliet, Illinois distribution center of Central Grocers Inc.

"We will deliver all of the equipment, and we will provide all services for the full term of the lease," says Kal Anglewicz, president of the Yale dealership in Rosemont.

Anglewicz says the dealership is scheduled to deliver 44 Yale NR050EA reach trucks, 30 Yale ESC040FA counterbalance stand ups, five Yale EPR040TH sit-down, three-wheel counterbalance forklifts and 140 Yale MPC080 centre-control pallet trucks.

"Their current operation has 170 pieces of material handling equipment", and Central Grocers will retire those electric units through the dealership, Anglewicz reports.

Plug Power Inc of Latham, New York said Central Grocers has purchased its GenDrive-brand hydrogen fuel cell power units-instead of traditional lead-acid batteries-for the new fleet of Yale forklifts. Air Products & Chemicals Inc of Allentown, Pennsylvania will supply a liquid hydrogen storage compression system and multiple indoor fueling dispensers.

Central Grocers is moving its corporate headquarters about 30 miles (48 km) to Joliet from Franklin Park, Illinois and constructing a 934,490-square-foot (84,104 sqm) building for initial use in April.

Central Grocers claims the building will have the largest freezer cooler space-340,000 square feet (30,600 sqm)-of any facility being constructed in the US during 2008. An ambient warehouse will occupy 550,000 square feet (49,500 sqm).

The member-owned cooperative supplies food and general merchandise under national brands and its Centrella label to more than 200 independent retail grocery stores in northeastern Illinois and parts of Indiana.

An Illinois department supports the Central Grocers' project with USD3.8 million in state corporate tax credits and USD87,500 under an employer training and investment program grant.

The materials handling subsidiary of Nacco Industries Inc designs, engineers, manufactures and markets original equipment and aftermarket parts carrying the Yale brand.