10 Tips for Optimizing Forklift Productivity and Operating Cost
Many operations can significantly improve productivity and reduce costs by establishing energy solutions best practices and standardized processes. As your operation grows and you expand your forklift fleet, following these battery-focused steps will help strengthen your energy strategy.
1. Monitor battery health to detect and troubleshoot potential maintenance issues and to better forecast replacement requirements.
2. Track your batteries, no less than annually, and conduct tests to determine the condition and capacity of each battery.
3. Establish (and enforce) a battery management system that helps manage your batteries’ usage, charging and inventory. A first in, first out rotation in conventional charging applications helps ensure more battery usage across your fleet.
4. Allow lead-acid batteries to cool down after a full charge to avoid temperature transfer to cables and connectors.
5. Ensure lead-acid batteries are properly equalized, raising the charge of the battery cells to equal voltage, at least once a week, to minimize lost capacity.
6. Utilize your battery planned maintenance (PM) service to help reduce unexpected downtime and related service costs while extending battery life and performance as long as possible between replacements.
7. Analyze your charger requirements to determine the quantity and type of chargers you need to support your fleet and your batteries.
8. Work closely with your utility provider to ensure it can continue to meet your power needs as your operation changes and grows.
9. Make sure your operators are properly trained to perform pre-shift safety inspections and required charging. They are just as important to your program’s success as the wealth of data and new technologies available in today’s batteries.
10. Continually revisit your battery-related decisions and best practices to ensure your fleet is able to meet its current and future power requirements.
A single-source manufacturer for forklifts, batteries and chargers offers integration advantages that can help streamline the path to success for your business by integrating each product and its components at their deepest levels. Deep knowledge and experience provide a basis for identifying comprehensive, configured solutions that address challenges without the complexities associated with integrating diverse point solutions.
To learn more about developing an integrated energy strategy for your forklift fleet, read Crown’s new e-book “A Winning Power Play: Developing an Integrated Forklift Energy Solution.”
The e-book is designed to help fleet managers evaluate current practices and identify solutions tailored to fleet, site and application requirements. It examines the considerations that factor into power decisions, describes a method for gaining visibility into power usage, and explains the characteristics of different battery technologies and charging strategies.