Travis Perkins, one of the UK’s largest builders’ merchants, is set to save around £250,000 a year after switching to a fleet of Yale counterbalance and reach trucks and using batteries and a battery management system from Hoppecke Industrial Batteries.
The group wanted to move away from using internal combustion engine trucks at its distribution centres and instead use to electric machines.
As part of a £5 million contract with Briggs Equipment it took delivery of 57 counterbalance Yale trucks on a three-year contract.
Additionally, Hoppecke supplied trakAir batteries and five trak monitor call forward and management systems. This was all backed by the company’s Power for Life contract, which is designed to reduce the risks associated with managing batteries and improve their operation.
Previously, at one of Travis Perkins’ distribution centres the company had been connecting truck batteries for recharge to 50Hz chargers when the truck was not in use, but this was reducing battery life and increasing the need to top up, along with incurring additional electrical charges.
With the Hoppecke high frequency chargers, charging is restricted to when it is needed, which has cut the charging requirement to twice a week, and reduced topping intervals.
The Hoppecke Power for Life service means that all the warehouse counterbalance Yale trucks have filling carried out under an annual service contract from Hoppecke.
The equipment has helped lower downtime of trucks and improve the efficiency and safety of the battery changing areas, while ensuring the correct rotation of reach truck batteries is achieved.
Travis Perkins has calculated that with the cost of the new trucks and their maintenance and fuel costs, it would save around £750,000 over the length of the contract. This includes the cost for Hoppecke to provide all battery filling and maintenance as well as the battery changing equipment.
Liam Holland, group transport manager, Travis Perkins Group, said: “This project not only involved saving money but also making the working environment both cleaner and safer for our colleagues, we could not have done this without the support from both Briggs and Hoppecke.”
