Battery bank bids to optimse safety

Motive power specialist EnerSys Motive Power is now supplying four-tier battery banks which reduce significantly the footprint of lift truck battery change and charge operations, facilitate easy maintenance and maximise operational safety. The battery tiers are serviced by an innovative all electric-powered battery changing cart, the EnerSys Pro-Series Battery Bull BBE.

"The four-high battery bank is a natural development for larger operations which demand maximum flexibility," says Dave Smith of EnerSys Motive Power."Not all our customers go straight to the top level, but instead build a battery room which can be extended at any time in the future without poaching any additional operational floorspace." By building in the extra capacity EnerSys four-tier battery banks allow for easy maintenance with maximum safety. Engineers can operate safely, without disrupting normal warehouse operations, while a proportion of the battery bank is taken offline. The new design incorporating all electric drives for lift & travel eliminates the use of hydraulics used in previous models.

This simplified system means easier service & maintenance.

The Pro-Series BBE which services the battery racks is a semi-automated all electric powered change cart. It runs on concealed rails alongside rows of chargers.When a change is required, the truck approaches the changing area, the battery is disconnected and a trained member of staff completes the change. The BBE extracts the battery from the truck onto its on-board roller bed using a powerful extending electromagnet and then pushes the battery into place for charging. Batteries on the second, third and fourth levels of the charging bank are handled in the same way. Changing batteries is a quick and simple one-man job which can be accomplished in around 90 seconds.

"Battery charge and change operations are often viewed as a necessary evil because they consume so much valuable storage space.

Four-high turns this idea on its head and adds a new dimension to warehouse management," says Smith.