A leading third-party logistics (3PL) specialist has hailed the “brilliant battery life” of the Flexi Truck ACiON articulated lift trucks that it operates across its multi-user warehouse facilities.
Expect Distribution acquired the new Flexi ACiON machines some 18 months ago and, having carefully monitored the trucks’ performance since that time, the company has calculated that the new models are delivering 20 per cent more pallet movements per shift on a single charge than the trucks that they replaced.
In addition, an integrated battery charging solution allows Expect to operate with only two batteries per truck on a three-shift usage pattern at its Halifax and Bradford sites. By identifying the most appropriate fully charged battery to select when a change is due, the system has dramatically reduced Expect’s overall energy consumption and, therefore, minimised truck fleet running costs
Flexi Trucks are built in the UK by Narrow Aisle Ltd, whose managing director, John Maguire, comments: “Like all 3PLs Expect is under pressure to operate in the most sustainable way possible and needs materials handling equipment that not only offers enhanced emissions performance but also delivers optimum energy efficiency.
“I am very pleased to say that the company has found that the lead acid batteries used to power Flexi ACiON trucks perform for significantly longer than other models that the company has in its fleet.”