With us all becoming more and more aware of our carbon footprint - and with legislation to stop us forgetting - alternatives to the standard combustion engine are beginning to introduce themselves in the retail markets; and the industrial sector has largely made the switch already, only relying on fossil fuelled machinery for external work. So, an impetus exists to reduce this carbon foot-print, but what are the advantages & disadvantages to this new technology?
Whilst it is true that, for many applications, diesel powered, heavy-duty forklift trucks are indispensable, such as on construction sites - where the terrain, distances, and tasks demand diesel tanks to be practical and efficient. No electric forklift can really match the diesel engine in practical applications, having to recharge batteries is a ruinous hindrance for heavy industrial usage. In fact it is not recharging of batteries that disgruntles electric forklift owners, but the hugely costly replacement of batteries, with a lifespan which - although not directly comparable - is just a few years, compared to older technology that can last decades. So even in these 'softer' environments, the electric lift trucks, whilst unlocking work opportunities previously impractical or illegal, come with a potentially heavy financial burden attached.
Electric Fork lift trucks, like standard electric cars, have few internal moving parts, this makes them extremely quiet during operation. For indoor environments then, particularly those where the public or a large workforce is present, this quietness can make the difference between being able to work around them within the law or not at all. This lack of noise pollution - and associated health and safety legislations - means that lifts can be used 24 hours a day in warehouse settings, or even on retail sites. Low noise equipment like this is also perfect for use during exhibitions, conferences and residential areas - where noise pollution laws exist here too. Though as I shall disclose later, this quiet and almost gentle demeanour may not be without its consequences.
While reduced noise is a huge advantage, many reasons to choose electric trucks is their eco-friendliness. Businesses with any commitment to reducing their carbon footprint should explore using electric vehicles whose emissions are an easily crunchable and digestible 0%.
Electric trucks therefore, facilitate reaching 'those targets' without sacrificing efficiency and increasing running costs, and could even open up new opportunities to work closer to the layman and unsociable hours.
But wait. There's a problem here. It's all very well 'savings the planet' and being able to work around the public, saving their hearing. And even saving the business money. However, these benefits - at least in the short-term - may well be unavoidably off-set by increased litigation, time off work, and a decreasing reputation. Why? The answer is that these super quiet machines, that encourage working around the public and at night, risk your business suffering increased incidences of both minor and serious accidents. There are about 8000 reportable accidents involving fork lift trucks every year in the UK. These are often where people have been rammed or crushed, or where the vehicle has attempted a load that's either to heavy or unbalanced and collapsed.
So how can we keep this new technology, improve safety and off-set some of the introduced maintenance costs?
Many forklift trucks already come with added lights and reverse sirens, however the tines are often neglected. This is exactly the area we can now target to increase safety and decrease costs. How? The products are known as forklift protective sleeves. It is a type of extremely durable, yet energy dispersing, poly-urethane, that is fixed to the end of the forklift tines. They primarily save you money by reducing product damage/wastage, and damage to racking and fixtures. They look simple, but the amount of energy effectively absorbed and dispersed is quite incredible on impact (it has to be seen to believed really, luckily there are videos on their website) Colliding into objects at forces that would normally pierce right through a strong ABS crate/pallet, or severely damage racking, is diminished to not even a scratch in most cases where the sleeves are fitted.
They are a high visibility color which improves safety naturally. This bright yellow color at the ends of the tines provide a visual reference point for the driver (a marked improvement on metal that reflects its surroundings). This feature is particularly useful when the tines are at high levels, aiding co-ordination for the driver. And this visual reference point is - equally - able to help the staff loading products on to the forklift to better judge where, say, one load ends and another begins.
So for dramatic reductions in damage to both warehouse facilities, product and people, protect your tines with the only product in the world specifically designed to do so.
For more information about the product, and how we can save you money and improve safety, please visit our UK website.
Whilst it is true that, for many applications, diesel powered, heavy-duty forklift trucks are indispensable, such as on construction sites - where the terrain, distances, and tasks demand diesel tanks to be practical and efficient. No electric forklift can really match the diesel engine in practical applications, having to recharge batteries is a ruinous hindrance for heavy industrial usage. In fact it is not recharging of batteries that disgruntles electric forklift owners, but the hugely costly replacement of batteries, with a lifespan which - although not directly comparable - is just a few years, compared to older technology that can last decades. So even in these 'softer' environments, the electric lift trucks, whilst unlocking work opportunities previously impractical or illegal, come with a potentially heavy financial burden attached.
Electric Fork lift trucks, like standard electric cars, have few internal moving parts, this makes them extremely quiet during operation. For indoor environments then, particularly those where the public or a large workforce is present, this quietness can make the difference between being able to work around them within the law or not at all. This lack of noise pollution - and associated health and safety legislations - means that lifts can be used 24 hours a day in warehouse settings, or even on retail sites. Low noise equipment like this is also perfect for use during exhibitions, conferences and residential areas - where noise pollution laws exist here too. Though as I shall disclose later, this quiet and almost gentle demeanour may not be without its consequences.
While reduced noise is a huge advantage, many reasons to choose electric trucks is their eco-friendliness. Businesses with any commitment to reducing their carbon footprint should explore using electric vehicles whose emissions are an easily crunchable and digestible 0%.
Electric trucks therefore, facilitate reaching 'those targets' without sacrificing efficiency and increasing running costs, and could even open up new opportunities to work closer to the layman and unsociable hours.
But wait. There's a problem here. It's all very well 'savings the planet' and being able to work around the public, saving their hearing. And even saving the business money. However, these benefits - at least in the short-term - may well be unavoidably off-set by increased litigation, time off work, and a decreasing reputation. Why? The answer is that these super quiet machines, that encourage working around the public and at night, risk your business suffering increased incidences of both minor and serious accidents. There are about 8000 reportable accidents involving fork lift trucks every year in the UK. These are often where people have been rammed or crushed, or where the vehicle has attempted a load that's either to heavy or unbalanced and collapsed.
So how can we keep this new technology, improve safety and off-set some of the introduced maintenance costs?
Many forklift trucks already come with added lights and reverse sirens, however the tines are often neglected. This is exactly the area we can now target to increase safety and decrease costs. How? The products are known as forklift protective sleeves. It is a type of extremely durable, yet energy dispersing, poly-urethane, that is fixed to the end of the forklift tines. They primarily save you money by reducing product damage/wastage, and damage to racking and fixtures. They look simple, but the amount of energy effectively absorbed and dispersed is quite incredible on impact (it has to be seen to believed really, luckily there are videos on their website) Colliding into objects at forces that would normally pierce right through a strong ABS crate/pallet, or severely damage racking, is diminished to not even a scratch in most cases where the sleeves are fitted.
They are a high visibility color which improves safety naturally. This bright yellow color at the ends of the tines provide a visual reference point for the driver (a marked improvement on metal that reflects its surroundings). This feature is particularly useful when the tines are at high levels, aiding co-ordination for the driver. And this visual reference point is - equally - able to help the staff loading products on to the forklift to better judge where, say, one load ends and another begins.
So for dramatic reductions in damage to both warehouse facilities, product and people, protect your tines with the only product in the world specifically designed to do so.
For more information about the product, and how we can save you money and improve safety, please visit our UK website.
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