Philadelphia Scientific, an international manufacturer of industrial battery components, accessories and tools, has published an update to its 2011 white paper, “Lean Thinking Comes to the Industrial Battery Room.” Authored by Harold Vanasse, the company’s vice president of sales and marketing, “New Lean Tools for the Battery Room” identifies tools that have been developed in the past six years.
“Forklift fleet maintenance technology has advanced rapidly in recent years, turning one of the most inefficient areas of the warehouse – the battery room – into one of the most productive and reliable,” said Vanasse. “And new, more efficient technologies are being introduced every year. So, there’s no reason why warehouse and battery room managers can’t turn the battery room into a showcase for increased efficiency, productivity and profitability.”
The new technologies include some that have become very familiar to battery room managers in recent years, such as fast and opportunity charging. These charging technologies have a number of advantages, including the ability to charge batteries much more quickly than traditional charging. But they also create conditions that require that other Lean tools be used in conjunction with them, such as single-point injector watering systems for battery watering.
Other new Lean tools being used in the battery room include enhancements to battery room management systems, which are the single most effective tool for ensuring proper battery rotation and long battery life. Among the enhancements are online battery tracking services, which provide information on battery and truck run times, watering and washing schedules and more. Another enhancement, charger-splitters, enable the sequential charging of two batteries, which will allow some warehouses to reduce the number of chargers used by 33 to 50 percent.
To receive a copy of “New Lean Tools for the Battery Room” or “Lean Thinking Comes to the Industrial Battery Room,” call 215-616-0390 or email at info@phlsci.com.
