Tiny changes such as the adoption and proper care of lithium-ion batteries are able to enhance productivity and resilience highly.

All over the world, the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has resulted in significant changes in how warehouses and factories run. Social distancing and employee safety measures have led to pressure on manufacturers, not to mention the rise in demand for e-commerce sales, which right now stands at an all-time high. In the USA alone, online sales increased by forty-four percent in 2020, the highest annual e-commerce growth in at least two decades.
With increasing demand, warehouse managers are under significant pressure to improve and sustain their work efficiency, the core of which is the optimal performance of warehouse equipment. Aging forklifts that are not running at maximum efficiency anymore may need to be serviced or replaced to stay up with high demand. However, it is also crucial to understand how components of the product may be impeding its performance—especially its power source — the battery.
The right battery is able to have a significant impact not only on performance but also on running costs. At the moment, the needs of most forklifts are met by lead-acid batteries. Still, in times of high demand where more fleets are required, lithium-ion offers a more effective alternative.
With the impetus on maintaining increasing demand across warehouses, operators have to improve the efficiency of their machinery. High energy density matched with quick recharge time means that lithium-ion batteries can accommodate multiple shifts while also reducing idle time. As standard, warehouse managers are supposed to look for batteries that can reach full charge in under 90 minutes. This will allow for three-shift operations without a battery change during a working day.
Unlike other kinds of batteries, the performance of forklifts will not deteriorate as the lithium-ion batteries run out of power. Innovative battery monitoring systems and active balancing modes are able to be applied to both the charging and discharging cycle for lithium-ion batteries. And this allows the equal flow and receipt of energy between the cells, keeping them constantly at the same voltage levels, improving and optimizing the performance and lifecycle of the battery.
Depending on the user profile, advanced lithium-ion batteries can also offer approximately 4,500 charging cycles. The added longevity translates to an obvious difference in return on investment despite the higher expense.
The high energy density and super recharge time further reduce the footprint of your warehouse dedicated to charging forklift batteries, providing more space for storage and distribution. Most alternatives to lithium-ion will require a backup battery due to the length of time required to recharge, which utilizes more space.
Lithium-ion batteries are able to improve the efficiency of equipment further when it comes to maintenance and servicing. It is significant to look for products from energy storage manufacturers that allow the WMS integration, enabling warehouse managers to monitor the batteries and avoid any issues. Warehouse managers are supposed to also look for batteries that incorporate cloud access as standard. This will make engineers remotely access the batteries to shut down a damaged module or increase charge positively to decrease unnecessary downtime due to faulty or low-power forklifts.
As e-commerce shows no signs of declining and fulfillment centers go on improving efficiency to meet consumer demands, tiny changes such as the adoption and proper care of lithium-ion batteries are capable of significantly improving productivity. By selecting a battery that highlights additional features such as BMS and cloud connectivity from a trusted manufacturer, warehouses are able to continue to provide fast and reliable customer service.