Case in Germany: Leaner Manufacturing with Lithium Batteries

In Germany, the Lithium-ion battery is more and more important in the industrial revolution. Especially, As the power supply in the automation, it has lots of advantages, energy efficiency, productivity, safety, adaptability, fast charging and no maintain. So it’s the best battery to drive the robots.

There is a material handling machine manufacturer in Germany, they purchase JB BATTERY LiFePO4 lithium-ion battries as their machine’s power supply.

The recent advances in lithium industrial batteries and their use in manufacturing are remarkable. So much so, that it may become the single most important hardware step-change of the past few decades.

By switching a forklift fleet to lithium power, the machine users can considerably improve its overall financial results, productivity, while lowering maintenance, operational costs and also create a safer workplace environment – all at the same time.

The need for higher efficiency

Balancing rising raw material costs and other margin stressors

As manufacturing becomes more cost-sensitive and customers demand quality, increasing prices result in lower margins.

If we add a recent increase in steel and raw material costs to this equation, the picture becomes even more complicated for the bottom line, so it is important to find effective ways to reduce costs and improve efficiency at plants.

Managing the material handling fleet inventory is still an opportunity to improve the efficiency of operations in the manufacturing industry. Many companies are adopting autonomous guided vehicles (AGVs) and autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) powered by lithium batteries.

Flexible fast charging patterns offered by Li-ion batteries can always be tailored to meet users’ schedule of operations, not the other way round. Together with zero daily maintenance, a switch to lithium batteries can increase uptime and improve efficiency, allowing you to focus on operations and forget about the battery.

The use of AGVs and AMRs also addresses the long-standing issue of a labor shortage—and Li-ion is the best choice of motive power to pair with various automated applications. By deploying ergonomic Li-ion solutions, not only users can reduce operating costs, but also redirect their workers to more value-added tasks.

Extending the lifespan of equipment

Today, lithium-ion industrial batteries are the most cost-efficient choice for many operations with multiple forklifts working multiple shifts. Compared to the older lead-acid technology, they offer better performance, increased uptime, longer lifespan, and lower total cost of ownership.

One Li-ion power pack can replace several lead-acid batteries and it also has a 2–3 times longer life span. The equipment will also serve longer and require less maintenance with lithium batteries: they guarantee less wear and tear on the forklifts with stable voltage at any level of discharge.

Increasing equipment utilization with “just right” forklift fleet configuration

Li-ion technology enables the flexible configuration of a power pack for any specific task and type of material handling equipment used in manufacturing. “Just in time” manufacturing can now be supported by a “just right” fleet of forklifts. In some cases, companies can achieve considerable savings by reducing the fleet to do the same job. This is exactly what happened when customer company switched to Li-ion batteries and reduced the number of forklifts by 30%.

With lithium batteries, users only pay for what you need. When they know the exact daily energy throughput and charging patterns of their forklifts, they set on minimum sufficient specs, or opt for higher capacity to have a cushion for contingency and ensure a longer lifespan for the battery.

Due diligence in a power study of the material handling operations can help to choose just the right battery specs for their fleet and application. Modern lithium batteries are Wi-Fi enabled and can provide fleet managers with reliable data on the state of charge, temperature, energy throughput, the timing of charging and discharging events, idle periods, etc. JB BATTERY lithium batteries offer a fully customized solution to many applications to ensure maximum equipment utilization.

Safety and Sustainability

The manufacturing industry is following the eco trends with the rest of the world. Many corporations are introducing measurable sustainability goals, including the reduction of their carbon footprint, the use of cleaner and safer processes and equipment, and transparent waste management and disposal.

Li-ion batteries are a non-toxic, safe, and clean power source, without the risks of acid fumes or spills associated with overheated lead-acid batteries or human error in their daily maintenance. Single battery operation and the extended lifespan of a lithium battery mean less waste. Overall, 30% less electricity will be used for the same job, and that translates into a smaller carbon footprint.

Benefits of switching to Li-ion batteries in material handling operations for a manufacturing company:
Minimum downtime, reduced operational costs
Improved operational planning thanks to flexible charging
“Just right” equipment configuration based on cutting-edge data capabilities
Automation-readiness—a perfect fit for AGVs and AMRs
Safe, clean technology that satisfies the top hygiene standards

JB BATTERY

JB BATTERY is one of the leading energy storage solution and service providers in the globe. We especially offer a wide range of lithium iron Phosphate (LiFePO4) batteries for electric forklift truck, Automated Guided Vehicles (AGV), Auto Guide Mobile Robots(AGM), Autonomous Mobile Robots (AMR). Each battery specifically engineered to deliver a high cycle life and excellent performance over a wide operating temperature. Our LiFePO4 forklift batteries can drive your machines high-efficiency.