My colleagues and I had the pleasure of meeting with customers at two material handling & robotics-related tradeshows earlier this year. At both MODEX in Atlanta, Georgia and LogiMat in Stuttgart, Germany, we made a lot of new contacts and learned about the latest trends and the pain points impacting the material handling sector.
The information we gathered is exciting for Inventus Power as we feel we can provide value-added solutions to this fast-growing and vitally important industry. How? With our Li-ion battery systems, we can solve many of the challenges that OEMs and their customers are struggling with right now. Let’s dive in a little further.
Li-ion batteries for increased productivity
As readers likely know, lead acid was sort of the “first wave” of battery technologies introduced when the material handling industry first began embracing the electrification of operator-driven equipment like pallet jacks, tuggers and forklifts. Even with some of the robotics applications, such as cobots, automated guided vehicles (AGVs) and autonomous mobile robots (AMRs), lead-acid batteries were the dominant power source. Over time, however, like most industries, material handling professionals soon began to struggle with the limitations of lead-acid technology, and as Li-ion batteries emerged as a more advanced and commercially viable alternative, these limitations became more and more obvious.
For example, all businesses strive to achieve maximum productivity, and many warehouse operators soon found that the need for lead-acid batteries to charge for upwards of 10-12 hours at a time saddled them with more hours of costly equipment downtime than their business could afford. And in situations when an operator may have forgotten to charge the equipment overnight, productivity is only further diminished with the vehicle not being able to operate for the next day’s shift. Further eroding operational time is the fact that lead acid batteries also have a significant maintenance requirement, and must frequently have their electrolyte levels tested, and have water added to them to remain functional. Not properly caring for lead-acid batteries affects their overall life and performance and often leads to more frequent battery replacements. These maintenance and replacement costs can add up significantly and further impact the bottom line.
In contrast, Li-ion batteries allow for “opportunity charging” which means they can be charged anytime and “topped off” for a brief period to get more run-time; gaining enough power for hours of extra work, whereas lead acid must be fully discharged and fully charged each cycle to avoid long term erosion of performance. Oftentimes, because you cannot opportunity charge lead acid, customers will maintain an inventory of lead acid batteries for battery replacements to address multiple shifts and unwanted downtime, which can be costly and inefficient. Li-ion batteries can also support “fast-charging” which is particularly attractive for AMR/AGV applications which are often used in 24/7 warehouse operations. Also, Li-ion batteries require zero maintenance. That means operator equipment and robots have less downtime and provide a lot more hours of continuous, productive operation.
More power for bigger vehicles, heavier loads
In addition to the ever-present drive for increased productivity, those in the material handling industry are expressing concern about the labor market. It is becoming increasingly more difficult to find skilled laborers who are willing to fulfill duties that require heavy lifting, repetitiveness, and mundane requirements of many warehouse tasks. This labor shortage is creating a greater need for robots, and, here again, Li-ion battery-driven equipment has many advantages over lead acid. The high energy density and lower weight of Li-ion make it practical for OEMs to deliver equipment that can handle much larger payloads. These batteries have the power to run huge telehandlers, for example, and allow robots to lift pallets of more than a ton or more and just keep right on working.
Helping further Li-ion technology
As an experienced leader in Li-ion battery technology, Inventus Power understands the value that Li-ion solutions can provide. Analyzing market trends and speaking to industry players, helps us understand what innovation we can drive into our products and processes so that we can provide the optimal solutions for our customers. For example, one thing we saw at the recent trade shows was the challenges inherent in the ongoing evolution from 24 volt powertrains to more common use of powerful 48 volt powertrains. Product lines and fleets are increasingly mixed, potentially making manufacturing and repair more challenging. Unlike many other battery manufacturers, Inventus Power's PROformance batteries are scalable, so OEMs and users don’t need to keep two disparate sets of components in inventory; they can use the same components and configure 24v or 48v as the particular application demands.
Inventus Power’s battery packs also line up well with the increasingly common need to operate in cold, outdoor or otherwise uncontrolled environments. For example, we hear about material handling equipment running in refrigeration rooms and having issues due to the extremely low temperatures. We offer an innovative, proprietary battery heater option in our PROTRXion batteries that keeps equipment running, and we’re getting more and more interest in the option. Further, our PROTRXion batteries feature a ruggedized design—including IP67 level ingress protection against water, dust, dirt and other hazards—so equipment keeps on running indoors and outdoors regardless of the climate or environment.
Another advantage of our product offering is the ability to provide data analytics. Li-ion batteries, unlike lead acid, are intelligent and can store / report data related to battery health, predictive maintenance needs, equipment productivity, operating history and other valuable information so an operator or fleet manager can better optimize its equipment and overall operations We are probably unique in the industry in that we design and manufacture our own battery management system (BMS) and related software tools, versus a BMS that is “one size fits all” and not necessarily built to operate seamlessly. Not only can we optimize and upgrade our products, we can also custom refine analytics, messaging and operating functions to support the needs of a specific customer. This can all make a big difference in all aspects of performance and provide flexibility to customers with unique needs. Li-ion solutions are not created equal, but we can bridge those gaps with the right solution and modifications.
Finally, and perhaps most importantly, is a focus on health and safety. Because Li-ion batteries do not contain the toxic components used in lead acid batteries nor do they require maintenance, they can be considered a safer choice for material handling equipment operators. Safety can be further enhanced by using Inventus Power’s PROformance batteries which feature a robust BMS with advanced intelligence and monitoring capabilities as well as redundant safety features. Further, our batteries are built with high-quality components, including automotive grade cells, assembled with advanced automation equipment for consistent quality, as well as undergo rigorous in-house product safety testing and agency certification such as UL and IEC so safety-conscious OEMs can specify our batteries with full confidence.
If you are an OEM in the material handling industry and would like to upgrade your offering of electric equipment with a safer, smarter and more optimized power source, contact us. We offer high-quality Li-ion battery packs and custom design solutions coupled with proven experience and expertise to help integrate the battery system into any equipment design.
Phu Tran
Director, Product Marketing