A growing or changing operation may need to do more in the same facility footprint. In these cases, space constraints can hinder throughput growth and potentially compromise safety by overcrowding operations. You need to maximize the amount of space dedicated to revenue-generating activities, including inventory storage and production.
Often, a traditional battery room occupies precious floor space and can’t be relocated. Depending on the size of your operation, spare batteries and charging equipment can account for thousands of square feet that are not generating revenue. Outdoor LP tank storage, for example, takes up space in a yard that could be used for more productive activity.
Use cycles are another factor to consider. A traditional lead-acid battery has three stages: usage, charging and cooling. So, at any given time, a forklift in a three-shift operation will typically have two batteries stored or charging. LP tanks have a two-stage cycle of use and swap. Therefore, each combustion engine forklift will frequently have three or more LP tanks in storage for a three-shift operation. When you look at the entire fleet of forklifts, the space needed to hold those batteries and tanks really adds up.
Many facility managers assume that a large battery room or outside LP tank storage is merely the price of doing business. However, there are newer forklift power sources that require no charging and others that virtually eliminate the need for storage of spares—achieving one-truck-to-one-power-source ratio. These options can help free up facility space, so you can convert it to more productive operations.