Flogas forks out the right solution for Diageo
Up until the changeover, the forklift fleet had been running on electric batteries and analysis showed that the charging process was taking eight hours, was very labour-intensive and each battery operated at a reduced capacity during its last hour of power. On top of this, they were experiencing lower battery performance in their latter part of their five year life. It all added up to a regular drop in performance levels, an unsatisfactory scenario in a warehouse with such a high volume of traffic.
Followed a detailed analysis and evaluation, the Flogas Energy Solutions team recommended a switch to LPG powered forklifts. Like electricity, they offered a clean, virtually odourless and soot-free solution, all critical factors in an indoor warehouse with consumable products but also came with a host of other benefits. Diageo opted for forklifts with permanently mounted LPG tanks and a Flogas bulk gas refuelling unit. The storage of LPG on site meant instant refills and subsequently no downtime. The switch also meant an extended engine life, no manual handling, high level engine performance, low CO2 emissions and low running costs.
Due to the success of the changeover at Nangor Road, Diageo has now made the switch from electric to Flogas LPG forklift trucks at its Belfast facility.
“Successful implementation has resulted in increased performance levels, low maintenance, cost savings and another happy client,” said James Smyth, technical services engineer, Flogas Ireland, who undertook the analysis and evaluation for Flogas and presented the solution to Diageo.