Structured battery care for peak performance

Recharge your batteries with a spa treatment!

Effective management of truck batteries can save a lot of money – so give your batteries a bit of pampering!

Gian Schiava sees the results at Cat® Lift Trucks’ factory.

The project

Our latest visit to Cat Lift Trucks factory at Almere, the Netherlands, has brought us to the company’s carefully designed battery management system.

Battery ‘teenager’: The factory in Almere is using batteries dating from 1994 – 17 years ago!

What we are going to be shown is how effective management of battery resources can extend their life and ensure that they deliver optimum performance, all the time. A bit of TLC (tender loving care) works wonders!

The end of the truck production line is the start of the battery management system. The origins of the project date back a number of years ago, when the need to tackle random use of batteries was recognised. When an electric counterbalance lift truck comes to the end of the assembly line, it will need a battery for two reasons. The fi rst is obvious; it needs power to drive to the next stage of the production process, where the mast will be assembled onto the chassis...

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Winter 2011, Issue 15, Gian Schiava