Section: Battery charging systems application reports
Win-win all round
High-quality battery charging technology brings users and
battery dealers significant benefits in rental business
Wels, Austria – Fronius battery charging systems that use Active
Inverter Technology to charge traction batteries have economical
and ecological benefits for the rental business. Battery dealer
Keckeisen Akkumulatoren and its customer, the medium-sized logistics service provider Lebert, have opted for battery charging
systems from the Austrian manufacturer.
Based in Kempten, Allgäu, Franz Lebert & Co. sees itself as a proactive
and complete service provider for the logistics sector. In addition to its
head office in Kempten, the company has sites in Erbach and Baienfurt
(close to Ulm and Ravensburg respectively) and Kreuzlingen in Switzerland. Franz Lebert set up the company in 1954 in Kempten. Today, the
Lebert Group has around 400 employees, of whom 175 work in
Kempten itself. In 2010, Lebert achieved a turnover of around 115 million euro’s. As partners and franchisees, the four companies in the
group are part of the CargoLine network, a transport and logistics cooperative for the standardised and system-supported transport of packaged goods in Germany and Europe.
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Win-win all round – high-quality battery charging technology brings users and battery dealers significant benefits in rental business
Customised service
André Biwer, the managing director of the Lebert Group, outlines the
group's range of services: "The requirements our customers place on a
logistics partner go well beyond standard haulage services. Analysing
our customers' requirements and developing customised solutions are
our main focus and the means by which we measure our success. Our
aim is to identify the specific requirements of a customer and to provide
specific, innovative solutions."
The contract logistics department is located in the head office in
Kempten. A high-rise warehouse covering 39,000 m2 handles the picking and ready-to-ship packaging of a variety of goods, particularly foodstuffs and food-based products. The logistics department operates between 7am and 6pm on a single-shift basis. The storage and distribution of finished products, the provision of production resources to production on just-in-time or just-in-sequence principles are among
Lebert's core skills.
The haulage department, which covers around 7,500 m 2, works much
longer hours: three shifts a day, six days a week to be precise. This department deals with packaged goods, express products, partial and full
shipments and supply chain management. Up to 2,500 haulage orders
are processed every day, with an average dwell time of a product in the
transit warehouse of just 20 minutes. 180 HGVs leave the company
premises in Kempten every night to deliver goods to all points of the
compass. Numerous Jungheinrich and Still forklift trucks are used in the
haulage department so that goods can be turned round quickly and reli-
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Win-win all round – high-quality battery charging technology brings users and battery dealers significant benefits in rental business
ably. Also involved are electrically powered counterbalance trucks and
pedestrian pallet trucks with and without platforms for loads up to 2
tonnes. Different drivers operate the forklift trucks during each of the
three shifts. Due to the extreme working conditions, the trucks usually
have to be replaced after four years. The department currently employs
20 trucks around the clock. Replacement batteries are used to save
time and avoid interim charging.
A rental concept with full service has been in use for years in the case
of the forklift trucks. The benefit is fixed monthly rental instalments,
which helps the company keep a close eye on its costs. In the past,
both manufacturers supplied new trucks complete with the appropriate
traction battery and battery charger. However, Lebert was never really
happy with the servicing of its batteries and chargers. If any problems
occurred, it often took too long to rectify the error or Lebert was not
completely satisfied with the work done. As the forklift trucks were delivered to Lebert with batteries from different suppliers, there was often
confusion regarding responsibilities when servicing fell due. This led to
long downtimes for trucks and chargers, which had a profound effect on
processes and disrupted schedules.
Lebert came to call ever more frequently on the services of nearby battery dealer Keckeisen in Memmingen, who impressed with their quick
and reliable servicing. In 2010, Keckeisen impressed the logistics company by putting forward a sophisticated rental concept to reduce costs.
In addition to equipping the forklift trucks with traction batteries from the
outset, this also included replacement batteries and racks, battery
charging systems and a full service package. The Memmingen-based
specialist guarantees a four year service life for batteries and battery
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Win-win all round – high-quality battery charging technology brings users and battery dealers significant benefits in rental business
charging systems. It is expected to take between two and three years
before the new concept is adopted across the company as a whole. For
commercial reasons, the system changeover will always take place
when a new forklift truck is purchased. Twenty of the 40 vehicles at the
Kempten site are now covered by the new concept.
For professional use
Using high-quality battery charging technology is an important part of
the Keckeisen concept. The company has therefore chosen Fronius
battery charging systems. "Lebert uses the Selectiva Plus range of Fronius battery charging systems," commented Gregor Holzheu, sales
manager for industrial batteries at Keckeisen. He went on, "With the
Selectiva product range, the Austrian company provides Intralogistics
providers with battery charging systems that employ state-of-the-art
technology. The systems detect the age, state of charge and other important battery parameters fully automatically and charge them correctly
and precisely. In contrast to other technologies, the Fronius charging
technology means the battery only heats up a little during the charging
process. Gentle charging considerably increases the service life of batteries. Only in this way are we able to guarantee a service life of four
years in three-shift operation at Lebert".
Eleven Selectiva Plus 2065 systems for 24V/250 Ah and 375 Ah batteries, seven Selectiva Plus 2100 systems for 465 Ah batteries and two
Selectiva Plus 4120 systems for 48V/625 Ah and 750 Ah batteries are
used to charge the batteries of the 20 forklift trucks in the transit warehouse at Lebert in Kempten. Selectiva Plus 4120 systems are used to
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Win-win all round – high-quality battery charging technology brings users and battery dealers significant benefits in rental business
charge the batteries for the Jungheinrich EFG 220 and Still RX 20-18
counterbalance trucks. Replacement batteries are used in 15 forklift
trucks with 24 V batteries to give charging times of between 7.5 and 8
hours. The overall concept is designed in such a way that there is no
partial or interim charging during the shifts.
Intelligent charging systems
Fronius Active Inverter Technology achieves optimum charging power
levels due to the constant charging current and voltage. A normal 230V
connection can be used with the Selectiva Plus 2100 to charge vehicles
with 24V/465 Ah batteries and guarantee a charging time of between
7.5 and 8 hours. With this combination, most other charger brands
would require the installation of 400V three-phase AC equipment.
Lebert was able to avoid expensive connection costs for the battery
charging systems.
Lebert managing director, André Biwer, is very happy with the Fronius
battery charging systems: "Considerably less power is required to
charge the batteries compared with conventional 50 Hz transformer
technology. As less power is required, we are also reducing CO2 emissions. This is becoming a much more important issue for the haulage
sector, since customers are increasingly looking at sustainability
throughout the logistics chain.
April 2011 Number of characters (main text): approx. 8,066 (without boilerplate)
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Win-win all round – high-quality battery charging technology brings users and battery dealers significant benefits in rental business
Fronius battery charging systems at Lebert head office in
Kempten
Quantity
Type
Mains voltage/current
11
Selectiva Plus 2065
24V / 65 A
7
Selectiva Plus 2100
24V / 100 A
2
Selectiva Plus 4120
48V / 120 A
Battery capacity
24V 250 Ah and
24V 375 Ah
24V 465 Ah
48V 625 Ah and
Internet sites of the companies mentioned:
Franz Lebert & Co.: www.lebert.com
Keckeisen Akkumulatoren: www.akkudirekt.de
Fronius battery charging systems: www.fronius.com/intralogistik
Your contact for enquiries:
Fronius International GmbH
Battery Charging Systems division
Boris Ringwald
Division Marketing
Froniusplatz 1
A-4600 Wels, Austria
Tel.:
+43 (0)7242 241 6436
Fax:
+43 (0)7242 241 952 560
ringwald.boris@fronius.com
www.fronius.com
48V 750 Ah
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Win-win all round – high-quality battery charging technology brings users and battery dealers significant benefits in rental business
Selection of pictures:
Photo credit: Fronius International GmbH
Fig. 1
Head office of logistics service provider Lebert & Co.
in Kempten, Allgäu (photo: Lebert)
PI_Fronius_Lebert_01
Fig. 2
Up to 2,500 haulage orders are processed and
loaded onto 180 HGVs every day in the transit
warehouse.
PI_Fronius_Lebert_02
Fig. 3
Managing director of the Lebert Group, André Biwer
(left) with Gregor Holzheu, sales manager for industrial batteries at Keckeisen Akkumulatoren.
PI_Fronius_Lebert_03
Fig. 4
Fronius Selectiva battery charging systems reduce
energy costs for Lebert and increase battery service
life for Keckeisen.
PI_Fronius_Lebert_04
Fig. 5
The Keckeisen concept uses replacement batteries
in three-shift operation.
PI_Fronius_Lebert_05
The photos shown here are preview images that have been reduced in size.
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Win-win all round – high-quality battery charging technology brings users and battery dealers significant benefits in rental business
Fronius - the company
Fronius International is an Austrian company with headquarters in Pettenbach and other sites in Wels, Thalheim and Sattledt. With over 3,250 employees worldwide, the company is active in the fields of battery charging
systems, welding technology and solar electronics. Around 90% of its products are exported through 17 international Fronius subsidiaries and sales
partners/representatives in over 60 countries. In financial year 2009, the
company generated a total turnover of 329 million euros. With its outstanding products and services and 691 active patents, Fronius is world technology leader. 358 employees work in research and development.
The Battery Charging Systems division is the oldest division in the company.
It was founded in 1946. This division develops and produces charging systems for traction batteries based on Active Inverter Technology. The particular characteristics of this technology include intelligent charging technology,
high energy efficiency, constant power throughout the charging process, a
compact form factor and high safety standards.