Four Hyster forklift trucks and a Hyster Powered Battery Exchange Stacker have been delivered to VBI in Weurt, The Netherlands. These are the first Hyster forklifts in The Netherlands equipped with a new, intelligently designed side battery extraction system.
“When the current lease for part of our forklift fleet ended, we conducted a review,” commented Bennie Kroes, plant manager at VBI in Weurt, adding that he was not satisfied with the side battery extraction system of their old trucks from another brand. “There were too many issues causing parts to break down on regular basis. On top of that, we sometimes needed two people to get a battery changed.”
Heffiq, the Hyster dealer in The Netherlands, turned out to be the only company that could meet the needs of VBI Weurt.
“They did not just offer the right value for money, but also listened carefully and offered us solutions that really added something to our operation,” he continued.
Heffiq delivered four Hyster J2.5XN electric lift trucks with a lift capacity of 2.5 tonnes, as well as a dedicated Hyster Powered Battery Exchange Stacker for changing batteries. The trucks are being used for the loading of polystyrene foam insulation materials that are produced in Weurt, and for internal transport from the production departments to the warehouse.
Kroes added: “For the weight of our loads – a block of insulation material weighs about 180 to 200kgs – 2.5T lift capacity seems a bit high. However, the benefit is that these trucks are equipped with a battery with a 20% higher capacity.”
The higher battery capacity (the trucks are equipped with 775 Ah/80V batteries) is not a luxury within the application at VBI Weurt as the company works in two shifts, a total of 17 hours per day.
Thanks to the new exchange system, VBI Weurt has another advantage when changing and loading batteries. The Powered Battery Exchange Stacker truck guarantees a fast and simple battery exchange, and there is no physical exertion necessary from the operator.
The new Hyster forklift trucks are being leased for a five-year period, which includes a full service contract for the lift trucks. The Powered Battery Exchange Stacker is only used intermittently and therefore only receives periodical maintenance from Heffiq.
“Our strong dealer partner Heffiq listened carefully to the precise challenges at VBI Weurt and was able to customise the Hyster trucks to suit the specific customer requirements,” said Karen Calver, product manager for Hyster.
Since the new trucks were taken into operation on 1 September, 2016, Bennie Kroes has only received positive and enthusiastic reactions.
“We do not just notice the advantages when changing or loading batteries. The traction and performance are also a big step forward. Plus, the trucks are noticeably more comfortable. If this continues, the chances are very high that we will replace all our other trucks with Hyster machines,” he concluded.
