At the logistics centre of Rhenus Contract Logistics AG in Basel, energy efficiency is the primary goal. Not only is the site certified to ISO 14001, but it is also part of the Basel SME initiative. With innovative battery charging technology from Fronius, the company has dramatically reduced the energy consumption of its fleet of electrically-powered forklift trucks, optimising the charging process at the same time. The flexible and reliable system also reduces workload and guarantees a longer useful life for the lead batteries.
Efficiency is a crucial factor in the intralogistics sector. But it is not just about speed; ensuring the relevant goods are transported from A to B in the most cost-effective manner possible means that more attention is being paid to the energy consumed by logistics processes. Reduced energy consumption ultimately leads to reduced costs, a significant advantage in times of increasing international competition and European law putting stricter measures in place for reducing energy consumption.
One of the companies in the Rhenus Group, Rhenus Contract Logistics AG in Basel has an ultra-modern logistics centre with 13,000 square metres of storage space and is located directly on the most important waterway in Europe, the Rhine.
Sustainable logistics operations with electrically-powered forklift trucks
The Basel site has around 40 employees specialising in contract logistics for many different customers. Various types of merchandise from the non-food sector can be found on almost 10,000 pallets and 35,000 storage location. A fleet of 24 electrically-powered forklift trucks manage the flow of materials.
Energy efficiency and sustainability are core company values. “Be it optimising our logistics processes, using LED lighting or investing in our own photovoltaics system, we are doing everything we can to reduce our energy consumption and in turn our CO2 emissions and operating costs,” says Silvio Kellenberger, Head of the Warehousing department at Rhenus Contract Logistics. The site has a comprehensive environmental management system and is certified to ISO 14001. Rhenus is also a member of the Basel SME initiative which helps businesses continuously increase their energy efficiency.
Enormous potential for savings during the charging process
As part of the environmental management process, Rhenus took a closer look its fleet of forklift trucks to discover that considerable savings could be made in terms of energy consumption and process efficiency. The electrically-powered forklift trucks, driven by lead batteries, are charged using a central charging station. As the logistics centre does not employ a multi-shift operation, the forklift trucks do not have back-up batteries. “Previously there were fixed times at which we connected all the forklift trucks to the station for charging at the same time, irrespective of how full the battery was,” recalls Kellenberger. “However, that was not particularly cost-effective.” In addition, the available technology was outdated, relying on old 50 Hz technology resulting in high energy costs and overcharging of the batteries, causing them to reach the end of their useful life prematurely.
When searching for a way to optimise the charging process, the managers at Rhenus soon came across Fronius. The leader in battery charging technology has developed a solution for increasing the efficiency of the charging process and the service life of the traction batteries with the Selectiva devices. “The secret is the Ri charging process, which adapts to each individual battery,” explains Reto Baumgartner, Sales Advisor for Battery Charging Systems at Fronius Switzerland. “The charging characteristic is determined by the battery’s effective inner resistance, which is dependent on the age, temperature and state of charge of the battery.” This minimises the overcharging responsible for high energy losses and harmful warming of the battery, thereby reducing energy consumption and ensuring a longer service life.
Charging when required instead of at a fixed time
Since August 2015, Rhenus has been using twelve Selectiva devices with resounding success with availability of the forklift trucks increasing considerably. “We were able to dramatically increase the efficiency of the charging process which now takes place as required rather than at specific times, meaning that we no longer need a battery charging system for each forklift truck; we actually need half as many,” says Kellenberger
Kellenberger enthuses about the advantages of the Ri charging process: “Gentle charging has enabled us to dramatically reduce the energy consumption of our forklift truck fleet and protects our batteries, extending their service lives.” This is evident from the operating costs, as the expensive traction batteries need to be replaced less often. The new technology is also much more reliable. “Previously, current peaks would always occur at the start of charging, leading to fuses becoming overloaded, and if unnoticed, charging will not take place” recalls Kellenberger. This problem is now a thing of the past thanks to the Fronius devices.
An important step in the direction of increased efficiency
The battery charging technology has also reduced Rhenus’ workload. The clear and flexible system simplifies operation, resulting in noticeable time savings. The gentle charging process also reduces the amount of water lost from the batteries, meaning that employees do not have to top them up as often. This has allowed Rhenus to take an important step towards greater efficiency in the logistics centre. “The Fronius devices help us to meet the high demands that we place on ourselves with our ISO certification and membership of the Basel SME initiative,” says warehouse manager Kellenberger. “Thanks to our good experiences with Fronius, we would also be interested in a collaboration at our other company sites.”
