DC Velocity - October 2010

Crown Equipment Corp. said it has rolled out the industry’s first hydrogen fuel cell-powered lift truck with the fuel cell controls and gauges integrated into the truck’s dashboard.

Typically, controls and gauges like fuel-level indicators and start/stop buttons are located on the fuel cell. The traditional configuration requires the operator to stop the truck to access the control box and check the cell’s condition and status. The new integrated design eliminates the need to stop the truck, thus boosting productivity by keeping the vehicles in operation, Crown said.

Another change, according to Crown, is the placement of the fuel
cell’s power unit behind the operator rather than in the battery box
directly below the truck’s
steering controls. “Because
many fuel cell packs have a
taller profile [than a tradi-
tional battery], there isn’t
enough room to fit them
below the steering control
without creating safety and
performance issues,” said Rod
Squires, product manager for
Crown, in a statement.
Squires said Crown hit
upon the idea of placing the
cell pack behind the operator
as it was working with Wal-Mart Canada, the new product’s launch
customer. A fleet of the newer-generation trucks has been delivered
to Wal-Mart Canada’s new perishables distribution center outside of
Calgary, Alberta. The trucks are expected to be operational next
month. The Calgary facility is believed to be the first Canadian DC
to be powered exclusively by hydrogen fuel cell lift trucks.

A Wal-Mart spokesman said the technology is currently being tested at the retailing giant’s facility in Washington Courthouse, Ohio. There are no plans to expand its usage in the United States beyond that DC, the spokesman said.

Frank Devlin, segment manager for Raymond Corp., a competitor of Crown, said in an e-mail that Raymond does not currently offer integrated fuel cell display functions in its lift trucks. He said that Raymond has been testing and researching various fuel cell-powered lift truck designs, but that the company’s current engineering focus is on developing designs where the fuel cell fits in the battery box rather than on making modifications to the truck.

As an example, the company’s Model 5000 series order pickers are available with an optional 21-inch battery box, which allows a fuel cell to fit without modifying the truck, Devlin said. The truck also allows the driver to view a fuel cell display from the operator compartment, he said.

The fuel cell display on that model is not integrated because the truck is designed to work with both lead acid batteries and fuel cells, Devlin said. ; Crown unveils new fuel cell forklift design

Dematic completes HK
acquisition

Dematic Group has completed the acquisition of HK Systems, a North American automated material handling and software solutions provider. The deal, terms of which were not disclosed, was completed on Sept. 15, Dematic said.

The newly combined company will be called Dematic, with its North American headquarters in Grand Rapids, Mich. The expanded manufacturing footprint through the HK acquisition will allow Dematic to domestically manufacture automated storage and retrieval machines and automated guided vehicles, in addition to conveyor, sortation, and order fulfillment technology, Dematic said.

John K. Baysore, CEO of Dematic North America, will lead the newly combined company in the United States and Canada. ;

truckers boosting rates but
not capacity

Truckload carriers are pushing through significant rate increases—some by double-digit amounts— as freight demand picks up and capacity additions grind to a halt, according to a report issued in mid-September by an advisory firm specializing in transport mergers and acquisitions.

A survey of 140 carriers conducted by Transport Capital Partners LLC (TCP) found that 63 percent of respondents raised rates in the third quarter, with 17 percent reporting increases of 10 percent or more, and 7 percent reporting hikes of 15 percent or higher.

At the same time, 72 percent of the carriers surveyed expect to add little or no fleet capacity in the next 12 months, even though about the same percentage expect volumes to increase over that period, the report said.

One-third of the carriers surveyed said they would add no capacity in the coming months, while another third will only add 1 to 5 percent, according to the report. About 25 percent of carriers say they will rely on independent contractors to supplement their fleets, while 10 percent are considering buying used trucks.

Of the 140 carriers participating in the survey, about 20 percent reported annual revenues of over $100 million, with 17 percent reporting revenues of between $51 million and $100 million. ;