92 DC VELOCITY DECEMBER 2015 www.dcvelocity.com
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Battery management system: Crown Equipment Corp.’s
Battery Health Monitor is designed to help companies better
manage forklift fleets that are powered by lead-acid batteries.
Installed on the battery, the Battery Health Monitor collects real-time data on battery activity. It then works in conjunction with
Crown’s InfoLink wireless fleet and operator management system
to create an integrated system that ties forklift, operator, and
battery data all under one program.
The Battery Health Monitor captures battery performance
during operation for each battery individually, which enables
operators and managers to make timely and more proactive
decisions when the battery begins to fail, according to Crown.
The Battery Health Monitor improves battery troubleshooting
and enables better battery management practices. It also helps
forklift owners manage batteries as assets, while creating operator accountability.
The Battery Health Monitor can track amp hour throughput
and run time, which helps users gain a better understanding of
battery capabilities, according to Crown Equipment. Managers
can now more accurately identify neglected batteries as well as
determine which charging method—fast or opportunity—works
best for each battery and which batteries work better in certain
trucks and applications. Targeting certain batteries for particular
applications has the potential to further enhance the efficiencies
of battery rotation and lengthen battery runtime.
Crown’s Battery Health Monitor can also let managers know
when the temperature of the battery exceeds a predetermined
threshold and compare it with additional data, like water levels
or last equalization, while it is operating. This type of information
helps managers create a performance profile for each battery
that can track operation throughout a given time period or for a
particular application to ensure optimal performance.
The Battery Health Monitor works with any forklift as long as
it is equipped with Crown’s InfoLink as part of the fleet management system’s Advantage Plan. The device uses Bluetooth to pair
automatically with the forklift’s InfoLink module, which delivers
the relevant battery and maintenance data collected by the
monitor to a cloud-based management portal, where it can be
accessed through InfoLink dashboards. Instantaneous alerts on
predetermined thresholds can be delivered to managers through
e-mail or text messages. (Crown Equipment Corp., www.crown.
com/usa/ index.html)
Inventory analytics solution: Cardinal Health Inventory
Management Solutions has launched a series of automated
cloud-based workflow modules for managing the inventory of
biological implants, sutures, and trauma and spine implants for
the operating room (OR) supply chain.
The modules are designed to help hospital supply chain executives manage device and implantable inventory and workflows.
They can help increase visibility to product demand and consumption and reduce waste incurred during manual processes.
The new workflow modules help hospitals maintain chain-of-cus-tody documentation, identify unused inventory for returns, and
avoid product expiration. The solution integrates with electronic
medical records and other hospital IT systems. Through the use of
RFID tags and bar codes, the modules provide the visibility needed
to manage day-to-day inventory levels as well as to enable long-term inventory planning. (Cardinal Health Inventory Management
Solutions, www.cardinalhealth.com/CIMS)
Enhanced palletizers: Intelligrated, a North America-based
automated material handling solutions provider, has introduced
two enhanced palletizer models, the Alvey 890i and 891i. The
upgrades include technological advancements that make the
machines easier to operate and maintain, improve safety, and
provide options to increase capacity.
The new models have a smaller footprint than previous
models and can handle a wider array of package types and
intricate stacking patterns. Operators can
create new load configurations through a
10-inch color touchscreen interface while
capitalizing on standard features like
automatic layer-cen-tering compression dams and package stops that can be relocated or installed in minutes.
The primary difference between the 890i and 891i models
is palletizing capacity. The 891i features a level nonpitched
layer accumulation table as a buffering mechanism to enable
a throughput rate in excess of 60 cases per minute, while the
890i achieves a nominal rate of up to 45 cases per minute. Servo
technology is available to further increase capacity or facilitate
automatic changeover.
Maintenance-focused enhancements to the Alvey 890 series
include semitransparent covers, which provide visibility during
operation. In addition, the devices’ covers and guards are easy
to handle and remove for quick access to components that may
require adjustment or replacement. The updated design also
improves safety with an automatic air dump to avoid trapped
energy, standard high-voltage arc flash protection, remote power
disconnect, interlocked access gates, taller safety fences, and a
muted light curtain system for pallet discharge. (Intelligrated,
www.intelligrated.com)
Foam-in-bag pacakaging: Protective packaging specialist
Storopack has introduced an improved version of its Foamplus
Bagpacker packaging system: the FOAMplus Bagpacker2. The
on-demand foam-in-bag system is designed to protect sensitive goods during shipping, regardless of size
or weight.
The Bagpacker2’s
foam cushions are produced at the packing
station using a foam-in-bag system, whereby a
film pouch is filled with
dispensed foam. The
foam cushions mold to
the goods to be packaged and are especially suitable for products such as valves, pumps, measuring tools, or medical devices,
Storopack says.
The system is available as a table model or a standalone unit
with adjustable height and can be integrated into a customer’s
inline process. It can produce up to 23 foam-filled cushions per
minute. (Storopack, www.storopack.us)
