18 DC VELOCITY JANUARY 2015 www.dcvelocity.com
newsworthy
In a deal that could boost hydrogen’s prospects as an alternative energy source for warehouse lift trucks, NACCO
Materials Handling Group Inc. (NMHG), a wholly owned
subsidiary of Hyster-Yale Materials Handling Inc., said in
mid-December that it had acquired Nuvera Fuel Cells Inc.,
a maker of hydrogen fuel cells and hydrogen generation and
dispensing products. Specific terms of the transaction were
not disclosed.
Nuvera, headquartered in Billerica, Mass., develops and
manufactures fuel cell stack subsystems and on-site hydrogen production and dispensing systems. Nuvera said its
Orion fuel cell stacks can be factory-fitted or retrofitted for
most brands of electric-powered lift trucks.
NMHG said its Hyster and Yale operating divisions plan
to commercialize Nuvera’s technology and rapidly integrate it into many of their lift truck offerings. According to
NMHG, Yale and Hyster will become the first original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) to integrate
and factory-fit fuel cell technology directly into
their products.
Hydrogen fuel cells show promise as alternatives
to batteries because they are quick and easy to
refuel and are environmentally friendly and efficient power sources, particularly in cold interior
environments. However, hydrogen has struggled
to gain market share due to the high cost of the
fuel and the infrastructure required to provide it.
As a result, fuel cell technology has not been widely
adopted and remains in the development and testing stage.
A major obstacle to adopting fuel cell technology
for lift trucks is the infrastructure costs of producing and delivering the hydrogen and for refueling
the cells. Lift truck manufacturers must also conduct detailed testing on individual truck models
before they can approve them for retrofitting with
fuel cells. To address cost and technical concerns,
NMHG said that Yale and Hyster would integrate
the technology into their original design and production of lift trucks. In addition, the acquisition
will allow Hyster and Yale to provide commer-cial-grade on-site hydrogen generation and refueling capabilities. Retrofitting and servicing will be
provided through Nuvera-authorized dealers.
NMHG said it expects Nuvera to generate sig-
nificant operating losses over the next two to three
years. NMHG plans to spend up to $50 million
during that period for additional research and
development to commercialize the technology and
reach breakeven. The company said the acquisition
was completed “for a modest purchase price” and
requires certain contingency payments to the selling share-
holders “based on future deployment of certain elements of
the acquired technology.”
Until the NMHG announcement, Nuvera had all but
disappeared from the lift truck market. Meanwhile, the
strongest domestic player, Plug Power Inc., continues to
struggle with profitability. But Plug Power said its sales
and customer pilot programs have grown in the past year
since it rolled out its “GenKey” service, which integrates
equipment, fueling, infrastructure, and maintenance solu-
tions into a single package. The service saves customers
money and reduces the complexity of using the technology,
according to Plug Power. (For more on the outlook for fuel
cells in DC applications, see “Almost ready for takeoff?” on
p. 55 of this issue.)
—Toby Gooley
NACCO Materials Handling Group acquires Nuvera
alliances
UTi Worldwide Inc., a global supply chain services and solutions company, has established a strategic partnership with
Beijing Changjiu Logistics Co. Ltd. to provide logistics services
for automotive OEMs and suppliers in China. … Emulate3D
Inc. has partnered with Hytrol, a provider of conveyor belts
for material handling companies, to provide simulations for
the Hytrol Integration Partner Network. … I.D. Systems has
extended its VeriWise contracts for tracking and managing
fleets of trailers and their cargo with Wal-Mart Stores Inc. as
well as truckload carrier Knight Transportation Inc. The company also signed a contract with the U.S. division of food producer Nestlé to deploy its PowerFleet wireless vehicle management system across more parts of Nestlé’s North American
operations. … HighJump Software has formed a strategic
partnership with GCM Business Consulting and Technology
in Latin America. GCM is a business consulting firm providing supply chain software solutions for the food, beverage,
chemical, and pharmaceutical industries in the region. …
CAT dealership Quinn Co. has updated its City of Industry,
Calif., warehouse and installed a variety of storage units from
Vidmar, a division of Stanley Black & Decker. … DAT Keypoint
has integrated MacroPoint’s freight tracking technology,
allowing DAT’s broker transportation management system
(TMS) users to track freight carried by third-party drivers and
for-hire carriers. … Shred-it, a provider of information security and document destruction services, is expanding its use
of Descartes’ Route Planner to improve fleet productivity. …
Cost Plus World Market has renewed its use of the GT Nexus
platform, which provides real-time visibility into global inventory movement and performance information.
