Helping Computer Recycling choose the right lithium-ion electric forklift

Choose the right forklift! How Andrew Helped Computer Recycling find the right machine for their business and work they do.

Computer Recycling in Auckland was looking to find the right forklift for their operation. Andrew Little from Auckland stepped up to help sort through the many options and find the best solution for the business.

The challenge was to reduce emissions from their existing forklifts and to keep up with the ever-increasing demand for e-recycling. Computer Recycling was looking for a greener option than their current forklifts to move another step closer to their sustainability goals. Andrew met with their team to discuss the evolving technology in this space, which included standard lead acid battery electric forklifts and the latest models of Lithium-ion forklifts.

Key business goals:

Migrate to an electric, more sustainable forklift option
Updating technology, to align with a world-class facility
Providing new & safer equipment for our staff

The application demands that the forklifts are robust enough to handle tipping e-waste materials into sorting bins to be processed. As well as this, a safe machine to be operated between unloading trucks and processing areas with pedestrians in close proximity.

To find the best machines for the job, Andrew worked with the Operations Manager, Steve Johns, and the operators. Looking closely at electric and lithium-ion forklifts for their site, electric was the first tick box in the going green goals to be achieved. As Lithium-ion batteries allow the operator to opportunity charge the forklift, this meant that Computer Recycling could charge during team breaks, to eliminate any downtime due to an empty battery.

As these two lithium-ion electric forklifts were replacing LPG machines the benefits to the team’s work are no more fumes, emissions, or noise while operating. This makes an immediate positive change for both the business and the team.

Another positive impact was the reduction in daily machine checklists and no water top-ups made Li-ion a great choice.

The full scope of technology options for health and safety, Computer Recycling kept up with their existing health and safety tech. Keeping reversing lights, area lights, and the standard LED work lights fitted to keep help the team keep a safe working distance from each other while working.

The end results are speaking for themselves with the team able to keep working, communicate easily, and most importantly take another step towards reducing their overall carbon footprint.

Lithium-ion Forklift key features and benefits:

Lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries are a type of rechargeable battery that is commonly used in forklifts and other industrial equipment. Some of the key features and benefits of Li-ion batteries for forklifts include:

Opportunity Charging: Adds the ability to quickly top up charge over breaks and downtime to keep the forklifts running during busy periods.
Long lifespan: Li-ion batteries have a longer lifespan than other types of batteries, and they can be charged and discharged more times before needing to be replaced. This means they can save money over the long term by reducing the need for battery replacements.
Fast charging: Li-ion batteries can be charged more quickly than other types of batteries, which can help increase the productivity of the forklift.
Low maintenance: Li-ion batteries require minimal maintenance and are less sensitive to damage from overcharging or over-discharging than other types of batteries.
Environmental benefits: Li-ion batteries are more environmentally friendly than other types of batteries, as they produce zero emissions and can be easily recycled.
High energy density: Li-ion batteries have a higher energy density than other types of batteries, which means they can store more energy in a given volume. This makes them more compact and lightweight, which is beneficial for forklifts that need to be nimble and maneuverable.

Overall, the key benefits of using Li-ion batteries for forklifts are their high energy density, long lifespan, fast charging, low maintenance, and environmental friendliness.

Forklift safety features:

Lithium-ion batteries – Zero fumes and no noise to improve working conditions for team members
Reversing lights – To allow the team to know when and where the forklifts are traveling in reverse
Area lights – To allow operators and pedestrian team members to be aware of safe distance from forklifts
Standard working lights – To improve visibility in low light and pick loads from truck beds
Multi-functional attachment – to keep the operators on the machine and not dismounting to change attachments between different lifting requirements

Read more on their Website - Making the Switch: Our Transition to Electric Forklifts