Win-win all round

Fronius battery charging systems that use Active Inverter Technology to charge traction batteries have economical and ecological benefits for the rental business. Battery dealer Keckeisen Akkumulatoren and its customer, the medium-sized logistics service provider Lebert, have opted for battery charging systems from the Austrian manufacturer.

Based in Kempten, Allgäu, Franz Lebert & Co. sees itself as a proactive and complete service provider for the logistics sector. In addition to its head office in Kempten, the company has sites in Erbach and Baienfurt (close to Ulm and Ravensburg respectively) and Kreuzlingen in Switzerland.

Numerous Jungheinrich and Still forklift trucks are used in the haulage department so that goods can be turned round quickly and reliably.
A rental concept with full service has been in use for years in the case of the forklift trucks. The benefit is fixed monthly rental instalments, which helps the company keep a close eye on its costs. In the past, both manufacturers supplied new trucks complete with the appropriate traction battery and battery charger. However, Lebert was never really happy with the servicing of its batteries and chargers. If any problems occurred, it often took too long to rectify the error, in addition ther e was often confusion regarding responsibilities when servicing fell due.

Lebert came to call ever more frequently on the services of nearby Fronius dealer Keckeisen. In 2010, Keckeisen impressed the logistics company by putting forward a sophisticated rental concept to reduce costs. In addition to equipping the forklift trucks with traction batteries from the outset, this also included replacement batteries and racks, battery charging systems and a full service package. Keckeisen guarantees a four year service life for batteries and battery charging systems.

Using high-quality battery charging technology is an important part of the Keckeisen concept. In contrast to other technologies, the Fronius charging technology means the battery only heats up a little during the charging process. Gentle charging considerably increases the service life of batteries. Only in this way it is possible to guarantee a service life of four years in three-shift operation at Lebert.

Considerably less power is required to charge the batteries compared with conventional 50 Hz transformer technology. As less power is required, CO2 emissions are also reduced. This is becoming a much more important issue for the haulage sector, since customers are increasingly looking at sustainability throughout the logistics chain.

Click here to get more details about the success story of Lebert.