BYD’s forklift division has expanded its presence in the Southwest Ohio market with a new dealership agreement for its electric forklifts. 

BYD Material Handling has entered into an agreement with MidWest Industrial Equipment, which offers forklift sales, service, parts, equipment rental and operator training. The dealership has locations in Piqua and Cincinnati, Ohio. 

“Partnering with MidWest Industrial will bring BYD’s clean, innovative technology to customers in Ohio. This technology will improve their production and help their bottom line,” said Terry Rains, director of BYD North America’s Forklift Division. “MidWest Industrial is an ideal partner for BYD, bringing a strong focus on customer service and decades of industry experience.”

BYD’s material handling equipment simplifies operations by delivering a single-battery multi-shift solution as spare batteries, cooling down batteries and battery swapping are becoming a thing of the past. 

“With BYD, MidWest will be able to expand our footprint in the Dayton and Cincinnati markets. This will allow us the opportunity to showcase green technology in material handling that hasn’t been seen in this marketplace,” said Greg Meyer, president of MidWest Industrial. “With the material handling market changing and trying to use more sustainable power, we can now offer a true sustainable product for them. BYD offers us these wonderful opportunities for our current and new customers, saving them tremendous amounts of revenue in the process.”

BYD forklifts fully charge in less than 90 minutes and run for up to 15 hours. When using opportunity charging during breaks and downtime, the forklifts can run for 24 hours. 

Unlike lead-acid batteries, and some “drop-in” lithium-ion batteries, BYD’s iron-phosphate batteries feature high energy density while remaining environmentally friendly, BYD said. There is no need for special ventilation requirements, watering infrastructure, or corrosion control.

As a first in the industry, BYD also offers a 110v / 15-amp plug-in charger capable of recharging its iron-phosphate batteries. Because an iron-phosphate battery handles opportunity charging easily, it can even be plugged in like a cell phone.

BYD North America Forklift Division is headquartered in Carson, California.