As demand for its products and services continues to grow beyond expectation, Hoppecke Industrial Batteries has expanded its workforce, strengthened its management team and made changes to its board of directors.

Headed up by Managing Director Marc Zoellner, the revised board of the family owned business consists of new UK Sales & Operations Director, David Millett, with Gus Whyte as Sales Director - National Accounts and Systems, and Robin Horton as Finance and Admin Director. Former Managing Director Bernard Molloy becomes Non-Executive Director of the company.

The Hoppecke management team is now made up of new Production Manager Robert Brown, Special Power Manager Paul Butchart and Technical Services Manager Alan Newton. At the same time, six new employees have been taken on to bolster production at the Newcastle-under-Lyme factory of Hoppecke, which is now the leading specialist in industrial battery systems and the largest battery manufacturer under European ownership.

Gus Whyte says: "Through continual improvement and a commitment to business excellence, we have seen our profits increase substantially. However, it is vital that we continue to make changes to meet the growing demand in the market for highly efficient and reliable power systems. While Hoppecke is an internationally recognised brand we know the danger of standing still in this competitive market and so we have consciously moved on from being a top quality commodity supplier to being a total systems provider."

David Millett adds: "We have listened to what our customers have said and are confident we now have the team, the products and the services capable of competing with and beating anyone in this sector."

Much of the increased demand for Hoppecke's services centres around the company's Trak-Air® system becoming the industry standard for battery recharging. Combining energy efficiency with simple but powerful equipment management, Trak-Air® helps forklift truck fleet owners to reduce their carbon footprint, cut battery replacement costs, save on energy bills, use less water, and keep downtime for forklifts to a minimum.