Customers presently use Toyota Material Handling Europe (TMHE)’s Li-ion forklifts to carry out field tests

Toyota Material Handling Europe (TMHE) is strongly committed to supporting the growth of its customers’ business, while maintaining safe and healthy workplaces and protecting the environment. To achieve sustainability in intralogistics, TMHE explores energy solutions such as hybrid, fuel cell and lithium ion, and heavily invests in research and development of new technologies.
  
Li-ion batteries provide a more effective way to store and supply electricity than traditional lead acid batteries, which often need 6 - 12 hours to recharge. Thanks to fast charging during breaks, Li-ion batteries significantly increase productivity by eliminating the need for battery change and saving precious time in a rapidly-moving environment. The forklifts are thus able to operate even longer to their full potential.

Driven by the constant desire to make customers profit from its innovations, TMHE is currently conducting field tests to prove their Li-ion forklifts’ efficiency in the distribution centres of Sainsbury’s in the UK and Ahold in the Netherlands. These two major retailers are TMHE’s long-term customers for whom boosting performance and reducing environmental impact at the same time are top priorities.

This ongoing trial includes powered pallet trucks, which are usually used in multiple-shifts operations. For Ahold and Sainsbury’s, the Li-ion equipment they now test with TMHE ensures continuous truck availability with low energy consumption. This benefits both their business and the environment: productivity is considerably enhanced in a responsible way.

“TMHE is renowned for designing and manufacturing quality products that ensure durable use for years to come. Our Li-ion range of forklifts will be launched in the first half of 2013. We believe that our company largely contributes to supporting responsible innovations and we are happy to take this important step together with our customers,“ says Johan Rosén, Product Group Manager at TMHE.