Lift Trucks: New electric fleet and rapid chargers cut energy, maintenance and labor costs

Empire Merchants North (EMN)  is the only major locally owned wine and liquor distributorship in upstate New York. Born out of a 2007 merger, the company now employs 623 associates and distributes about 5 million cases per year. A new lift truck fleet helped ensure a smooth transition while improving costs and productivity.

When the company decided to consolidate three facilities under one roof in Coxsackie, N.Y., the new building included 22,000 square feet of office space, 15,000 square feet of merchandising space, and a 220,000-square-foot warehouse and distribution center. As the EMN team planned for the new facility, it sought to create an efficient distribution center floor and fleet plan.

“Lift trucks play a vital role in our tracking system,” says Tony Amalfitano, director of operations at EMN. “If they’re not running, we can’t get goods in or out, so everything we do is dependent on our equipment and the ability to move freight within the building.”

Following the success of a trial run, the company set about replacing all existing propane trucks with a fully electric fleet to reduce fuel costs. On-site training and support helped ease the transition to stand-up lift trucks for warehouse staff, many of which had spent the previous 20 years using sit-down equipment. The training also helped familiarize operators with the express charging system.

“The AC technology and its rapid-charging system is really incredible,” Amalfitano says. “We’ve got batteries going strong that have been in these machines since 2007. Getting a reliable fleet that saved quite a bit of money in the process, reduced fuel costs and eliminated downtime to change propane tanks was a great move.”

The warehouse now performs the same amount of work with fewer lift trucks. A comprehensive labor and repair agreement has reduced maintenance costs by 8%. Between the facilities, EMN has seen an annual savings of more than $70,000 across the fleet.

The Raymond Corp.
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