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“It will reduce damage over the long term to the racking and maybe to the truck,” said Mr Bann.
In Kortrijk, Belgium, another historic timber business is facing up to a similar issue, only this time it’s not only tight spaces that are the issue, but very large areas.
Vandecasteele’s incredible hardwood storage site is home to 120,000m3
a 19-strong fleet of Baumann sideloaders. “They have been one of our most important customers for over four decades,” said Tony Benson, Baumann’s global marketing manager.
A thousand covered aisles across 63 hectares makes for very long runs. To date that has meant diesel trucks were the only ones capable of lasting the full shift, but the company recently revealed it was looking at ways to electrify the fleet and already has a Baumann EGX on trial.
Even here the aisles are tightly packed, with timber allocated into block stacked areas depending on its origin. Recently the company has installed cantilever racking, making the storage process a less manually intensive one.
A host of other upgrades also provides
Vandecasteele with added flexibility. In addition to the tilting chassis, extra tilt is added via the fork carriage; fork positioners adjust the spread and a single lifting fork gives the ability to make fine adjustments, whilst the VRS outreach system gives precise mast control. A key aspect for all users of sideloaders interested in electric is runtime. That initial anxiety over electric vehicle range, frequently discussed in relation to cars, translates closely to shift life in the logistics sector. Will the machine last a whole shift and will the time needed to charge it be available? Many new sideloader customers also wonder this. “One of the reasons why this happens is because operators tend to over-
With enough room for 77 football pitches, of timber and
estimate the time equipment is actually working,” said Mr Benson. “Engines can idle whilst trucks are standing, and hour metres do not give the complete picture.” For the past few years, Baumann’s 120-volt ELX and EGX machines have been quietly exceeding those shift life expectations. What makes the ranges unique is a combination of three important design features related to the battery, the motor and the lift pump. Each is designed to reduce unnecessary battery use and maximise energy efficiency. Thanks to built-in fork pockets (or the use of a crane) the battery can be exchanged if needed, ensuring true multi-shift applications, or charged in situ, but it’s that higher voltage (the Baumanns are the only 120-volt trucks on the market) that means greater efficiency throughout the wiring schematics and electronics system.
Greater efficiency means less electrical resistance and less energy is lost due to heat, and ultimately longer running times. The ELX machine was carefully designed to be lightweight, with stiffening in the chassis where needed. It means a single motor can run the two drive wheels, set at the most efficient frequency, delivering enough power to the key truck functions when “idling”. Idling however, doesn’t really happen. Capacitive sensors detect when a hand is present on the joystick. Turning the steering wheel or pressing a pedal will also trigger a response.
With no hand present, or no movements made, the motor powers off. Power is saved and battery use is almost zero.
Detecting a function will trigger the motor to enter it’s ‘idling’ setting of around 90 hertz (the setting, like many others, can be changed as required) ready to trigger accumulators for braking or to power the lift and outreach pump.
Once a lift movement is made, the load sensing lift pump sparks into life. It delivers pressure to the hydraulics in three stages
– again, each can be defined as required – depending upon the force of the movement required. Together, the three design elements extend battery life beyond, eight, nine and even 10 hours of regular use. Enough to get most operators through their shift and give even the most anxious of users, a boost of positive energy.
One timber company that’s clearly benefitted is Huevelman. The Dutch were quick to adopt electrics, with engine trucks barred for indoor use. Part of the Timber and Building Supplies Holland NV group (TABS), Huevelman’s site in Ouderkerk aan den Ijssel is squeezed by the waterway on one side and the dyke and village on the other. With materials shipped in and craned-off directly on site, the advantage provided by its own port also creates a barrier. “We have our own unloading facility,” said Henri van der Pot, head of logistics. “But we go as close to the water’s edge as possible to maximise the available space. We have nowhere to grow.”
The 14-strong sideloader fleet stores the wood in narrow cantilever aisles and feeds the two processing lines, making them an integral part of the system. Work is split into two shifts, starting at 7am and ending at 11pm. The sideloader fleet is large enough to cope with charging requirements and, as the kit gets older, spare batteries may one day be required, but so far, said Mr van der Pot, it’s never been a problem: “With a new battery, the trucks last the entire day.”
The low noise level is also something that’s
likely appreciated by the very close nearby local residents. “Of course, we work inside and out, and electric is the only way for us to go,” added Mr van der Pot. “We have an agreement to close our doors at 7pm so as not to disturb our neighbours. In truth, the only complaints we may get now relate to the noise of the radio!” ■
Above left: Jacksons Timber is a customer Above right: Vandecasteele is looking at ways to electrify the fleet and has a Baumann EGX on trial
www.ttjonline.com | July/August 2022 | TTJ
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