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FORKLIFT TRUCKS
HOW CAN OPERATIONS MANAGERS ADAPT TO THE FLT DIRTY FUEL CRISIS?
Liquified petroleum gas (LPG) powered forklift trucks have long been at the heart of warehousing operations. Yet, since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the logistics industry has been troubled by LPG leaving sticky, tar-like deposits on truck parts that make them inoperative. Currently, vaporiser units, flow regulators and shut off valves are becoming coated in residue. As this residue builds, valves start to stick causing pockets of flammable, unburned LPG to become trapped inside the engine. The sticking valves also cause the LPG mixture to become too rich to be ignited resulting in LPG forklifts failing to start. As a result of this, an increasing number of LPG powered forklifts need costly repair work that leaves warehouse operators out of pocket. Additionally, as many logistics companies are now working on a lean model, once one truck is out of action there are no additional forklifts available to meet the extra capacity demands. So, what can operations managers do to combat this issue? Is switching to electric trucks the way forward? Can companies be compensated for their increased maintenance costs? Onward Holdings’ operations manager, Paul Williamson, explains the different approaches you can take to overcome the ‘dirty fuel crisis’.
22 MARCH 2024 | FACTORY&HANDLINGSOLUTIONS
FIRST STEPS Once you are aware that your forklift has been hit by the dirty fuel problem it is important that you follow best practice to reduce the risk of explosion:
1. After the second occasion of a forklift’s engine failing to start, leave the truck for at least an hour before attempting to retry the ignition.
2. If the truck then fails on the third attempt you should contact an engineer to come and remove the sticky LPG residue from your forklift truck.
However, calling an engineer is not a quick
fix. For Onward Holdings, the turnaround time from contacting the engineer, to the forklift being back at their site and operational is at least a week. It takes time for the engineer to dismantle the engine to remove the residue, source and order any parts that need replacing, then fit the parts to repair the forklift. With the cost of this maintenance work now at least £1,200 a time, businesses are faced with a double economic burden of financing this maintenance work and coping with below optimal performance which hits profits. Paul Williamson, operations manager, adds:
“The issue of sticky residues is a major concern for operations managers. Without action, many businesses will not be able to keep up with their growing fleet maintenance costs. Onward Holdings alone has spent at least £10,000 over the past six months repairing issues caused by this dirty fuel in its fleet of 21 trucks.”
ELECTRIFYING YOUR FLEET Currently, it is unclear whether LPG forklifts or the fuel supply is to blame for the build-up of sticky residue. This conundrum is also not likely to be resolved until the findings of the Health and Safety Executive’s (HSE) investigation into this issue are released – which could be over a year from now. So, one possible solution could be to abandon LPG trucks altogether and switch to electric fleets as electric forklift trucks do not experience the same volume of maintenance issues as their LPG counterparts. However, there are a few things to consider
before switching to fully electric fleets. Firstly, you should consider the infrastructure upgrades needed for an electric fleet to function. Does your warehouse have the space to charge your fleet? For those who lease their trucks, you must
also factor in the wait time to receive an electric fleet as recent increases in demand have outstripped supply leading to exceedingly long waitlists. For businesses that own their fleets, you must consider the feasibility of transitioning to a fully electric fleet. Does your business have the liquidity to make such a large investment? A final factor to consider is rising electricity
costs. LPG is still much cheaper than electricity per kWh so your fuel costs are likely to increase if you switch to an electric fleet. That being said, if your business already
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