Dutch
family-owned enterprise Kras Recycling is a specialist in sorting and
reprocessing paper, cardboard, foils and
plastics. Its workforce of over 100 people sort the material before it is
shredded into pellets by a machine and packed into bags. Kras Recycling uses electrically operated forklift trucks for
internal transportation purposes.
Before the energy efficiency regulations
came into force, the company was mainly operating diesel forklift trucks. Back
in 2014, they switched to a primarily electric fleet at their sites in Volendam,
Amsterdam and Almere and have been using Fronius charging technology ever since.
The restricted space posed a major challenge when it came to planning the
switchover from diesel to electric. In Volendam, Kras Recycling therefore
decided to install the chargers at a height of over two metres. In Almere the
company set up a large shipping container in the yard, where five Selectiva
chargers are now housed.
The construction of such a charging station
was originally made possible by the Fronius Selectiva battery charging systems.
They are small, compact and equipped with an external start-stop mechanism. This
means that employees can easily plug and unplug the batteries. The pilot
contact in the charging plug prevents sparking. This means that the risk of
explosion, caused by the oxyhydrogen emitted during charging, is practically
eliminated. The charger also uses the Ri charging process, which is dependent
on the age, temperature and condition of the battery. It reduces oxyhydrogen
and energy loss.