Namibia Breweries goes green with battery operated forklifts

Namibia Breweries Limited (NBL) officially showcased their new battery-operated forklifts to staff members at the company recently. NBL unveiled 18 new battery-operated forklifts which will add immense value to the company in various spheres, including its green agenda.
“We were up for renewal of the forklifts and decided to make this an opportunity to further reduce our impact on the environment, something that has become a growing priority for the Ohlthaver and List Group of Companies, and is evident in other initiatives such as the bio-diesel project, Hangana’s re-fuelling project, recycling initiatives and the recently announced boiler upgrade at Namibia Breweries,” said Abrie Du Plooy, logistics manager.
He said, with the new forklifts,  NBL was raising the bar in terms of saving costs, reducing carbon footprint and enhancing the health and safety of their staff.
In the past, forklifts at NBL operated on gas or diesel which was costly, noisy and released fumes into the air.
The new forklifts which are 30% more cost effective and have zero exhaust emissions, are noiseless and also emit no heat which is a great safety benefit. The new forklifts are equipped with state-of-the-art safety mechanisms to ensure a solid foundation for outstanding stability.
The new forklifts are battery operated and the batteries last as long as the overall lifespan of the forklift. The batteries all come with their own chargers which have a management system telling the battery room operators when to charge, how long and when the cooling off period is over.
Du Plooy said NBL has invested in a new battery room which will be home to 47 batteries as the forklifts operate 24hrs a day and more than one set of batteries is thus needed for operation.
“The room is managed by five people and complies with health and safety standards including automatic shutting doors, showers, fire exits and the like. The forklift models chosen are also assembled under the global charter for environmental responsibility and this covers all aspects of a vehicle’s life cycle, form a waste-free production process and cleaner operation all the way through to effective end-of-service-life recycling,” Du Plooy added.