Philadelphia Scientific Unveils LeanBatteryRoom.com |
(Archive News Story - Products mentioned in this Archive News Story may or may not be available from the manufacturer.)
Philadelphia Scientific
207 Progress Dr.
Montgomeryville, PA, 18936
USA
Press release date: March 7, 2011
New website is dedicated to providing education on the causes of waste in the battery room and solutions that increase productivity and save money.
MONTGOMERYVILLE, Pa. - March 7, 2011 - Philadelphia Scientific, a leading international manufacturer of industrial battery components and accessories, has unveiled a new website, www.LeanBatteryRoom.com, designed to help warehouses and distribution centers (DCs) reduce waste, increase productivity and reduce costs in the battery room. The site, a companion to the company's website, www.phlsci.com, will serve as a source of information on battery room operation and maintenance techniques that can improve the room's overall performance.
The new website currently provides access to a free tool, Battery TrackerŪ, an online service that enables users to quantify the run time of their batteries. Battery Tracker will help users identify weak batteries, a leading cause of poor productivity in the battery room. The site will also eventually provide educational and technical information on proper battery maintenance.
According to Harold Vanasse, vice president of sales and marketing for Philadelphia Scientific, surprising efficiencies and cost savings can be achieved in the battery room. "The battery room is the last frontier for the implementation of Lean thinking in the warehouse and DC," said Vanasse. "It has not been considered a source of significant waste because battery room operating and maintenance practices have not been adequately analyzed," said Vanasse. "Upon close examination, six of the eight sources of Lean wastes can be found there, and these wastes can cost large warehouses hundreds of thousands of dollars per year. Even small operations with as few 10 to 20 forklift trucks can lose tens of thousands of dollars due to these wastes."
A variety of battery maintenance tools is available to reduce waste in the battery room. For example, battery management systems, such as Philadelphia Scientific's iBOSŪ (intelligent battery organizing system), can help eliminate the number one cause of reduced battery run time, reduced battery life and waste in the battery room: improper battery rotation. "When battery selection is left to forklift operators, 30 percent of the batteries will be underutilized and 20 percent will be overused," said Vanasse. "The result is uneven battery usage, premature battery failure and lost productivity."
Watering batteries - a task sometimes described as "a simple job done poorly" - is also a source of waste. In most warehouses, batteries are watered on a set schedule - typically every week. Not only can this be a complicated procedure, but also a time waster, as many of the batteries that are checked don't need watering. And many that are checked needed watering far earlier, and costly, permanent damage may have been done to the battery. According to Vanasse, the use of single-point watering systems, such as the Water Injector System(TM), can significantly reduce the time spent watering batteries, increasing worker productivity, and reducing worker exposure to battery acid. Single-point systems also eliminate the possibility of electrolyte boil overs, which, over time, can decrease the life of a battery by six months or more.
"Today's warehouse and DC manager has more tools than ever to implement Lean practices, including in the battery room," said Vanasse. "Not only do most battery maintenance tools increase productivity, improve battery performance and save money in operating and maintenance costs, they also have an excellent ROI. Most of these tools pay for themselves in about a year."
Vanasse has written a white paper, "Lean Thinking Comes to the Industrial Battery Room," which is available at www.wikiMHEDA.org, an online resource of the Material Handling Equipment Distributors Association. The white paper also can be obtained from Philadelphia Scientific by phone at +1 215-616-0390 or by e-mail at info@phlsci.com.
About Philadelphia Scientific
Since 1983, Montgomeryville, Pa.-based Philadelphia Scientific has brought advanced technology solutions to the industrial battery industry. The company specializes in the research, design, development and manufacturing of industrial batteries, their components and tools. For more information about Philadelphia Scientific, visit the company's Web site at www.phlsci.com or contact the company at 215-616-0390.
|
|
|
|
|
|
| 
