The switch to electric: Less noise, fewer exhaust fumes

The operators lose no time as they manoeuvre their trucks back and forth, delivering one pallet after another to the x-ray control. From there, they head towards the hall in the servicing area at Bao'an International Airport in the city of Shenzhen in southern China. These are the daily operations at the International Cargo Centre Shenzhen (ICCS), a joint venture between Lufthansa Cargo and Shenzhen Airport. ICCS has owned 24 Linde 2.5-tonne electric forklifts since August 2016, which replaced the old diesel trucks of the same size.

The trend towards better environmental protection

“An increasing number of companies are picking up on the trend towards better environmental protection, which is actively promoted by the Government,” says Dean Xie, the vice president of Sales & Service at Linde (China) in Xiamen. “The market is moving in the direction of electric forklifts and away from combustion engines.” Linde is doing very well in China's premium segment. From January to October 2016, sales of Linde electric forklifts in China were up by 14.3 percent over the previous year, surpassing the 12-percent growth rate in the market overall.

To offer Chinese companies with a lower budget an electric truck of Linde quality and with Linde service, KION has launched the Linde Smart Line. In terms of the exterior design, the new red truck looks virtually the same as the premium one. Only a few aspects have been simplified to save costs so that the truck can be offered at a lower price: The battery can only be removed vertically and not laterally and the gear shift is simpler. The engine is also missing a number of extras and there are fewer options to choose from overall. Yet, it is still a genuine Linde truck. “The Smart Line is aimed at customers whose priority is value for money,” says Xie. By introducing Smart Line, Linde wants to gain a foothold in the upper end of the economy segment. The product range will be manufactured in Xiamen only beginning in Spring 2017, and will be positioned above KION economy brand, Baoli.

Smart Line trucks will initially only be available as electrics. Later on, Smart Line will offer the entire range of trucks, says Xie, with the proportion of electric trucks - at 40 to 70 percent - remaining high. It could also be that they are eventually exported to other Asian countries. “There is a shift towards electric trucks in these countries as well,” notes Xie.

Before making the switch to electric trucks, ICCS trialled several providers. Linde offered value for money and felt instinctively right. As Berke says, “when weighing it all together, we worked well together. Whenever we call, someone always comes right away to have a look.” The operators received training from Linde since the electric vehicles handle differently from the diesel ones. “They needed to get used to them at first,” recalls Lin. Another feature that impressed the logistics manager was the “connect” fleet management solution from Linde. “We used to have minor incidents occasionally, particularly during busy phases.” What is really helpful is that “connect” can recognize the operating patterns of each individual operator. As Lin says, “which allows us to identify why incidents happen and to better evaluate our operators.”

Linde also assisted ICCS in setting up charging stations, which are positioned under a purpose-built roof next to the tarmac, protected from the elements. Since arriving in Shenzhen in April 2016, Berke has already experienced two typhoons. “The entire loading area had to be cleared and everything was taken inside the warehouse.” The batteries in the shelter remained intact.