Kevin Lawton Episode 332: Green Cubes Technologies
On this special episode of The New Warehouse Podcast, we get an education on Lithium 101 with Robin Schneider, Director of Marketing at Green Cubes Technologies. Green Cubes is a power technology provider for customer OEM batteries, batteries for stationary equipment like data centers, and the motive business that makes batteries and chargers for material handling equipment and ground support equipment you would find at airports. If you are curious about lithium-ion batteries and what they can do for warehouses and material handling operations, you will want to tune in.
Key Takeaways
- Green Cubes Technologies introduced its Lithium Safe Flex brand ten years ago to replace lead-acid batteries. This past year, it introduced chargers, making them the only company producing batteries and chargers in the warehouse and material handling market. The chargers are unique as they are high frequency and high efficiency while also being the smallest and lightest charger on the market. With warehouse space being as limited as it is, the ability to mount a smaller charger and not take up valuable warehouse space is advantageous.
- Robin shares what makes lithium-ion batteries tick as well as why they make so much sense for the material handling environment. Lithium-ion batteries have a lower total cost of ownership compared to traditional lead-acid batteries, thanks to fast charging times, little or no maintenance, and can operate three shifts a day for about ten years.
- As Robin points out, lead is not great for the environment and requires all sorts of infrastructure investments like eye wash and spill stations. From a sustainability standpoint, lithium-ion batteries provide a more environmentally friendly solution than lead-acid. Green Cubes uses a more environmentally friendly chemical composition called lithium-iron phosphate batteries.
- For companies looking to transition to lithium-ion batteries, Robin suggests starting with a power study that analyzes equipment usage and operations to understand the benefits better and cost savings. The higher the equipment usage, say three shifts, the faster companies will see a return on investment (ROI). Robin suggested that customers who are curious about the ROI for their operation can use the ROI calculator provided by Green Cubes.
- Robin believes there are tremendous opportunities for the lithium-ion market. One of the most exciting benefits is how intelligent the batteries are and the ability to add IoT devices for utilization and tracking of right-size material handling equipment needs. In addition, monitoring battery performance and finding out who isn’t charging their batteries when they should.
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