Company Announcement - The newly installed battery bay equipped with BHS product has improved efficiencies in the manner in which warehouse equipment batteries are handled at the Africa Automotive Aftermarket Solutions (Midas) distribution centre in Edenvale, Gauteng. This is according to DC manager Tommy van Schalkwyk. Goscor Lift Truck Company, distributors of Crown, Doosan, Bendi and other warehousing equipment, is the sole distributor in Southern Africa of BHS, renowned supplier of battery handling systems and accessories and the largest manufacturer of battery handling equipment in the world

“The system works well,” van Schalkwyk says. “Apart from the quality of the hardware, the ingenious system helps save time. For example, when the operator needs to change a battery he simply goes directly to the LED board, which indicates which battery is available for use. There’s no guessing - the LED is right every time – and there’s no time wasting,” he says.

He adds that importantly all his operators are trained by Goscor on the BHS system and can perform the necessary tasks independently, which also enhances efficiency.  But when blue-chip operators like Midas choose the BHS system it’s not surprising. BHS provides the highest quality products and the best engineered solutions for improving productivity and profitability. Safety, efficiency, and space-savings in lift truck battery changing areas are top priorities for BHS.

GLTC MD Darryl Shafto says that by expanding the portfolio to include BHS products, GLTC now provides a wide range of products to suit large and small lift truck battery changing applications. Every system is designed, engineered, and manufactured according to customers’ specifications.

Van Schalkwyk says that Goscor were true to their word in this regard. “They designed the spec according to what we needed and have been thoroughly professional in the training of our operators and support in general,” he says.  

Shafto explains that for larger fleet applications, the BHS Operator Aboard Battery Extractors (BE) are available in several models and are designed for a specific application, yet all sharing common features and benefits which make them the most versatile, reliable and cost-effective battery extractors in the industry. All BHS BEs are made with heavy duty steel and designed to reduce preventative maintenance intervals.

For smaller fleet applications, BHS also offers a comprehensive range of lift truck battery changing carts and carriages. Also designed and built to the customer’s specifications, each cart and carriage provides power and durability to the battery changing process that is second to none. With so many combinations of products to choose from, each and every system installed is unique to that facility’s needs.

Apart from the battery changing equipment, BHS also offers a wide range of battery environment support equipment including: Electrical Distribution Systems, Battery Fleet Management Systems, Battery Room Ventilation Systems and a whole lot more.

Jim Huber, executive vice president and COO of BHS Global says he is proud to partner with Goscor Lift Truck Company and in turn with such professional organisations like Midas. “As a dealer of BHS Global, Goscor is a perfect fit for providing the Total Solution to forklift battery rooms, which will ultimately increase their customer’s productivity and profitability,” he says.
Shafto, says the BHS system has helped his company to provide an even better service to its customers. “Our aim has always been to be a one-stop service solution to our customers and having BHS in the stable completes the circle in our achieving this goal,” he says.

“We can now easily say that we provide a total warehousing solution – a complete range of warehouse material handling equipment, battery chargers, various financial packages in rental or sale, a range of service and maintenance packages, fleet management systems, operator training and, of course, a massive stockholding of spare  parts,” says Shafto. He adds that GLTC are in the final stages of installing a state-of-the-art, triple stack, battery extraction unit at Imperial Cold Logistics and that the details of this will be made public in the near future.

Meanwhile GLTC has been appointed the sole distributor of Taylor-Dunn in South Africa and according to Shafto, this goes a long way to making GLTC one of the most complete Materials Handling Equipment suppliers in the country. “We now have a range of equipment for applications across the gamut of the MHE industry including the warehousing and distribution, logistics, timber, automotive, manufacturing and aviation industries. Also, importantly, our products are leading brands worldwide and have proved themselves in the local market too. I have no doubt that Taylor-Dunn will follow suite,” Shafto says. From the day it shipped its first vehicle in 1949, U.S.-based Taylor-Dunn has pursued a singular goal: to build tough, rugged, dependable vehicles to move personnel, equipment, and materials. For over 65 years, its range of products - burden carriers, personnel carriers, stockchasers, electric carts, tow tractors and more - has been the leading solution for customers in a broad range of industrial, commercial, and ground-support markets.

From the outset one of the central missions of the company was to distribute its products globally and, in this regard, it has been a singular success with distributors in more than 30 countries outside of the U.S. “We are delighted to have been given the chance to ensure that Taylor Dunn products fulfil their potential in this part of the world,” says Shafto, “and we are looking forward to entering markets that are new to us. Growth based on innovation has been fundamental to the success of our business and the Taylor Dunn distributorship is yet another opportunity to show our worth in this regard,” he concluded.