Australia's leading supplier of mosquito-control products has commissioned a Toyota battery electric forklift to improve productivity and reduce emissions at its Queensland branch.
Pacific BioLogics Pty Ltd commissioned the 1.8-tonne capacity Toyota 7-FBE18 battery electric forklift in February 2012 at its Kippa-Ring warehouses in Brisbane's north.
The battery electric Toyota forklift replaces a diesel machine from another manufacturer.
Warehouse manager Alex Boyd said changing to the battery electric forklift had eliminated fuel spills and fumes, and reduced noise.
"One of the two warehouses on this site has an office inside, and switching to the electric machine means people can work in the office without the noise disturbance that the previous forklift created," he said.
"The new Toyota forklift also offers increased safety, ease of use and convenience, including a side-shift feature that we didn't have before.
"It's a neat bit of gear, as the saying goes; simple to operate and easy to recharge - just plug-in and the charger takes care of itself."
Mr Boyd said the new Toyota forklift's primary role is lifting sandbags into a cradle, and then lifting the combined 1300kg of the bag and cradle over a hopper.
It is also used to unload chemicals from trucks, as part of Pacific BioLogics' expansion into the rural wholesale market.
Toyota Material Handling Brisbane forklift area manager (sales and rental) Adam Gates said Pacific BioLogics initially enquired about replacing the old diesel forklift with an internal-combustion machine running on LPG, to further to company's green image.
"Further study led us to offer a battery electric machine," he said.
"We gave the customer a 'whole of life ownership' comparison between LPG and Battery Electric, with tables to help calculate the total cost of a unit, including fuel versus battery usage/consumption, operating costs, and recommendations for the battery and charger.
"Based on that information, Pacific BioLogics chose the battery electric forklift."
Pacific BioLogics Pty Ltd was founded in October 1999 as a subsidiary of Clarke, a 65-year-old family-owned company that has been at the forefront of mosquito control for many decades.
It supplies to local and state government, pest-control operators, mines, resorts, retail and many others in the private sector.
In 2005 the company diversified into the rural wholesale market.
Pacific Biologics Goes Green With Toyota Forklift