The range includes counterbalances, pallet movers and reach trucks.
"This saves time, because there's no longer a need for battery changeovers," said Tom Gelderd, key accounts manager, Jungheinrich UK. "It also reduces operational costs because they only need half the number of batteries. Space where the battery change roller beds were located has now been made available and JJs have been able to store pallets in some of these areas. And there's the health and safety aspect that comes from no longer needing to change batteries."
JJ Foodservice is trusted by food businesses from sandwich bars to Michelin-starred restaurants. The family-run business operates from 12 branches across the UK.
"JJ Foodservice was using a mix of gas and electric trucks," Gelderd added. "Reducing the fleet's carbon footprint and optimising operational costs were key priorities, but logistics and health and safety were also big drivers of change".
"The existing fleet of MHE had been powered by 200+ batteries and the previous supplier had not explored battery change systems. The operations team were required to manually change batteries on a roller bed system. This is a common solution in the UK, however on a reach truck, where a battery can weigh the best part of a tonne, this is physically exerting and comes with H&S concerns, fatigue and logistical challenges. There was a clear opportunity to explore other solutions and work with JJ Foodservice to operate more efficiently."
Kaan Hendekli, chief operating officer at JJ Foodservice was impressed by Jungheinrich's approach. "They were super-attentive, super-interested. They visited every single branch to identify the specific needs of each site. That level of commitment and personal touch was why we chose Jungheinrich. You care."
Replacing the internal combustion engine (ICE) trucks presented, on the face of it, just as big a challenge. Unless JJ Foodservice could feel confident that its counterbalances had the necessary charging windows and charge points, they would need to remain.
Jungheinrich placed a tracker on the ICE trucks to identify charging windows and optimal locations and was able to seamlessly convert to electric without disrupting any operational shift patterns.
JJ Foodservice warehouses operate a double-deep racking system (that is, two pallet racks placed back-to-back). This increases the storage of each warehouse but requires trucks with extendable forks in order to reach pallets in the rear bays.
At height, this had created real challenges for forklift operators who need to be diligent to avoid racking damage. JJ Foodservice's trucks already had cameras fitted, but it was clear that, with different lighting levels and racking heights, the trucks needed a site-specific camera fitted to each truck, tailored to each branch's requirements.
A range of lenses, including a wide-angle lens, now give truck operators the vision they need to reduce rack and product damage at each site.
In addition to improved visibility, the narrower truck width has given a greater aisle clearance that is helping to protect valuable stock.
Carbon reduction was a key factor in JJ Foodservice partnering with Jungheinrich. So how much CO2 has actually been saved?
"We did a TCO (total cost of ownership) assessment comparing JJ Foodservice's Co2 impact with Jungheinrich and the previous supplier," explained Gelderd. "We found that every truck is saving over 1kg of CO2 every week compared with a competitor's new truck , with total savings over the contract term of 1,027,925kg.
Jungheinrich has now completed a phased introduction of JJ Foodservice's fleet. Now, the partnership has progressed to racking at JJ Foodservice's new Wimbledon Branch and Enfield site.