JOWA
AG, based in Volketswil in the Canton of Zürich, is the leading Swiss bakery
supplying bread, cakes, pastries and pasta products to all Migros stores, as
well as many other businesses and catering facilities. These are made in eleven
regional bakeries – such as Gossau, a suburb of St. Gallen. A fleet of nine
electric forklift trucks ensures the fast and emission-free transport of goods.
Until
recently, JOWA relied on 50 Hz chargers as the power supply for their lead-acid
batteries. These simply rested on the hall floor and took up much valuable
space. With traction batteries weighing almost 400 kilos, changing them not
only took a vast amount of effort, but there was also a considerable safety
risk involved. The technology also had clear weaknesses in terms of energy
efficiency and battery service life.
Fronius
provided JOWA with a compact charging station with eight Selectiva 2kW devices.
These are mounted on a stand to save space. Thanks to the height-adjustable
transfer trolley, changing a battery has never been easier. The Ri charging
process reduces energy consumption when charging by up to 30% and extends
battery life. The Cool Battery Guide Easy information and management system
uses an LED strip to guide employees intuitively to the battery that has been
charged the longest – this optimises pool utilisation and reduces operating
costs.