BYD forklift home appliance industry application case: lithium battery equipment empowers production logistics to operate efficiently

Home appliance manufacturing is an industry with intensive industrial chain coordination. From raw material warehousing, workshop production line transfer to finished product palletizing and outbound, the efficiency and stability of material handling directly affect the production rhythm and delivery ability. Especially for seasonal home appliances such as air conditioners, peak production and sales hours have higher requirements for the battery life and continuous operation reliability of handling equipment. After years of deep cultivation in industry scenarios, BYD forklifts have been applied on a large scale in many fields such as food and beverage, papermaking, automobiles, home appliances, etc., and are committed to optimizing logistics handling efficiency and reducing comprehensive operating costs for customers. This paper takes the Nanchang production base of an air conditioner group as an example to analyze the application value of lithium-ion forklifts in home appliance manufacturing scenarios.

First, the logistics operation characteristics of home appliance manufacturing bases

The air-conditioning group is at the forefront of the industry and has eight major production bases across the country. The Nanchang base is its important production sector. The factory covers a wide area and has a large production capacity. There are about 200 forklifts, of which electric forklifts account for more than 90%. Only a small number of internal combustion forklifts are used in specific scenarios. The base logistics system covers raw material warehouses, copper pipe workshops, sheet metal workshops, plastic workshops, final assembly workshops, and finished product warehouses. All links are closely connected to form an integrated internal logistics system.

From the perspective of operation conditions, the logistics of the base presents four major characteristics. First, the operation time is long, the base implements a two-shift production mode, and the forklift needs to operate continuously and uninterrupted, which requires high equipment battery life and stability. Second, the seasonal fluctuations are obvious, the air-conditioning products have strong production and sales seasonality, the logistics handling intensity is significantly improved during the peak delivery period, and the equipment needs to maintain efficient operation under high load. Third, the transshipment distance is long, the transshipment distance between the workshop, warehouse and loading and unloading platform is about 1000 meters, and the forklift needs to operate frequently. The speed limit in the factory area is 10km/h, which has corresponding requirements for the ride comfort and battery life of the equipment. Fourth, the load is moderate and requires palletizing operations. The weight of a single cargo is about 1 ton. The finished product warehouse needs to complete the palletizing and stacking, and there are corresponding standards for the accuracy and smoothness of the equipment lifting control.

Second, the operating pain points of traditional handling equipment

With the growth of business scale, the original handling equipment of Nanchang base has gradually exposed many shortcomings in adaptability. The first is the efficiency bottleneck of lead-acid battery forklifts, which is limited by battery life and charging time, making it difficult to balance operational efficiency and cost control, and cannot fully meet the needs of high-intensity continuous operation. Secondly, the cost pressure of internal combustion forklifts, with high fuel consumption costs and uncertainty with energy price fluctuations, long-term operating expenditure pressure is greater. The third is that equipment maintenance takes a lot of time. Lead-acid battery forklifts need to replace batteries and electrolyte regularly, and the daily maintenance process is cumbersome. It takes up more operating time for equipment maintenance every day, which indirectly affects the efficiency of logistics operation.

III. Customized solutions for BYD forklifts

Combining the working conditions of the Nanchang base with the seasonal peak operation demand, BYD forklift developed an exclusive new energy logistics handling plan for it, matching the base's needs from three dimensions: equipment configuration, function customization, and service guarantee.

In terms of equipment configuration, BYD has provided nearly 100 counterbalanced electric forklifts for the base, equipped with 540Ah large-capacity lithium iron phosphate batteries, with sufficient battery life, which can fully meet the needs of two-shift operations, and can maintain stable handling efficiency even during peak logistics periods. In terms of function customization, combined with the speed limit requirements of the factory, the maximum speed of the forklift is set to 10km/h, and safety functions such as turning speed reduction and high speed limit are standard to further ensure the safety of goods and operators. Vehicles are equipped with warning lights, voice reminders, and other humanized configurations to enhance the safety and convenience of the operation process. In terms of service support, BYD has conducted professional forklift operation and maintenance knowledge training for the base, and established an exclusive after-sales services team to regularly conduct equipment inspections and maintenance to ensure the stable operation of the fleet.

IV. The practical results of the application

After being put into use for a period of time, the operation performance of BYD forklifts has been recognized by the base. From the management side, the warehouse supervisor reported that BYD forklifts operate smoothly and have low noise. The base has centrally deployed vehicles in the finished product warehouse for handling operations, and the equipment can meet the shipment handling needs in terms of power, battery life, and operation efficiency. From the operation side, the forklift driver said that the vehicle is easy to operate, and the charging speed is fast. Replenishing electricity between shifts can meet the operation needs of the next shift; the battery does not require daily maintenance, eliminating the maintenance process of traditional lead-acid batteries and saving a lot of operation time.

The logistics upgrade of the home appliance industry is an important microcosm of the green transformation of the manufacturing industry. BYD forklifts always take the actual needs of customers as the starting point, match the pain points of the scene through on-the-spot research, and provide suitable equipment and service solutions. In the future, BYD will continue to deepen the field of home appliances and more manufacturing industry scenarios, and polish lithium battery handling solutions that better meet the production needs, so as to help more enterprises achieve efficient and green upgrades of in-plant logistics.