Procter & Gamble, owner of Gillette, Pringles and CoverGirl, announced this week that it will trade its battery-operated forklifts for ones that are powered by hydrogen fuel cells.
More than 200 forklifts at three P&G manufacturing facilities in California, North Carolina and Louisiana will switch over to the fuel cell models in the upcoming weeks. The company joins Cola-Cola and Wal-Mart in its use of this clean technology.
The Cincinnati-based Fortune 500 consumer goods company is already considering converting to hydrogen fuel cell-powered forklifts at two additional factories.
The fuel cells require less routine maintenance and are faster to refuel than the battery powered forklifts the company currently uses. The cells are designed to operate for an 8-hour shift without replenishment.
It takes about two minutes to refuel a lift with hydrogen gas.
“Fuel cell forklifts can be a financially attractive proposition that increase productivity while helping us reach our sustainability vision,” said Stefano Zenezini, vice president of P&G’s Global Family Care Product Supply and Global Product Supply Sustainability. “Our internal analysis shows that we can not only achieve the sustainability benefits, but can also achieve an attractive rate of return on our investment at the same time.”
Main photo credit: National Research Council Canada