BATTERIES
37
JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2015
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INTERNATIONAL
boundaries
manufacturedAGM before andnow it’s a little
less than twohours away from our current
manufacturing plant.”
In the lift and accessmarket,Europe takes
the lead in the use of valve-regulated, lead-acid
battery technology – themaintenance free
battery.
TheUSAwill also see a certain rise in
usage, saysMsHall,particularly as a result of
anti-idling laws. “We are behindEurope in
theUSA in the use and adoption of valve-
regulated technology on construction sites.”
That catch up is not guaranteed tohappen
quickly, “but it’s starting tomove for us; a
lot of our customers that we have provided
flooded batteries towantAGMnow, sowe
have to be ready for that in themarketplace.”
MsHall adds, “The flooded batterywill
never go away, I am very confident in saying
that -when you look atAGM versus flooded
it costsmore.”
Challenges ahead
The challenge lies in convincing the customer
toweigh up that extra cost with the extra
maintenance of a flooded battery. “If you look
at scissor lifts,where youhavemanymachines,
youhave to factor the cost of the technology,”
MsHall explains.
“Here in theUS batteries fail very early.
Youpaid less for a flooded battery but you
have to replace it.We have some lift and
access customerswhose equipment is in a
construction yard andnoone carries distilled
water over there tofill the batteries, so they
are suffering greatly.When you factor that in
AGM is actually a lower cost thanflooded.”
MsHall adds, “We are not going to force
feed it to our customers; our customers have
the option ofAGM, if itmakes sense for them
in their situation.
“But we didn’t want to be sitting on the
wayside andnot have a product that could
meet their needs.”
AI
PROPRIETARYPASTE FORMULA
O
ne of the features of theReliant AG
M rangeand
theC-Max technology containedwithin is an even
paste formuladeveloped to yield smaller
crystal siz
ewithhigher surfacearea. Thepaste
formulationmaximises capacity, provides sustained
performance and increases total energy output.
Thedual-sidedpastingprocessmeans plates are
pasted onboth sideswhich yields consistent plate
thickness toprovide sustainedperformance.
UNIQUE SEPARATORCOMPOSITION
Thickdesign ensures high compression for effective
contact betweenglassmat andplateswhich
protects against stratifi
cation for extendedbattery
life.
PLASTIC POLYMER CASE DESIGN
Distinct plasticpolymer case formulawith
reinforced case endwalls increases durability and
provides higher battery cell compression toensure
reliableperformance.
MAXIMUM FLAME ARRESTORS
Features oneflamearrestor for each cell for
maximum safety.
USA-BASEDMANUFACTURING
The companywill produce thebatteries in its own
factory inSandersville, G
eorgia, with the latest
technology, components andquality standards.
KEY FEATURES
Anothermodel from the
Reliant AGM range, the L16-AGM.
