Flow-Rite
No more stalled forklifts: Flow-Rite delivers a connected way to predict + prevent battery failure, so factories can stay on schedule.
The
Challenge
Flow-Rite designs and manufactures fluid control systems for lead acid batteries, often in use for fleets of up to 200 forklifts. With so many batteries to maintain, it was not uncommon to miss a task that caused battery failure during critical operation times. They saw an opportunity to monitor battery health and automate a maintenance schedule to keep forklifts—and all the operations they supported—right on schedule. We imagined and developed a sensor sending data to a cloud-connected app, shifting the burden from employees and dramatically simplifying battery maintenance.
Work Summary
In the toolbox:
Stakeholder Research & Analysis
Mobile & Web App Implementation
Edge Device Development
Product Design
Researching the hurdles and desires of factory operators, we learned that although some competitors helped identify where a battery failed, no one was using sensor data to prevent battery failure or improve productivity.
Our solution to keep forklifts moving needed to include:
- A digital (no more spreadsheets!), automated way to monitor battery health and plan maintenance
- Safeguards to prevent battery failure and understand battery health at a glance
- Remote sensor that gathers and transmits data without complicating workflows
The
impact
Battery Steward is a completely new product offering in Flow-Rite’s industry, measuring real-time battery temperatures, recording watering events, and monitoring battery usage and draw. Flow-Rite’s customers have reduced paperwork while sharing knowledge more broadly through the mobile app, increased efficiency with planned group maintenance of batteries to minimize downtime, and extended the life of their batteries through timely service.
Positively
quotable.
“We’ve always been a mechanical company, and we knew we had to expand outside of what we’ve traditionally done. Companies now see us as a technology company!”
Get
started.
Digital transformation,
with a twist.
