Material handling has long led the charge in electrification. How can OEMs leverage the latest trends in this space to ensure operational efficiency and environmental responsibility?
As part of the 2025 Future of Electrification conference, this question was answered in the session, “Material Handling Equipment Battery Charging Trends,” presented by Mourad Chergui, Sr. Product Manager at Delta-Q Technologies, and Marco Sabatini, Key Account Manager at ZIVAN.
With chargers emerging as a key component in OEM success, this session equips machine design engineers, fleet managers, and R&D teams to make educated calculations on electrical equipment charging needs.
Top Three Takeaways
Chergui and Sabatini’s dual discussion, spanning the history of electrified material handlers to cutting-edge designs of the future, offered critical insights into the state of the industry. Note three primary takeaways.
1. Charging Technology is a Primary Efficiency Driver
Where many industries simply see the final results of a charger—plug-in to power a battery—invisible losses occurring throughout this process can add up.
Sabatini, in particular, noted that old ferroresonant chargers often suffered from crippling inefficiencies across:
- Input current limits
- Energy conversion
- Standby losses
These inefficiencies grew to such proportions that regulations emerged specifically to combat them. The California Energy Commission (CEC) led the charge some decades prior, introducing hard requirements for battery charger manufacturers.
Today, power conversion efficiency must reach at least 89% to meet regulatory standards. The key to doing so, as Sabatini noted, lies in moving away from ferroresonant to high-frequency charging solutions.
2. Smart Warehousing is Driving New Material Handling Trends
Chergui introduced several emerging technologies that show great promise in optimizing operations for success. These include:
- Digitalization – The Internet of Things (IoT) sees continuous integration into forklifts and other material handling equipment for real-time tracking of inventory and equipment performance.
- Smart warehousing – Also known as “Industry 4.0,” automated guided vehicles (AGVs) and autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) emerge as key technologies in optimizing workflows.
- Improved efficiency – Meeting the burgeoning demands of e-commerce requires efficient processes in pickup, parking, transportation, and inventory.
- Cross-industry expansion – As electrification spreads and automation becomes the norm, fields such as pharmaceuticals and agriculture are anticipated to adopt automated material handling.
Charging solutions, Chergui concluded, promise to serve as the essential foundation for these new electric technologies and trends.
3. Mission Profile and Total Cost of OwnershipThe Shift Towards Lithium-Ion Accelerates
Chergui continued the discussion by expanding on the value of lithium-ion batteries in material handling—a sector traditionally dominated by lead acid. Indeed, the dominance ratio is anticipated to grow from only 40% li-ion adoption in 2023 to an estimated 60% by 2027.
What’s behind this significant growth? According to Chergui, the advantages inherent to lithium-ion, such as:
- Suitability for high-power, demanding applications
- Long battery cycle life
- Proven reliability and safety record
- Flat discharge curves for predictable performance
Even so, choosing the proper lithium-ion solution remains application-specific. Both Chergui and Sabatini encouraged OEMs to consult with electrification experts such as the ZAPI GROUP to determine the ideal, vertical-specific solution.
ZAPI GROUP: Charging the Future of Material Handling
As material handling advances toward smarter, cleaner, more connected operations, chargers emerge as more than peripheral components, but as strategic enablers of efficiency and compliance.
ZAPI GROUP offers the most comprehensive charging portfolio in the material handling industry, spanning high-frequency on-board systems and ruggedized off-board units—along with the expertise to see them integrated.
To learn more about how ZAPI GROUP can support your electrification strategy, watch the video below, or connect with a ZAPI GROUP expert today.