MHI is expanding its industry group umbrella, adding the new Advanced Energy Council (AEC). With a prior gap in education and marketing of new power technologies such as lithium batteries and fuel cells, the AEC will fill a big need for the overall material handling industry. Specifically, its mission is to inform practitioners of the best practices for using new technologies and also set the record straight on common misconceptions and myths. Technologies like lithium-ion batteries, hydrogen fuel cells and adjacent accessories will all gain attention with the group’s efforts.

As the AEC gets off the ground, it is focusing on a series of steps to accomplish its mission. One of the first is to identify the size of the new technologies market segment. Working with an established framework from MHI, the AEC will collect sales data from member participants. MHI, in turn, will run the numbers and enlighten members on market size and their individual share of it, providing the required trust and confidentiality.

Another leg of the rollout involves the development of a common language for industry professionals and their customers to use. To date, there’s been a variety of terms surrounding the various advanced technologies, sometimes leading to confusion in messaging. Having a set of terms everyone knows and understands will help with the adoption of the new advanced power options. Along with the new language, the group will also develop a set of best practices and definitions to guide the industry and its practitioners.

In addition, the group wants to facilitate a better understanding of the value advanced energy solutions provide. The reduced environmental impact is a big selling point, but so too is the fact that most of these solutions can also lead to cost reductions and enhanced safety within the warehouse.

While 20-member companies is a strong start, the AEC hopes to expand that number to 25-30 members in the next year. To that end, if you are a battery manufacturer, charger or accessory manufacturer, AMR or AGVS maker, forklift manufacturer or consultant or academic with an interest in supporting the AEC’s mission, the group welcomes your input and support. Reach out to Christian Dow, AEC Managing Executive, at cdow@mhi.org if you’d like to join the industry group.

Current AEC member company applicants include: Concentric, LLC, Conductix-Wampfler, Crown Battery Manufacturing Company, Crown Equipment Corporation, East Penn Manufacturing Co, Electrovaya, Enatel, Enersys, Ethium by EControls, Flux Power, Green Cubes Technology, Hyster-Yale Group, Inc., Micropower U.S., OneCharge Inc, The Raymond Corporation, Resonant Link, Inc., Toyota Material Handling, TWS Technology, Ugowork, and Wiferion North America Inc.

For more information about the Advanced Energy Council: https://www.mhi.org/aec