Mannington Commercial is a U.S. manufacturer of both carpet and hard surface flooring for the contract market. Mannington has been nationally recognized as a genuine leader in product and design accomplishments, as well as operational excellence and environmental stewardship.

Challenges:

*Determine if Electrics can Replace 24 LPG Units

*Lower Operating Costs

*Improve Forklift Driver’s Safety and Ergonomics

*Honor Mannington’s Environmental Vision by Reducing Carbon Footprint

Analysis
“All the major bands were trialed” said Gary Gotkowski, Plant Procurement Manager. All the truck and battery/charger competition brought in their equipment for drivers to evaluate and also to prove whether or not they could replace the Internal Combustion trucks with Electrics.

The MHI team decided that the best truck to meet the demands of the application was the Linde 80 volt electric truck. Once the truck proved it could handle all of the same jobs as the LPG (including going outside regardless of the weather!), the AMP  battery and charger team went to work on an energy audit. In regards to the testing Gotkowski stated “You guys went the extra mile”.
Results

Mannington wanted to continue leasing equipment. The MHI team put together a Long Term Rental proposal that matched the equipment type, application, and financing to produce the lowest monthly cash outlay for overall operating costs. Factors included in the ROI:

• Economic Truck Life – Electric trucks last longer and help to lengthen the term thereby reducing monthly payments
• Fuel – Energy costs are reduced by 80% over LPG
• Emissions – Zero emission trucks reinforce Mannington’s environmental vision
• Operator Safety – Trucks refuel in the area they work reducing in-plant traffic
• Operator Safety – Eliminating LP Tank changing lowers exposure to injuries
• Downtime – There are less moving parts that require maintenance on Electrics
• Supplier Consolidation – MHI/AMP work as one team for trucks, batteries, chargers, maintenance, leases, etc.

Still Going Strong

The Mannington/MHI relationship has only gotten better since the beginning in 2004. MHI helped put more products in the same space with Electric Very Narrow Aisle vehicles from Bendi in 2007. As the older LPG units continue to come off lease they are being replaced with Electrics. Commenting on Michael and Patrick Sain’s hands-on approach to all aspects of Mannington’s business Gotkowski said “It’s what your family is, your business, and your lives. You are involved in the pulse and the heartbeat”.

If you would like more information about this topic, or to schedule an interview with Michael Sain, please call 615-445-4550 or email to mikesain@mhiusa.net