A new cost analysis tool from Cat Lift Trucks will help customers evaluate the total cost savings between electric alternating current (AC) and internal combustion (IC) lift trucks.
The tool, the Lift Truck Cost Comparison Tool, is available on the company’s website. It will factor in acquisition cost, fuel costs, and maintenance to generate a lift truck’s total cost of ownership with a return-on-investment calculation.
“Over the last few years, the material handling industry has made a noticeable shift from the use of internal combustion forklifts to electric lift trucks, and for many customers, we’ve found that the deciding factor is cost,” said Jeff Rufener, vice president of marketing. “The Lift Truck Cost Comparison Tool is another resource to help guide customers through the decision-making process, detailing the true cost of lift truck ownership over the life of a fleet.”
The tool is available to the general public and includes real-time graph updates as information changes along with sliding bars which enable click-and-drag and default values. Users simply answer four basic steps to get started:
1. Lift truck application – Choose the application environment; enter the number of effective lift truck operating hours per shift, with the number of shifts per day and number of working days per year, or enter the total operating hours per year.
2. Existing lift truck fleet – Describe the incumbent IC fleet, enter the capacity of the forklift trucks for comparison, the number of lift trucks in the application and the acquisition costs for the existing IC trucks, or use the default list prices.
3. Electric alternative – Based on the previous information provided, the tool will recommend the electric lift truck best suited for your application and will auto-populate the default list price. Enter the number and cost of batteries and chargers, or use the default values provided.
4. Fuel and maintenance costs – Enter the cost of electricity for electric and fuel for LPG and/or Gasoline/Diesel lift trucks. Then, enter the fuel tank size and monthly maintenance costs or utilize the default values provided.
Cat Lift Trucks is also offering the Power Redefined rebate, a $500 rebate on the purchase or lease of any new electric counterbalanced Cat lift truck through Dec. 31, 2011.
