With retail warehouses growing ever bigger the task of workers and maintenance crews getting around the giant facilities can be challenging and calls for a different way of doing things.
This is where one of the country’s largest retailers recently took the bull by the horns and ordered a number of different models of ClubCar golf carts as drive arounds for managers as well as to carry maintenance crews and their tools quickly, quietly and cost effectively around their massive new warehouse facility in Gauteng.
A globally recognized leader in golf cart manufacturing, ClubCar has a number of different versions of their well-known carts for use in just such applications. In South Africa they are distributed and supported by Smith Power Equipment, which worked tirelessly with the retailer to find the best solutions for their needs.
Smith Power Equipment’s Joe Van der Walt says distribution centres and warehouses are growing in size and can easily require a walk of several kilometres to get from one side to the other. It is also time consuming which is counter productive in an environment that is set up exactly to service “fast moving consumer goods” that needs speedy intervention whenever assistance is required.
“We initially worked with our client to find suitable vehicles for the manager and the facility manager to drive around onsite and in the warehouse. We looked at various options ranging from our small electric warehouse tractors to petrol or gas operated golf carts. In the end however, the best solution was the new lithium range of people carriers from ClubCar. These fit the requirement like a glove, are lower maintenance than lead acid models and do not have any form of emissions as would be the case with internal combustion motors.
“Here we used a two-seater version of the ClubCar and it so impressed the retailer that they soon turned to us for to transport more people at a time and led to the subsequent introduction of our ClubCar Tempo 2+2 Lithium carts which takes four people and has proved to be a perfect fit.
“While the two seaters are used for transport inside and around the warehouse, the ClubCar Tempo 2+2 units are used at the distribution area and we recently introduced the ClubCar CA300 Utility which is used to carry workers and goods inside the distribution area. The electric utility car has a bed load capacity of 136kg and towing capacity of 362kg which makes it ideal to load maintenance equipment.
“The customer also bought peace-of-mind as ClubCar has the longest warranty in its class and the manufacturer has produced more than 1 000 000 cars in the past 10 years. It’s commitment to quality and reliability underscores our aim to provide a solid foundation for successful long-lasting partnership,” Joe says.
A less well-known benefit of Smith Power Equipment solutions is the high degree of customisation that provides customers with the ability to adapt their offerings to the individual needs of customers. This is indicated through the retail versions inclusion of safety features such as strobe lights, front headlights, taillights and horns.
The ClubCar solution is a sensible choice in a growing number of retail and industrial applications where the versatility of the carts and the quality of the brand is highlighted by their low-maintenance attributes, including quick charging, lower energy costs, longer battery life, energy efficiency and consistent battery performance.
Smith Power Equipment’s countrywide network of dealers and close collaboration with the manufacturer also ensures that local customers have a direct line to communicate with the OEM.
Sustainability goals
By introducing zero-emission electric vehicles (EVs) into the sector, this partnership contributes to the retailers sustainability goals and to a more sustainable future. ClubCar and Smith Power Equipment’s dedication to warehouse and distribution facilities to achieve sustainability objectives marks a growing trend internationally and is increasingly being adopted locally.