Vedanta Aluminium Commissions India’s Largest Li-Ion Forklifts Fleet

India’s largest aluminum producer and private sector miner, Vedanta Aluminium has announced commissioning India’s largest electric fleet of 27 forklifts. This electric fleet is powered by lithium-ion batteries.

This is the first step in Vedanta Aluminium’s attempts to decarbonize its industrial vehicle fleet, and it was done in collaboration with GEAR (Gemini Equipment and Rentals Private Limited) India. The company’s aluminum smelter at Jharsuguda, Odisha, which is the world’s largest single-location aluminum smelter, ex-China, received all 27 forklifts last month and is now operational.

Simultaneously, Vedanta Aluminium is recruiting and training women to operate these top-of-the-line forklifts to increase women’s participation in essential industrial processes. Along with women’s empowerment, this could be a positive start toward making the country self-reliant speedily.

• To help assure the highest standards of safety on site, these electric forklifts feature the cutting-edge ‘Smart Fleet Management’ system. 
• The Smart Fleet Management system integrates data collected by intelligent terminals with IoT (Internet of Things) technology to provide Vedanta Aluminum with real-time insights on forklift speed, access to the operation, collision avoidance, and optimization analysis for operational efficiency, and equipment maintenance, among other things. 
• Furthermore, these electric forklifts feature forward and reverse cameras to provide complete vision to the workers, as well as red-zone light and blue spotlights to create a safe working zone around the forklift and an automatic deceleration mechanism while turning for further safety.

other advantages of this ‘green fleet’ include:

• Diesel consumption was reduced by more than 2.5 lakh liters per year.
• GHG (greenhouse gas) emissions are reduced by about 690 tonnes of CO2.
• Rapid charging increases the productivity of operations by allowing for longer working cycles.
• They have a far longer life than traditional lead-acid batteries and are nearly maintenance-free because they are sealed.

Rahul Sharma, CEO of Aluminum Business, Vedanta Limited, commented on the deployment of India’s largest lithium-ion forklift fleet, “Vedanta, as India’s largest producer of aluminum, is committed to our dual objective of producing the best quality of aluminum for our customers while ensuring sustainable development of our business. Excellence in ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) performance forms the bedrock upon which we evolve our business plans. In line with our commitment to achieving Net Zero Carbon by 2050, our partnership with GEAR to deploy one of India’s largest and most technologically advanced electric forklift fleets is a strong step in our journey of decarbonizing our industrial vehicle fleet. We are also leveraging this avenue to increase women’s participation in core operations by training women drivers to operate these smart forklifts.”

Varun Chopra, Executive Chairman of GEAR India, added further, “Vedanta Aluminium’s pioneering endeavor to commission India’s largest fleet of technologically advanced forklifts undoubtedly serves as an inspiration for the Indian manufacturing industry to explore emerging technology solutions for achieving their sustainable development and Net Zero goals. GEAR, India’s leading Material Handling Equipment (MHE) organization, is proud to partner with Vedanta Aluminium in their decarbonization journey.”