Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

IN PERSON

In Person: Dean Portney of Hawker Powersource

In our continuing series of discussions with top supply-chain company executives, Dean Portney discusses the battery market and new technologies that will influence future power systems.

DCV23_inperson_Dean_Portney.jpg

Dean Portney is vice president of sales and marketing for Hawker Powersource, a provider of batteries and modular charging systems for the motive power industry. Portney has been with Hawker for 26 years in a variety of sales and management positions, including manager of national accounts and Eastern regional sales manager. Portney, who previously worked for Potomac Industrial Trucks, has been involved with MHI for 32 years. He holds degrees in economics and finance from the University of Maryland.

Q: How would you describe the current state of the material handling and battery markets?


A: The material handling industry and battery markets are rapidly recovering from the pandemic, where supply chain issues impacted manufacturing and leadtimes significantly. During the pandemic, our battery and charger business grew exponentially and is still growing. In addition, due to changes in the workforce and the development of new battery chemistries prior to the pandemic, we were able to offer solutions and solve many of the maintenance issues that historically plagued battery operations.

Q: What impact have new types of batteries, such as lithium and hydrogen, had on the industry?

A: New power chemistries have had a positive impact on the industry, considering staffing issue challenges, in addition to the growing autonomous vehicle market. They’ve offered even more advantageous benefits.

The key to a good power partner is users not accepting a “one size fits all” approach. Simply stated, different chemistries offer unique benefits and potential solutions for delivering cost reductions. We refer to these as hybrid solutions—where a user may use a combination of chemistries under one roof by having an expert pair the appropriate, lowest-cost solution for each type of truck and application in their operation(s).

Q: Users have gradually been moving away from internal combustion forklifts to electric models. How has that impacted your company and growth in the market?

A: The shift from IC to electric-powered trucks would naturally appear to increase growth in the motive power industry—especially when you consider that in some markets, electric fork trucks account for more than 65% of that market and their share is still growing. It’s important not to forget that the introduction of fast charging in the late 1990s, followed by the emergence of opportunity charging over the last seven years, allows us to take advantage of advanced chemistries. These charging dynamics along with the use of new chemistries have decreased the number of batteries historically applied per truck in higher-demand applications.

Q: How has the growth in adoption of autonomous mobile robots affected the battery industry?

A: Autonomous material handling vehicles have assisted in driving the development of advanced maintenance-free solutions on the power side as well as inductive (wireless) charging, almost eliminating the need for human intervention. This package is truly autonomous. This has the potential to increase the life of products, thus reducing the need for replacement batteries.

Q: What technologies have most impacted the design of batteries and chargers during the past five years?

A: Thin plate pure lead (TPPL) and lithium battery technologies have impacted us greatly over the past five years. Many are predicting maintenance-free advanced chemistries will grow to 40% of the market over the next few years. As Hawker has been the pioneer in the high-frequency switch-mode -charger technology since 1984, we are well positioned to provide superior inductive charging in motive power that will have significant impact on charging for years to come.

Q: Are there particular technologies or projects you are developing that you wish to share?

A: We’ve been in the monitoring business for about 17 years and are developing a new product with AI. This new technology will encompass learning and accurate predictive analytics, benefiting users.

Q: What places your company in a unique position to offer and supply value to users of electric vehicles?

A: Hawker has been a motive power solutions provider dating back almost 40 years. With our breadth of battery chemistries, charging technologies, data devices, and modeling software like Hawker Edge, we are in a unique position to offer advanced hybrid-motive power solutions, employing customer operational and cost data.

The Latest

More Stories

From pingpong diplomacy to supply chain diplomacy?

There’s a photo from 1971 that John Kent, professor of supply chain management at the University of Arkansas, likes to show. It’s of a shaggy-haired 18-year-old named Glenn Cowan grinning at three-time world table tennis champion Zhuang Zedong, while holding a silk tapestry Zhuang had just given him. Cowan was a member of the U.S. table tennis team who participated in the 1971 World Table Tennis Championships in Nagoya, Japan. Story has it that one morning, he overslept and missed his bus to the tournament and had to hitch a ride with the Chinese national team and met and connected with Zhuang.

Cowan and Zhuang’s interaction led to an invitation for the U.S. team to visit China. At the time, the two countries were just beginning to emerge from a 20-year period of decidedly frosty relations, strict travel bans, and trade restrictions. The highly publicized trip signaled a willingness on both sides to renew relations and launched the term “pingpong diplomacy.”

Keep ReadingShow less

Featured

forklift driving through warehouse

Hyster-Yale to expand domestic manufacturing

Hyster-Yale Materials Handling today announced its plans to fulfill the domestic manufacturing requirements of the Build America, Buy America (BABA) Act for certain portions of its lineup of forklift trucks and container handling equipment.

That means the Greenville, North Carolina-based company now plans to expand its existing American manufacturing with a targeted set of high-capacity models, including electric options, that align with the needs of infrastructure projects subject to BABA requirements. The company’s plans include determining the optimal production location in the United States, strategically expanding sourcing agreements to meet local material requirements, and further developing electric power options for high-capacity equipment.

Keep ReadingShow less
map of truck routes in US

California moves a step closer to requiring EV sales only by 2035

Federal regulators today gave California a green light to tackle the remaining steps to finalize its plan to gradually shift new car sales in the state by 2035 to only zero-emissions models — meaning battery-electric, hydrogen fuel cell, and plug-in hybrid cars — known as the Advanced Clean Cars II Rule.

In a separate move, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) also gave its approval for the state to advance its Heavy-Duty Omnibus Rule, which is crafted to significantly reduce smog-forming nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions from new heavy-duty, diesel-powered trucks.

Keep ReadingShow less
screenshots for starboard trade software

Canadian startup gains $5.5 million for AI-based global trade platform

A Canadian startup that provides AI-powered logistics solutions has gained $5.5 million in seed funding to support its concept of creating a digital platform for global trade, according to Toronto-based Starboard.

The round was led by Eclipse, with participation from previous backers Garuda Ventures and Everywhere Ventures. The firm says it will use its new backing to expand its engineering team in Toronto and accelerate its AI-driven product development to simplify supply chain complexities.

Keep ReadingShow less
chart of global trade forecast

Tariff threat pours cold water on global trade forecast

Global trade will see a moderate rebound in 2025, likely growing by 3.6% in volume terms, helped by companies restocking and households renewing purchases of durable goods while reducing spending on services, according to a forecast from trade credit insurer Allianz Trade.

The end of the year for 2024 will also likely be supported by companies rushing to ship goods in anticipation of the higher tariffs likely to be imposed by the coming Trump administration, and other potential disruptions in the coming quarters, the report said.

Keep ReadingShow less