Greater Baton Rouge Food Bank

The 2016 flood in Baton Rouge caused enormous damage to the Greater Baton Rouge Food Bank, a 172,000 sq. ft. food distribution center. That destruction included the food bank’s fleet of old internal combustion forklifts. Consulting with forklift dealer Daily Equipment, peers and the Feed America organization, the consensus was that electric forklifts would be the way to go due to their lower long-term costs, asset longevity and work environment improvements.

In addition to the savings, there have been some unexpected benefits. Workplace incidents are down since the electric forklifts are quieter, something that lets the crew focus better. Plus, there’s no soot, which was always a problem. For Bob Kanas and the food bank, it all adds up to greater value—and a better way to help the communities they serve.

• MeasuresFive electric forklifts
• Initial Equipment Cost$131,145, after $2,500 Entergy rebate
• Total Estimated Annual Savings$31,380
• Estimated Site Emission Reductions250 tons of carbon dioxide