Fuel cell company Plug Power has secured a major order from European supermarket giant Colruyt Group. Plug Power announced Thursday that the Belgium-based retail chain has agreed to buy 200 GenDrive units for its Halle, Belgium facility. The Latham, New York-based company will supply GenDrive in two phase: 75 units in the first phase and 125 units in phase two.
Colruyt Group committed to sustainability initiatives
Colruyt Group has taken sustainability initiatives to optimize its operations and collaborate with its supply chain partners to minimize impact on the environment. The European company said adoption of GenDrive fuel cell solutions will improve the efficiency of its workers. Hydrogen fuel-powered GenDrive is safer for the environment as it produces only heat and water as byproducts, unlike lead-acid batteries.
Plug Power CEO Andy Marsh said his company would help Colruyt grow its sustainability efforts in Europe. The US fuel cell company continues to expand operations in the European lift truck market. In July, the company paid $11.7 million to Axane of France to acquire the remaining 80% stake in their joint venture HyPulson. Andy Marsh is also targeting European manufacturing and distribution clients as he aims to make Plug Power a $500 million enterprise in terms of revenue by 2020.
Plug Power’s GenDrive 3340 enters production
The deal with Colruyt came just days after Plug Power launched a new GenDrive 3340 fuel cell unit for pallet jack electric lift trucks. It is the latest model in the company’s Series 3000 product. The next-gen unit was designed around the company’s air-cooled fuel cell stack. It boasts of greater fuel efficiency, longer run times, and a higher reliability.
Plug Power claims that the GenDrive 3340 offers constant voltage, reducing the wear and tear on the truck’s electronics. The company has tested the new fuel cells in all distribution center and warehouse conditions, and found that it performs pretty well in extreme conditions like cold storage facilities. The GenDrive 3340 has entered production at Plug Power’s Latham manufacturing facility.
