On the 23rd and 24th of March KFE Forklift Italia, hosted two days of technical training. KFE is our exclusive distributor for products and parts all over the Italian territory, through a strongly present dealership network.
More than 50 technicians coming from all over Italy came to Bologna to attend the EP machines focused technical training held by Hardy Klapproth, EP Technical Manager and Jader Gironi, KFE Technical Manager. The two days of training were fully dedicated to new EP products:
- TVL Series. Three-wheel forklift that comes with a compact-sized EP Li-Ion battery and an 80V/35A single-phase integrated charger with 16amp plug allowing the truck to be charged at any power outlet. Powered by the 80 volt 2*5 kW dual drive motors, the TVL series has greatly enhanced its productivity of 6 working hours per charge.
- FVL series. 4-wheel dual drive counterbalance forklift truck with load capacity of 1.8/2.0ton. This truck demonstrates a compact design to maneuver in confined space while its 80V 5.0*2kW dual drive system maximizes transportation efficiency. The FVL series adopts 80V/205Ah maintenance-free Li-ion battery and 80V/35A integrated charger as standard, which makes it an ideal solution to boost productivity for multiple work shift arrangement owing to opportunity charging.
- EFL 3 SERIES. The new generation of the EFL series features better durability and greater maneuverability in confined spaces. For ergonomic considerations, EP upgraded the LCD to consolidate essential truck information at one glance, which ensures ample workspace and an easy driving experience.
- WSA161 is a lithium powered pedestrian stacker with load capacity of 1.6 ton, offering strong performance when storing goods even at heights up to 5.5m. It adopts a multifunctional tiller head with the turtle speed button and the proportional lifting button for precise and convenient operation. With its small turning radius, the WSA161 is ideal for transportation tasks in confined spaces. It also features high availability thanks to opportunity charging and no maintenance required.
- WPL202 is a lithium powered pedestrian pallet truck with load capacity of 2.0 ton, ideal for goods transportation in confined and congested spaces. The WPL202 is equipped with 24V100Ah Li-ion battery and 24V30A integrated charger and effectively boosts productivity due to opportunity charging. The upgraded castor wheels increase stability during walking on uneven roads and ramps.
The training was split into a theory part and a practical one and focused on these products and the possible error codes that could happen while working with the truck. In addition to new EP products, EP Care was also a subject involved in this training, as it is a key resource provided by EP to technical support teams. Some technicians already knew about EP Care, but for some new partners, it was a whole new world to discover.
EP Care is EP’s after sales support that provides customers with spare parts, manuals, and telematics support. EP care allows technical teams to do the troubleshooting via the error codes, download manuals and different product related documents, see which spare parts are needed and order them. The technicians are also able to troubleshoot and solve the errors with the mobile app that connects to the truck via Bluetooth.
Another interesting topic discussed was Lithium-ion batteries. Many technicians were surprised by the fact that they could intervene on the batteries and open them. As Hardy and Jader explained, it depends on the manufacturer and the material used to build the battery.
Some batteries are made with NMC cells which have a high possibility of inflammation and explosion when punctures or overheated and this makes the battery dangerous. EP’s Lithium-ion batteries are made with LFP technology, which offers good electrochemical performance with low resistance. The key benefits are high current rating and long cycle life, besides good thermal stability, enhanced safety, and tolerance if abused. This makes the battery completely safe and the intervention possible.
In this occasion, our team had the opportunity to get feedback from Italian dealers and technicians:
“This training is a good opportunity for technicians to get to know EP world well, that in my opinion is very nice. As a technician, it’s very easy to intervene on the machines, unlike other brands that require disassembling the whole machine to make an intervention. The machines are very reliable and easy both to maintain and to use for the operator. I think it’s also very well that you can interact with the truck via Bluetooth and with any Zapi console. So, congratulations EP!”
Angelo Masullo – A&G ELEVATORI
“These training sessions are useful mostly to get closer to new technologies such as managing the new electronic systems, the brand new BMSs and the new batteries with advanced lithium technology present on EP forklifts.”
Franco Ruggiero – CEO KFE FORKLIFT ITALIA
“It was a great and useful experience, with very nice people. In my opinion, EP is in continuous evolution, both for the design and for the performance. Sempre forza EP!”
Ilario Iorio – TECNOCAR
“It’s a very useful training, we got familiar with the machines, and we had the opportunity to get to know the error codes and solve them.”
Gabriele Marta – MAXICAR
“The meeting was very interesting, exhaustive, and well-illustrated. We had the opportunity to see the main diagnostics consoles regarding possible issues, and they explained to us thoroughly the Lithium-ion batteries, as EP trucks mainly carry these.
I brought here with me the entire technical team of Cesena service, which is composed by 13 technicians, to give a basic training to everyone and be able then to present the product to the end customer correctly. We thank EP and KFE for this training, and we hope that our collaboration has an exciting continuation for both sides!”
Matteo Lucchi – Service Manager at Cesena Service
We want to thank Giuliana Sarti and Franco Ruggiero from KFE FORKLIFT ITALIA for hosting this technical training. At EP, we care about our dealership network, and we value these events as they’re important to show our dealers that we are always there to support them and grow with them.
