SHS first contacted us in early 2023, as an established Material Handling Supplier they saw a opportunity to manufacture their own high quality and reliable electric pallet truck.
The Design Support Team at Convert worked with SHS from the first concepts and initial samples in 2023, through design reviews and enhancements, to reach a full set of working proto-type harnesses, for control modules and power delivery.
Feasibility and compatibility studies, crimping trials and design review were carried out regularly throughout the various phases of the project introduction. As a supplier to many high prestige vehicle and equipment manufacturers we were able to use our many years of experience as a ‘print to build’ supplier to help build quality and reliability into the design stages of this project.
The Convert team were responsible for component selection to ensure the products would be suitable for the working environment for a pallet truck, from cable construction and specification to physical abrasion protection against the moving parts of the truck.
Following on from concept proto-typing Convert produced the first pre-series batch in late 2023, a small run of 10 units to be used for product review.
Further design enhancements and modifications followed with a second pre-series batch supplied for product compliance testing and customer trials. After several months operating in customer’s warehouses and on their delivery trucks the reliability and functionality of the trucks was proved and we could move to low volume production preparation stage.
Feedback from these trials was used to create the final harness package design. Including detailed cable preparation and assembly worksheets, custom functional test programs and harnesses and a efficient manufacturing process plan.
The Design Support and New Product Introduction team handed over to the Production team, with low volume production continuing throughout 2024 to support a successful product launch.
We like to think the quality of the Design Support provided by Convert has helped our Customer achieve their goal of supplying a high quality and reliable solution into the market place.
On the back of this success Convert is anticipating orders for runs of 500 to 1000 trucks in the coming months, and the knowledge that ours products will be helping move deliveries around, safely and reliably, for years to come.