Batteries and the critical power they provide are top considerations for material handling companies.
Battery makeup, power capabilities, and the technologies included are all of key importance when selecting a battery source.
As the new year gets underway, Material Handling Wholesaler spoke with industry experts about how technology is evolving, what customers are looking for, and a few near-term projections.
East Penn Manufacturing Co.
Joel Brady, vice president of marketing at East Penn Manufacturing Co., said the business’s leaders sometimes utilize a slogan of sorts: “How you use your battery time directly affects your bottom line.” Put another way, battery power has a direct correlation to profitability, Brady said.
As a private, family-owned company, East Penn operates the largest single-site lead battery manufacturing facility in the world, according to its website. David Corey, group vice president of East Penn’s Motive Power Division, said customers are looking for both reduced maintenance and accessible data in battery options.
Chad Muir, vice president of sales of the Motive Power Division, agreed. “They want data to be more accessible; easier to collect,” he said. This makes part of the goal for manufacturers like East Penn how to make the data manageable and usable for the end user, according to Muir.
One way the company has recently sought to meet that need is through the launch of East Penn’s new Deka Ready Power product family.
Announced at the ProMat 2025 show in Chicago, the family includes both lithium and gel technologies, according to a press release. Deka Ready Power Lithium is designed for heavy-duty environments, and Deka Ready Power Gel, featuring an advanced Flo-Gel™ design, is meant for light- and medium-duty applications, the statement said.
There is also a lot of conversation throughout the industry about what is next for battery technology, including what may evolve beyond lithium, according to Muir. “It’s a great technology from a power perspective,” he said of lithium, adding that customers also want to keep an eye on what may be next.
Even as battery technology evolves, Muir and Corey agreed that traditional power sources remain strong.
“Lead is still very good and will continue to be good,” Corey said. He said the move toward automated guided vehicles and automated forklifts among material handling companies is notable, especially as the industry works to address labor shortages.
But automation requires operations and maintenance specific to the technology, which East Penn takes into account when helping customers with power sourcing.
The company also aims to focus on sales education and assisting with field application. “As the industry brings new technology and innovation, we need to look for new ways of bringing high levels of operational efficiency,” Muir said.
Brady said the company is building upon a history of eight decades of service to continue to meet customer expectations.
“We challenge ourselves as a company to listen closely to the consumer about what solution is best for their operation,” he said, adding that the company aims to ensure its customers are well-educated about their power options. “We really do work hard to be a good partner. And we have the years to prove it,” Brady said. “We want to be a company that can be trusted.”
Muir agreed, noting that in the current environment with options abounding, East Penn wants to help its customers make the right financial decisions for each specific fleet. “We have access to a lot of tools that help guide customers through,” he said. “We want to make sure they’re putting pressure on power providers to help them make an informed decision.”
Flux Power
At Flux Power, 2026 is about “taking battery intelligence to the next level,” according to Kelly Frey, CRO.
The company’s lithium-ion batteries are “cutting-edge energy solutions engineered to power electric ground support and material handling equipment,” according to the business website.
Frey said the company seeks to “raise the bar” on battery intelligence and energy optimization this year.
“Our plan is to continue to advance the smart technologies that sit at the core of our lithium-ion solutions,” he said, noting that Flux Power is expanding the capabilities of SkyEMS, its integrated telemetry and energy management platform.
This expansion will allow for deeper insights, more automation, and higher ROI for fleet operators, according to Frey.
“Building on our recent ‘State of Health’ innovation, we will enhance how our systems monitor, predict, and optimize battery performance across diverse fleet environments,” he said.
Flux Power’s new State of Health patent is more than a technical milestone, according to Frey.
“It represents the next stage in the company’s strategy to deliver smarter, longer-lasting and more predictive lithium-ion solutions for industrial fleets,” he said, noting that the technology gives the company a proprietary method for continuously assessing battery health using real-world usage data.
“The SOH capability is a building block for more advanced predictive analytics, adaptive charging, and AI-driven fleet insights that Flux Power is already developing,” Frey said. The upgrades will improve uptime and extend lifecycle value, according to Frey. “And allow customers to make data-driven decisions faster and with greater confidence,” he said.
Technological advances are needed as demand for electrification, sustainability, and operational transparency across material handling markets grows, according to Frey.
He said there is continued “strong adoption momentum” for lithium-ion across the industry.
“Rapid fleet electrification, tighter sustainability goals, and labor and uptime pressures keep pushing operators toward lithium-ion,” Frey said. “We see this every day with our current and new customer base.”
In addition, he noted that the industry’s emphasis is on data-driven fleet energy management.
“Customers are leveraging telematics to optimize charging windows, identify under-utilized assets, and reduce peak-demand energy costs,” Frey said. “Flux Power’s SkyEMS has a seamless connection to keep operations agile and informed, ensuring ongoing fleet and battery optimization.”
Frey believes demand for lithium-ion batteries is growing because they enable reduced energy use, fewer battery replacements, lower downtime, and measurable productivity gains. “This is also why Flux Power has a robust end-of-life cycle recycling program,” he said, adding that the program offers a “clear, responsible and safe recycling pathway.”
Frey said Flux Power is seeing companies move entire fleets away from lead-acid to meet labor-force needs, improve space efficiency in charging infrastructure, and advance sustainability. “This is clear with the momentum we have seen in 2025 as we went from 25k battery packs in the market in February to over 30k in December,” he said.
About the Columnist:
Eileen Mozinski Schmidt is a writer and journalist based in the Greater Milwaukee area. If your company would like to be featured, email [email protected]
