Lithium: looking good

Flux Power Holdings, a developer of lithium-ion batteries to replace lead-acid power in forklifts and other industrial equipment, has reported increased sales of its LiFT Pack batteries for Class III “walkie” pallet jack forklifts for its first financial quarter of 2017.

Company CEO, Ron Dutt, commented: “The industry response to our UL listed LiFT Packs continues to build in scope and excitement, with new enquiries, proposal requests or distribution interest being demonstrated almost daily. At this point our growth trajectory over the next few quarters is principally a function of our production, operations and sales execution because anticipated demand from our existing customers and the available market is substantially greater than our planned production levels.

“Having completed design, testing, and OEM certifications early in calendar 2016, we have built out a high-quality assembly and testing capability that now supports the production of over 100 packs per month with a wholesale value of approximately US$300,000. We are now working to ramp production to 200 packs per month, or roughly US$600,000 per month, during the third quarter of 2017. We also completed the first step in a series of planned sourcing, economies of scale and design cost reduction initiatives that will put our LiFT Pack business on a solid and profitable gross margin footing.

“While our current focus is on the lead-acid replacement opportunity, our longer term vision is to position Flux LiFT Packs as a distributor/dealer or OEM option for new equipment sales.

“Additionally, the airport ground support equipment industry offers future growth opportunities in the next few quarters. A major airline carrier recently completed testing of our GSE Pack, and initial discussions have commenced with the carrier and our distributor regarding a significant purchase order. Flux is being supported by a leading ground service equipment distributor that has arranged other trials.”

Global Aviation Services in growth mode

Global Aviation Services has announced the acquisition of D&D GSE Support, a leading ground support equipment maintenance provider serving Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International airport. The acquisition further enhances Global’s market position in South Florida and marks the company’s first acquisition. Global has said that it intends to pursue continued expansion by acquiring high quality GSE maintenance businesses across the country.

“I’ve spent nearly 50 years in the GSE maintenance business. We started D&D over 14 years ago to provide really good maintenance at a fair price. We worked hard every day to take care of our customers and to take care of our employees. When we started thinking about selling the business, we knew we had to find a company that shared those same values,” stated Leo Dyke, principal owner of D&D.
Brad Osborn, CEO/President of Global, echoed his comments. “We started Global in 2007, based on the same core values: doing quality work with integrity, earning your customer’s trust and caring for your team. The vision and values of both companies align very well. We have a lot of respect for the work Leo has done. This should be a positive transition for D&D’s customers and we’ll work hard to continue to care for D&D’s employees.”
With immediate effect D&D will become Global Aviation Services. Global’s transition team is already in place, ramping up for the airport’s peak season. The operation will have 14-18 technicians and will serve as a primary hub for GSE maintenance in South Florida and the Bahamas.