Shred Station has switched from diesel to electric for its brand-new fleet of JCB materials handling machines.

The company – which shreds over 60,000 tonnes of paper per year – has replaced six of its diesel-powered JCB Teletruks with six new electric models. By making the switch, the company estimates it will save around 62,000 litres of diesel per year.

The shredding services provider has taken delivery of three of the JCB 30-19E electric Teletruks models at its Norwich site. The performance was so impressive that it immediately bought three more, the company said.

Supplied by dealer Watling JCB, the JCB 30-19E electric Teletruks will be used to transport bales of shredded paper around Shred Station’s depot, stack them safely and maximise depot space. They are also responsible for loading the bales onto trucks ready to be transported to Shred Station’s recycling facilities.

Shred Station’s Norwich Warehouse Manager, Lloyd Quinton said: “At Shred Station, reducing our environmental impact is a key pillar of our ethos. We’ve been carbon neutral certified for five years now and we’re always looking for ways to reduce our emissions even further. Our forklifts are running constantly, and as a result of that, use a lot of fuel. Making the switch from diesel models to the new electric models will not only save our diesel usage, it will also reduce our overall carbon emissions.

“There are many reasons the switch to JCB electric models makes sense for us. Firstly, they are better for the environment and will help us to reduce our carbon footprint even further. Operationally, the electric Teletruks are very similar to the diesel models which our warehouse operatives are already familiar with. We felt it was important for safety reasons to implement heavy machinery that our staff felt comfortable and confident to use. There is also the added bonus of less noise with the electric models too.

 “We have always chosen JCB for our forklifts because we need our machinery to work dependably under heavy use. We move large paper bales around our depots all day, every day and therefore need forklifts that run like clockwork. The quality you get from JCB is absolutely the best. If we were to have forklifts issues it would have a massive effect on our day-to-day operations, so using JCB gives us true reassurance of reliability.”