A large retailer recently employed the use of golf carts to ferry staff and equipment around a massive new warehouse facility in Gauteng.

Smith Power Equipment’s Joe Van der Walt says distribution centres and warehouses are growing in size and may require a walk of several kilometres to get from one side to the other. This is time-consuming and counterproductive to implementing the concept of ‘fast moving consumer goods’ which requires speedy intervention on-demand.

Van der Walt explains that, after testing a range of options, the company found the most suitable solution to be the new lithium range of people carriers from ClubCar, which in South Africa are distributed and supported by Smith Power Equipment. The vehicles are designed to be lower maintenance than lead acid models and are emission-free, unlike internal combustion motors. The batteries are designed to be quick charging, with a longer life and offer lower energy costs, energy efficiency and consistent performance.

The company initially introduced a two-seater version of the cart for use by the retailer but soon added the ClubCar Tempo 2+2 lithium battery carts which can accommodate up to four people at a time.

“While the two-seaters are used for transport inside and around the warehouse, the ClubCar Tempo 2+2 units are used at the distribution area and we recently introduced the ClubCar CA300 Utility which is used to carry workers and goods inside the distribution area.”

The electric utility car has a bed load capacity of 136 kg and towing capacity of 362 kg which makes it suitable for carrying maintenance equipment.

ClubCar is said to offer the longest warranty in its class and the manufacturer has produced more than a million in the past 10 years.

Smith Power Equipment says it prides itself on its ability to customise solutions to adapt its offerings to customers’ specific needs. The company has extended this capacity to the retail version of the carts by including safety features such as strobe lights, front headlights, taillights and horns.