Case Summary
The modern consumer era is defined by speed, reliability, and continuous advancement. GP Reeves has consistently demonstrated the ability to drive customer progress, even in the face of today’s demanding challenges. This commitment to innovation is exemplified by GP Reeves’ role in the development of electric delivery trucks. Leveraging its expertise in complex materials, deep understanding of the battery industry, and advanced precision dispensing capabilities, GP Reeves has contributed to a system that will shape the future of consumerism and electric delivery vehicles.
Shifting Gears
In the last five years, the consumer products industry has seen significant growth in e-commerce. As of 2023, e-commerce accounted for about 20-25% of total global retail sales. (McKinsey, 2022).
Consumers are increasingly drawn to the convenience of having products delivered directly to their doorstep, rather than searching for items in local stores. To capitalize on this shift, companies must adapt their technology to support the processes behind e-commerce and fully leverage its advantages.
At the same time, the global focus on clean energy is pushing consumer product manufacturers to adopt more environmentally responsible practices in production and distribution. GP Reeves has been instrumental in helping companies not only enhance their consumer products but also electrify the delivery systems that bring these products to customers.
Through customized solutions that ensure precise, reliable, and efficient material dispensing, GP Reeves is powering the future of the consumer products industry, aligning innovation with sustainability.
Sustainable Strategies
Companies worldwide are actively seeking ways to make their e-commerce operations more energy-efficient, and one promising approach is the adoption of battery-powered delivery trucks.
Electrifying the smaller delivery trucks that deliver products to homes can significantly contribute to companies’ carbon-neutral goals. Major delivery services such as UPS, Amazon, DHL, and FedEx have already set ambitious targets to transition their fleets to electric vehicles.
Battery-powered vehicles are well-suited for delivery operations, as trucks typically run throughout the day for deliveries and can charge overnight when drivers are off duty. In addition to this practical advantage, transitioning from internal combustion engines to electric batteries offers a range of significant benefits:
- High operational efficiency and performance
- Reduced vehicle maintenance costs
- Fuel cost savings
- Lower harmful emissions
With the surge in consumer product deliveries driven by the pandemic and advancements in e-commerce technology, there is a tremendous opportunity to use this shift as a strategic method to enhance environmental sustainability. GP Reeves has supported this transformation with our advanced dispensing technology and is excited about the potential of electric delivery trucks to contribute to a cleaner, more sustainable planet.
The Challenge: Precision for Prevention
When developing batteries, it is crucial that internal components remain durable, safe, and effective. Heat can be a problem for the longevity of battery components if it is not properly dissipated. This is because too much heat within the inner cavities of a battery can cause harmful corrosion and the deterioration of the battery’s expected lifetime. GP Reeves had to ensure that gap filling thermal interface materials would be properly distributed to ensure great thermal dissipation from heated modules to the cooling circuit components of the battery pack.
Additionally, GP Reeves had to distribute material to serve as a bonding and sealing component to prevent any foreign contaminants or external conditions from impacting the effectiveness and health of the battery’s components. To accomplish this task, the devoted members of the GP Reeves team utilized years of expertise and knowledge of the battery industry to accommodate for a unique application setting and the critical aspects required by a proper material dispense.
The Solution: Battery Manufacturing with Ease
To successfully promote the effectiveness of the delivery truck battery’s thermal management operations, a thermal interface material (TIM) was utilized as a gap filler. TIM adhesive is beneficial to the construction of batteries because it provides high thermal conductivity. TIM creates a reliable gap filling bond between each cell and the battery plate, allowing for effective heat transfer.
The engineers at GP Reeves meticulously configured a system that would be able to handle the unique requirements of TIM material maintenance, while also being able to provide an accurate and repeatable dosage to the application.
GP Reeves provided the following:
- Air operated heated pump
- Material pressure regulator
- Custom dispenser that enabled an effective flow of airless TIM material onto cells and strips
Our top-of-the-line system allowed for:
- A successful distribution of TIM material to the top of each component
- Heat transfer from the cell to aluminum components
- Dissipation of heat from the operations of the inner electric components
To provide the customer with a way to efficiently seal the battery cells to the system frame, the team at GP Reeves brilliantly configured a hot melt system that worked with hot butyl material at temperatures of 345 °F or higher. It comprised of a heated gear pump, a special heated hose, and a zero cavity dispense valve. By intentionally dispensing material to seal the cells to the battery frame, GP Reeves machinery was able to prevent moisture, heat, and foreign contaminants to impact the battery’s internal components. The distribution of hot butyl allowed for a strong structural bond and good thermal conductivity.
Final Result: Powering Electric Delivery Trucks Forward
Because TIM was properly applied to the components of the delivery truck batteries, effective propagation of the system’s inner heat was able to take place. This led to proper thermal management, faster charging, and an increased power density for the battery system overall. The battery developers no longer had to worry about potential corrosion due to constant thermal cycling, since GP Reeves provided a dispensing solution to distribute TIM material as accurately as possible.
The customer was also impressed by how simple their battery sealing process had become after the integration of GP Reeves systems into their assembly line. Because our experts were able to engineer a dispensing solution with intense precision and material control, the customer was provided with beneficial accuracy, improved product quality, and elevated assembly efficiency.
Through our ability to configure advanced equipment to meet the needs of a wide array of materials, GP Reeves was able to successfully propel the development of electric delivery trucks forward.
Charging Ahead
We have worked to develop successful solutions for a variety of battery related projects. With our advanced dispensing machinery and our diverse background in a variety of applications, our team is prepared to create an effective system for the most unique of projects. Get in touch with us today to see the many ways a production dispensing system from GP Reeves can benefit you – and who knows, maybe it’ll swiftly arrive on an innovative electric delivery truck.
McKinsey. “Profitable E-Commerce Growth in Consumer Goods | McKinsey.” Www.mckinsey.com, 2022, www.mckinsey.com/industries/consumer-packaged-goods/our-insights/e-commerce-at-the-center-of-profitable-growth-in-consumer-goods.
Need help electrifying your products?
Fill out the form below and we’ll follow up with you!
Back to resources