Materials Handling Testing and Certification Services

Materials handling equipment keeps warehouses, distribution centers, manufacturing sites, and industrial facilities moving. As forklifts, pallet jacks, reach trucks, order pickers, and related platforms become more electrified and connected, the validation work gets more complex.

The battery is only part of the story. Chargers, BMS logic, controls, wiring, enclosures, structural components, and mechanical assemblies all have to perform together once the equipment is in service.

Intertek supports materials handling equipment testing at both the complete equipment and subsystem level. That distinction matters. A battery pack, charger, control module, wiring harness, enclosure, or structural component may perform well on its own, but the full platform still has to operate safely and reliably after those systems are integrated.

Whether the challenge is a new battery-powered platform, a revised charger, a supplier change, a durability concern, or market access, the goal is the same: understand what changed, what risks it creates, and what needs to be validated before the equipment goes into service.

Materials handling equipment lives a hard life. These products may run across multiple shifts, move through loading docks and warehouse aisles, charge frequently, and see repeated exposure to vibration, shock, dust, moisture, temperature variation, operator use, and changing duty cycles.

For engineering teams, validation has to go beyond ideal operating conditions. The test plan should address how the full product system responds to electrical loads, charger interaction, BMS communication, mechanical stress, environmental exposure, enclosure integrity, fault response, and compliance requirements.

The market is also asking for more from these platforms: longer battery runtime, faster charging, better uptime, stronger safety and reliability, durability under vibration and environmental exposure, and more connected controls, diagnostics, and performance monitoring.

Intertek provides testing support across the full equipment platform or at the subsystem level. A manufacturer may need battery pack testing for a new electrified platform, charger evaluation for a revised charging strategy, EMC testing for connected controls, or vibration and environmental testing to assess durability in demanding industrial applications.

Evaluating equipment and related subsystems early while in development can help to uncover issues before they become field failures, certification delays, or late-stage design changes.

Materials handling equipment depends on the interaction of many systems. A certified or previously evaluated component does not automatically mean the complete equipment platform is ready for market.

Integration factors such as mounting, restraint, cable routing, charger interface, BMS communication, operator access, markings, center of gravity, and interaction with drive, lift, and braking systems can all affect the final evaluation path.

Intertek supports manufacturers and suppliers across key areas of product development, including:

• Battery-powered forklifts and related equipment
• Pallet jacks, reach trucks, and order pickers
• Battery packs, chargers, and charging systems
• Electrical systems and controls
• Mechanical and structural components
• Component and subsystem suppliers
• OEM engineering and product development teams

Several standards may apply depending on product type, power source, design, intended use, and target market. Commonly referenced standards include:

Depending on the design and intended market, additional standards or requirements may also apply to battery systems, chargers, EMC, ingress protection, electrical safety, functional safety, environmental durability, hazardous locations, and transportation of lithium batteries.

A certified battery pack does not automatically qualify the complete equipment platform. Battery-level certification evaluates the pack against applicable battery requirements, but the installed system may still require review for mounting, enclosure protection, charger interaction, BMS communication, electrical protection, markings, operator access, and interaction with the equipment controls and mechanical systems.

Downtime is expensive. A battery issue, charger incompatibility, electrical fault, enclosure failure, control problem, or durability concern can create field disruption, warranty exposure, or delays in market entry.

Testing gives engineering teams data they can use to make design decisions, assess risk, validate product performance, and demonstrate conformance to applicable standards. It also helps separate assumptions from evidence before the product is released into demanding industrial environments.

For manufacturers developing electrified or next-generation materials handling equipment, a strong validation plan should answer practical questions:

• Will the battery and charger work together safely and reliably?
• How does the BMS respond under normal, abnormal, and fault conditions?
• Can the equipment withstand vibration, shock, temperature, dust, and moisture exposure?
• Do the electrical systems and controls meet applicable safety and EMC expectations?
• Can the product meet customer, regulatory, and market access requirements?
• Has the complete equipment platform been evaluated, not just the individual components?