"It's time to start thinking about fuel cells in your lift trucks," says Steve Medwin, manager of advanced research at Raymond Corp. Medwin hosted a session on hydrogen fuel cell technology at the annual conference of the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals (CSCMP) in San Antonio.

"I think it's time to start following the industry, if you haven't already," he says. "My feeling is that in 2008/2009—which is not that far away—there's going to be significant commercial sales."

Frank Trotter, president of General Hydrogen, a company that makes fuel cell power packs for lift trucks, agrees that commercial sales of such products are about to take off. "Sales are being made today," he says. "The time has arrived."

General Hydrogen recently announced an agreement with Ballard Power Systems to buy components for 2,900 power packs. Trotter says General Hydrogen ordered just 100 of these components from Ballard last year. The increase is based on sales forecasts for the next few years, he said.

Trotter says he has "more than 150 customers in some stage of discussion." These customers are interested in using fuel cells to power lift trucks, tuggers, automatic guided vehicles (AGVs) and other such equipment.

Both Trotter and Medwin emphasize the potential of hydrogen fuel cells to increase productivity. Fuel cells have several advantages over lead-acid batteries, they say, including longer runtime, more consistent power and quick refueling.