There’s a strange dichotomy about the straddle carrier and shuttle carrier market: a present in which the safety and comfort of drivers is still of paramount concern, and a future in which automation means there will be far fewer SC drivers in cabs. Konecranes predicts that the traditional SC market is set for significant change. While the manufacturer expects the market’s supply flow of traditional, manually driven straddle carriers to remain constant at around 200 to 300 units per year over the next decade, it is predicting a gradual downturn in the following 10 to 20 years. “Greenfield terminals in particular are demanding more and deeper automation reaching from the ship-to-shore cranes to the truck and rail loading zones,” explains Svend Videbaek, Port Cranes Marketing Specialist at the Finnish-headquartered company. The manufacturer predicts that, while the traditional market will contract, the demand for its Boxrunner-style SCs will grow. “There will be more tenders and projects that require fully-automated straddle carriers, which will no longer be seen as independent machines but as a link in the automation chain of a fully-automated terminal concept,” says Videbaek. “Companies like Konecranes will have to evolve from being an equipment supplier to being the supplier of entire terminal concepts and equipment. Customers will reduce their purchasing of equipment, and instead procure terminal-wide automation technology and equipment from a single source.” Cargotec company Kalmar also recognises that the future will lean towards automated SC systems. It has worked intensively on fully automated straddle and shuttle carrier solutions over the past year. The manufacturer states that its work with such solutions at its test site is “paying dividends” through significant performance benefits.
Now and Then
While advancements in automation mean that we can look to an exciting, dramatic change in the operations of straddle carriers, the traditional model of SC supply is still gleaning results. At the outset of this year, for example, Liebherr Container Cranes won an order to deliver four straddle carriers to Lyttelton, Port of Christchurch, in New Zealand. Due for delivery halfway through the year, these Liebherr SC350T models will stack one over two high and are supplied with 50-tonne twin-lift spreaders. The new machines will complement a pair of Liebherr ship-to-shore cranes at the port. The SCs will be linked to a remote container tracking system, providing real-time accurate information on the position and handling rates of containers within the terminal. Lyttelton is the major trade gateway to New Zealand’s South Island and announced an increase of 16.8% in container throughput at the port to the end of June 2012. New Zealand is an important repeat-business market for Liebherr; the Port of Tauranga also placed an order for three Liebherr straddle carriers of similar configuration to the Lyttelton machines in November 2012. The manufacturer states that, in both cases, the orders followed detailed evaluations by port engineers and drivers during site visits to existing terminals using Liebherr machines. The manufacturer states that orders such as this are indicative of a market that is currently thriving: “Based on the level of interest we have received, the future appears strong for the Liebherr straddle carrier both as fleet replacement machines as well as new possibilities from smaller ports all the way up to mega ports from shore-side to stacking in a feeder capacity.”
Getting Smart
Kalmar’s aforementioned, ongoing commitment to automation is reflected in two strategic acquisitions by parent company Cargotec in recent years. The first was of terminal operating system (TOS) specialist Navis in 2011; the second of automation technology assets from Australia’s Asciano last year. Kalmar’s automated SCs are part of its SmartPort concept. SmartPort also includes process automation solutions, which Kalmar states provide an accessible and fast way to get immediate productivity improvements for a relatively small initial investment. One of these process automation offerings is SmartPath, a system that helps operators ensure SC fleets are always used to their optimum. Making full use of the increasingly diversified product portfolio that comes with those aforementioned acquisitions, SmartPath works in turn with ‘Prime Route’, an element within the Navis SPARCS TOS. Kalmar states that this ultimately results in fewer straddle carriers being required to complete a job, reducing both capital and operational costs. It’s versatile, too: although specifically designed to work with Kalmar machines and a Navis TOS, the SmartPath system will interface with other TOS systems and can be installed on any make of machine. Underpinning Kalmar’s automation efforts is its Tampere Competence Centre. This “state-of-the-art” facility includes a prototype factory with a test track for straddle carriers, shuttle carriers and terminal tractors, and separate areas for testing of rubber-tyred gantry (RTG) cranes and automatic stacking cranes (ASC).
Comforting Safety
Liebherr states that its straddle carriers offer a number of technical and innovative design features, centred on providing increased productivity and safety with reduced maintenance costs and longer life cycles. The manufacturer utilises a four-axle steer-by-wire system that allows two- or four-wheel steering modes. When the carrier exceeds a set travel speed, it locks out the rear wheels and steers with the leading wheels only. This, Liebherr states, makes it easier for the driver to keep the machine in a straight line at speed, while four-wheel steering at slower speeds ensures agility and fast positioning. Additionally, Liebherr SCs’ hydraulics are located at ground level, which the manufacturer claims improves dynamic response, enhances overall steering, and reduces tyre wear. The machines also feature independent axle pairings on each side, meaning damage can be limited to one corner only. Each steering cylinder is independently monitored and controlled, ensuring that the wheel alignment system is self-correcting. A further steering feature is the SCs’ traction control system, which allows for fine positioning and smooth travel acceleration, which the manufacturer says ensures faster and more accurate spreader positioning or box placement, ultimately leading to increased productivity. Additionally, Liebherr straddle carriers’ saftey logic blocks reduce the travel speed as the hoist height and steering angle increase. This is based on the stability ratio to limit speed according to ISO standards. The driver is also alerted visually and by a noise when approaching the stability limit, and stability alarms are recorded by the straddle management system. A further saftey feature is that there are no hydraulics within the engine enclosure of Liebherr straddle carriers. They are instead all located at ground level to minimise the risk of fire, while the exhaust pipe and manifold are insulated to protect maintenance staff. Health and safety is also a paramount issue for Kalmar; they use thorough risk analysis and testing at their technology centre and end users’ sites to minimise risks. The focus, the manufacturer explains, is to stay ahead of regulations before they come into place. Each Kalmar SC features monitoring, alarming and diagnostic facets in the machine control system, for functions such as stability, tyre pressure, smoke and fire, and fault detection. Additionally, each Kalmar SC can feature active stability control, semi and fully automatic fire suppression systems, and wet disc brakes which are insensitive to climate conditions. However, Kalmar argues that removing the driver from the equation through automation is the safest option. While automation may be the future, though, driver ergonomics remain an important concern for manufacturers in the present. The Liebherr cabin, for example, has large, curved windows to maximise visibility and minimise glare and reflections. The cab’s sliding door additionally reduces the risk of operator injury in higher wind conditions during entry or exit to the cab. Ergonomics were also an important consideration in Konecranes’ September 2012 delivery to Muuga Container Terminal in Tallinn, Estonia, of two Boxrunner DE52 straddle carriers equipped with the manufacturer’s new Smarter Cabin. The Boxrunner machines are six-wheelers that stack two-high, with the Smarter Cabin providing increased visibility and comfort.
Greener order gleaners
Liebherr states its ethos of being dedicated to environmental friendliness in its SC solutions helps to deliver reduced maintenance and fuel costs, as well as improved machine longevity. One such environmentally friendly feature is its latest variable speed control system, which matches operational and productivity requirements with actual energy demand, “ensuring a substantial reduction in fuel consumption and CO2 emissions while maximising machine productivity.” Additionally, the energy generated during normal straddle operations such as hoist lowering and travel braking is regenerated where possible between hoist and travel drives, resulting in reductions in both fuel consumption and emissions. This commitment to ecology is mirrored by Kalmar, which states its most notable improvement over the past year has been to its new engine portfolio. This has come as a response to increasingly stringent exhaust emission regulations, and it views hybrid systems as a key focus area for the future of straddle and shuttle carriers. Ecological benefits have also been an important factor in Konecranes sealing new straddle carrier business in the past year. The Eurogate Terminal at the Port of Hamburg, for example, took delivery of two Konecranes straddle carriers equipped with a hybrid electric energy recovery system. The manufacturer states that these machines run for 500 to 700 hours per month, with fuel consumption reduced by approximately 10 to 15% compared with conventional machines. Another notable occurrence at Hamburg for Konecranes in 2012 was the delivery of a DE53 straddle carrier in April. The manufacturer states that this delivery to Eurogate CTH made it the first supplier of a straddle carrier equipped with a fully electric telescopic spreader. In addition to a total of 14 straddle carriers delivered to Hamburg, in 2012 Konecranes also won orders for 10 SCs to a client in South America, 12 models to a client in Belgium, and six to Maher Terminals in Newark, USA.
Kalmar’s recent straddle carrier orders include 14 units to Fort Port Group, 22 units and 45 automated units to Australia’s Patrick Stevedores, and 17 units for
terminal operator TraPac. In terms of shuttle carriers, the manufacturer also supplied 14 units to DP World Brisbane Pty Limited, and 28 units to London Gateway. It is notable within such stable order levels that there is still great demand for manual, driver-operated straddle carriers. This means that manufacturers have to operate on two levels: future-proofing their solutions by further developing automation, while continuing to enhance today’s machines around the needs of drivers. Change is afoot, but it seems that existing infrastructures mean the evolution will not be rushed.