A contract for the supply of 26 Automated Stacking Cranes (ASC) and 2 Rail Gantry Cranes (RGC) has been signed last week.
The highly automated equipment will be delivered in 2013 and 2014 and be ready for full commercial operation of the terminal as from November 2014. “In this project, APM Terminals and Kuenz intend to set a new standard for productivity, reliability and availability of terminal equipment worldwide” says Michael Geiger, Director Sales of Kuenz. This includes several innovations for both, the ASCs and the RGCs. A key innovation on the RGCs is the automated handling of containers on the water side, a new combination of manned and unmanned operation. From a mechanical perspective, the Kuenz flex drive for the gantry travel gear and a pioneering Kuenz hoist system in the ASCs are examples for superior technological solutions.
Kuenz is the market leader in Rail-Mounted Gantry Cranes for Intermodal use in Europe and North America and a pioneer in Automated Stacking Cranes. Between 2001 and 2005, Kuenz delivered a total of 52 ASCs to HHLA’s Container-Terminal Altenwerder (CTA) in Hamburg together with ABB. CTA is still one of the most successful automated terminals worldwide.
For the APM Terminals Maasvlakte II project, Kuenz will use ABB as the supplier of the electrical and automation system. . “ABB’s extensive know how and capabilities in crane automation and our common experience of the CTA project made this decision a no-brainer.” says Günter Bischof, Managing Director of Kuenz.
Kuenz is based in Hard, Austria. It has two production facilities in Austria and one in Slovak Republic. The company’s core businesses are Rail-Mounted Gantry Cranes, Special Purpose Cranes and equipment for the Hydro Power Industry. Kuenz Management sees the order from APM Terminals as a confirmation of the company’s strategy to provide high quality solutions and develop long-term partnerships with customers.