Proposed container weighing legislation and the rise of automation make this an exciting time in spreader manufacturing. This, in addition to buoyant order levels and a range of technological innovations, means there’s plenty to talk about.
The increasing prevalence of automation in Cargotec-owned Swedish manufacturer Bromma’s work is exemplified in orders such as a contract with the new Dubai Ports World-led Rotterdam World Gateway terminal. Announced in January, this involves the delivery of 52 yard spreaders that will be fitted to automatic stacking cranes (ASCs). Bromma now has more than 400 crane spreaders on order or in service for automated terminals around the world.
Singapore-headquartered manufacturer RAM states that it expects to see the influence of automation on the spreader market continue to rise in importance. It considers the USA, Europe and the Middle East to be of particular prevalence in this trend, with terminals in these regions increasingly opting for ASCs that operate with very high levels of availability and low maintenance costs.
Indeed, based on its experiences of supplying spreaders for such operations thus far, RAM states that removing the “human operator factor” ensures every container movement is handled in a “perfect” that underpins these productivity enhancements. To this end, the manufacturer states that its current ASC spreaders will last well beyond 20 years.
WEIGHT WATCHERS
Of course, automation is very much a natural market evolution, with technological advancements as the catalyst. The matter of statutory container weighing may well become a somewhat more enforced concern. It is a very real possibility that the SOLAS convention will be amended in 2017 to make the weighing of all containers before shipping a legal requirement. This means both spreader developers and terminal operators need to make educated guesses about the importance of integrating weighing systems into spreader solutions.
Dutch company VDL Containersystemen is still a touch ambivalent about what this means for the market. While it has noted interest in specifying a weighing system in/on twistlocks, Sales Manager Pieter Verdonschot, tells World Port Development that VDL has not equipped any spreaders with weighing systems since 2006. He attributes this to the uncertainty about the potential regulations, which is making operators hesitant to invest in weighing systems when it is not currently necessity.
Bromma has also noted an upturn in interest in its weight verification technology. The company states that this is both in terms of the number of requests for quotations and the amount of technical questions it receives. The company adds that weight verification using twistlock sensor technology may be a “very attractive alternative.”
The company is currently in the final stages of verifying the technology and system to handle twistlocks automatically during loading and discharge of a vessel. It is building the third generation prototype in this respect, including detailed technology that it is taking to the market. This technology can be applied as a movable standalone platform or integrated on the quay crane.
RAM states that its customers’ general preference for container weighing at the spreader is indeed a system with embedded weight sensitivity in the twistlock. The company has seen an upturn in demand for spreaders fitted with weighing systems. It states that integrating weighing at the twistlock stage has the added benefit of unique identification for each twistlock.
A RAM representative tells WPD: “While the container weighing may initially be the most important requirement, the fact that the loading history of each twistlock can be recorded and stored, even when the twistlock may be switched to another spreader, provides the end user with important performance information that may enable the usable life of twistlocks to be extended.”
On the other hand, when a twistlock has been severely overloaded, RAM notes that this technology can also flag up potential safety issues. So, regardless of legislation, the company argues that weighing systems bring benefits to both the terminal and the spreader manufacturer.
POWER POINTS
Another area of discourse and debate in spreader manufacture surrounds the pervasiveness of all-electric systems.
RAM, for example, asserts that all-electric spreaders are “not the panacea” for all spreader applications. It notes that the all-electric option has become as standard on yard cranes such as rubber-tyred and rail-mounted gantry machines, and that it is now uncommon to supply electro hydraulic spreaders in single or twinlift configurations for this application. However for ship to shore operations, the manufacturer argues that the situation is more complex. For this reason, it tries not to take a fixed view but rather find the best solution for each spreader design. “There is still a divided opinion that generally favours electro hydraulic designs of spreaders over all-electric,” the company tells WPD. “In applications where features such micro motion or grapple legs are required, hydraulic operation still has its advantages over all-electric spreaders. The hydraulic cylinder being very powerful, compact and capable of withstanding shock loads is still difficult to replicate at a comparable price when the motion is all-electric.” As such, RAM states that hydraulics still play a vital role for spreader manufacture in more specialist areas. For this reason, the company has designed and supplied hybrid spreaders that incorporate the best features of both systems. These are typically deployed on intermodal/swapbody handling spreaders, where the operation of the spreader is split between two specific functions – top lift and bottom lift. In this configuration, the spreader is in all-electric mode for top lift and only uses the hydraulic system when the grapple legs are deployed for bottom lift handling. VDL is also very much an expo
nent of the ‘horses for courses’ school of thought, supplying spreader solutions based on clients’ exact requirements. For example, it attests that, while it has seen an increasing demand for fully electric spreaders, this is more specifically for inland terminals. It adds benefits such as the reduction of noise, energy consumption and the risk of oil leakages are growing in importance at smaller terminals.
VDL’s recent orders for all-electric units include two contracts sealed in December to supply large, fully electric spreaders to German customers. One – with rotation, gravity adjustment and a damping system – is for Contargo in Ginsheim-Gustavsburg, and the other – with rotation, gravity adjustment and flippers – is for Alfred Talke in Hürth.
On a further point about meeting specific requirements, Verdonschot cites the example of two customised piggyback spreaders that his company is currently manufacturing. This, the Sales Manager details, exemplifies the ever-present demand for custom-made spreaders. At the time of speaking to WPD for this article, the company was finalising another deal to provide a client with two further such models. Both projects, Verdonschot explains, are far from standard, with increased capacity and increased piggyback arm lengths.
All-electric spreaders have certainly been an important source of business for Bromma over the past year. In October, for example, a North American client lodged Bromma’s largest ever combined all-electric ship to shore (STS) and all-electric yard crane spreader order. This came from Long Beach Container Terminal, California, with the 18 STS units marking what Bromma calls a “significant commercial turning point for STS all-electric crane spreaders.” This, the manufacturer states, is because previously its largest order for STS Greenline spreaders amounted to six units. The company adds that the 32 yard spreaders continue a tradition of supplying environmentally friendly spreaders to major terminals. Since introducing its first all-electric green spreader just over a decade ago, Bromma has delivered more than 2,000 to leading terminals around the world.
The manufacturer has recently upgraded its STS45E all-electric spreaders. Its new second generation features more than 15 enhancements, all based on evidence and case studies gathered from operations over the past two years.
FURTHER DEVELOPMENTS
In other innovations, Bromma’s Tandem product line is being updated to include additional configurations to meet the needs of terminal operators. Another new feature is the inclusion of an optional electrical quick connector to enable unmanned spreader switching. With the quick connector, changing the spreader from Tandem to Single mode can be done within three minutes.
RAM, meanwhile, states that, while it has new spreader products in the pipeline, it is not prepared to provide details on a piecemeal basis prior to any official launches. Its continuous research and development programme covers a broad range of products encompassing spreaders, spreader attachments and special equipment designed to enhance productivity on container terminals.
The company states that there is also renewed interest in its RAM PinSmart system, the progress of which has been somewhat impeded by the recession. This machine, which can be used at ground level or mounted on the de-coning platforms of STS cranes, automates the task of manually removing or fitting twistlocks to shipping containers. RAM states that operators are showing increasing enthusiasm for the system as a cost effective solution for removing and fitting the stacking twistlocks required to secure containers on the decks of container vessels. PinSmart can handle over 85% of all popular twistlocks, and RAM states that it offers significant safety and productivity benefits.
MARKET UPLIFT
With the current levels of market activity, there’s good reason for spreader manufacturers to innovate. Bromma states that it enjoyed a particularly successful calendar year in 2012, in which its order intake soared by 36% on 2011. This was notably driven by a number of large terminal projects in Europe and North America.
“We have an interesting year ahead of us with important deliveries to the big terminal projects,” says Vikram Raman, Bromma Conquip Vice President and Commercial Director. “Irrespective of some uncertainty in the world economy, we see continued strong activity in the marketplace and I expect a continued strong order intake. A number of important things will happen in the coming years; the first triple-E vessels will be delivered and the Panama Canal will open. These events will influence the market we are acting in and will lead to increased expectations from the customers. Bromma is well prepared to face the challenges to come.”
VDL Containersystemen, meanwhile, has also enjoyed positive order levels in its spreader operations, and is in the process of actively expanding into the IMEA region (India, Middle East, Africa). As part of this effort, the company welcomed Ron Braam to its team in September. As an expert in spreaders and other port-related equipment, he will spearhead this IMEA drive, having worked in the Middle East since 1996.
RAM states that it has been “exceptionally busy” over the last six months, securing contracts in all major regions of the world. This, the manufacturer states, has resulted in sales of more than 265 spreaders in total. This includes:
· More than 115 RAM 29XX CenterSpread expanding twinlift spreaders
· Over 140 all-electric units (90 RAM 35XX models for RTGs/RMGs and 52 RAM 39XX CenterSpread all-electric twinlift ASC spreaders)
· An order for 11 RAM 2740 mobile harbour crane spreaders
These orders were a mix of deliveries direct to terminal operators and installations as part of new crane builds for terminal expansions and new terminals.
Such order levels are a reflection of a solid market in unsteady times. The demands on spreader manufacturers continue to evolve at a rapid pace, and the companies to which WPD spoke for this article certainly aren’t complaining.