The two Terex crawler crane models HC 230 and HC 275 were delivered directly to the Port of Paita by ship, and were assembled right away by Ferreyros. The cranes’ short assembly time helped meeting deadlines and increasing productivity.
Apart from being fast to assemble and configure, these versatile machines can be operated offshore on a vessel – which is exactly how they were used on the Port of Paita site. Placing the fully assembled machines on board the vessel was a complex operation but Ferreyros’ experienced crews mastered the challenge without any problems. Once ship borne, the cranes were used in activities such as dredging, placing rocks and stakes (pillars supporting the pier being built). With lifting capacities of more than 200 tons, the Terex HC 230 and HC 275 crawler cranes delivered on their respective tasks swiftly and efficiently. Both machines support continuous operation without compromising safety.
“For us, efficient and reliable equipment means savings in time and money. Downtime because of broken equipment means we are losing capital since we have deadlines to meet”, explained Joshua García, Assistant Equipment Manager with Mota-Engil. The cranes operate 24 hours a day, in two shifts (400 or 500 monthly hours). They work at 85% of their load chart. “This is an additional safety margin we included. We switch operators every shift but the cranes keep on working non-stop”, says Luis López, Mota Engil’ Project Manager for the Paita site.
The importance of a high-quality technical service
To successfully complete such a huge project, the quality of the equipment is just one of the important aspects. It is also necessary to have efficient technical support to ensure high productivity levels at the worksite. With this in mind, Ferreyros – the exclusive Terex representative in Peru – committed itself to keeping the cranes in operation so that they can work at their maximum capacity at all times in order to meet the project’s tight deadlines.
“We all know that Ferreyros is the country’s largest distributor, and we are aware of their customer focus. They try to fully understand our exact needs, and provide us with advice on the selection of equipment. They always have an expert available to assist us, which is the most important for us”, concludes Luís López.
Port Zone
Located in the northern region of Piura, the Paita Port is the second largest port in Peru regarding container movement and the fifth one considering total cargo. The Portuguese engineering and construction group Mota-Engil was awarded permission to operate and modernize the pier for 30 years. The investment cost for the modernization will amount to approximately USD $230 million. Paita’s pier has become one of the most important piers of Peru. The construction activities for the new container terminal began two years ago. State-of-the-art equipment and a modern infrastructure will help the pier develop into one of the focal points for foreign trade development in the region.