Reachstackers get stronger

The new, specially-designed top-pick spreader has given impressive abilities to the full range of Konecranes reach stackers for standard container handling. All three rows have one metric ton of additional capacity each, with a fully-laden maximum of 46 tons in the first row. The heavy-duty SMV 4646 TCX5 even allows 46 tons on all three rows. Every one of these more powerful reachstackers adds strength and flexibility to meeting the needs of each customer’s specific operating conditions. Higher capacity also leads to higher productivity as bigger loads can be moved in less time.

Empty container handlers go triplex

Some customers need lift trucks for low-ceiling warehouses. To address this directly, Konecranes has added a triplex mast and free-lift option to empty container handler model SMV 6/7 ECC 100DS. With this new feature, customers can use the same lift truck to move containers both inside and outside a storage building. The truck has a total lifting height of 7,650mm, allowing stacks up to 7 containers high out in the yard, and free-lift means container handling is manageable indoors, keeping the total mast height under set limits. The Smart Lift feature uses lasers to automatically select lifting height based on container size and stack position.

New Konecranes Liftace for lighter loads

Renowned for its productivity, easy-to-use features and small turning radius for tight maneuverability, the Konecranes Liftace range of forklifts now has two options for even lighter loads. The latest addition includes two new models with a load center of 600 mm: the F10-600 C for 10 tons and the F12-600C for 12 tons. Designed for extra visibility, easy maintenance and low fuel consumption, the Konecranes Liftace product family offers a durable lifting solution for operating areas with low-weight requirements and limited space.

Flow Drive leads Ecolifting

Still relatively new to the market, Konecranes lift trucks with Ecolifting features are making an impression as customers move towards more eco-efficient equipment. Power Drive, the first Ecolifting feature, reduces CO2, fuel consumption and costs by up to 15%. Flow Drive, the second, does the same thing up to 25%. Hybrid Drive, the third, gives reductions of up to 40%. Currently, the most popular feature is Flow Drive, with its innovative hydromechanical variable transmission and unique engine compartment design. Five reach stackers with Flow Drive were shipped to Australia this year, with more orders in the book to locations in the Netherlands and Thailand as well.

“From the very start, Konecranes Lift Trucks has always invested in research and development, and we continue to do so today,” says Patrik Lundbäck, Director and Head of Sales and Distribution at Konecranes Lift Trucks. “Technology never stops advancing. New products and upgrades improve the safety, productivity and cost- effectiveness of our equipment. Our aim with this new technology is to give every one of our customers exactly what they need for their own particular set of circumstances – in other words, for their own worlds.”

“As the Georgia Ports Authority enters its 75th year, we are proud to follow in the tradition of those who came before us, making exciting advances in capacity and technology to ensure our terminals remain at the forefront of global commerce,” Lynch said. “This is the largest addition of container terminal space in Savannah in more than 20 years, and represents a powerful opportunity for Georgia to take on new trade.”

During his presentation, Lynch also announced that Garden City Terminal dock construction had been completed, and can now serve three 14,000-TEU vessels, and up to eight vessels simultaneously.  The improved dock and additional container yard space are part of a larger blueprint to increase the GPA’s capacity to more than 9 million TEUs by 2030. By 2023, the GPA will add an additional berth, for a total of four big ship vessel slots. “The expansion at our deepwater ports in both Savannah and Brunswick is helping to fuel growth, and in turn investment, jobs and increased competitiveness on the global stage,” said GPA Board Chairman Will McKnight. “With the kind of investment and infrastructure development, Georgia’s ports will undoubtedly stay ahead of the curve and the competition.”

In order to improve service, Savannah’s Ocean Terminal will be partially converted to handle containers. Renovations at Ocean Terminal, located just downriver from the main container port, will include a new truck gate, upgraded container yards and rubber-tyred gantry cranes for container operations. “This exciting new development will allow the GPA to continue to meet and exceed the needs of our customers,” Lynch said. Construction is currently under way on the upgrades. Phase I of the Ocean Terminal container yard is expected to be completed by the end of 2020.

Lynch also outlined plans for the new Savannah Container Terminal, a nearly 200-acre facility to be built on Hutchinson Island. The new facility will have a capacity of 2.5 million TEUs when fully developed. Phase I is projected to come online in 2025. To ensure the GPA remains on the cutting edge of port staffing and technology, Lynch announced an expansion of the Authority’s Y.E.S (Youth learning Equipment and Safety) programme, in which high school graduates are hired and trained for equipment operator careers. GPA hopes to begin hiring 50 recent graduates per year to help meet staffing needs.

Lynch also unveiled a new programme, dubbed GET SET (Sustainability, Efficiency, Technology). “The GET SET programme is a competitive juried contest for college students in Georgia, in which they will be challenged to put forth innovative solutions to issues faced by the maritime logistics community,” Lynch said. “Students or student teams submitting winning entries will receive a cash prize totalling $25,000.” He said the Authority will be working with universities across the state to integrate the GET SET programme into their curricula over the next year, with the first prize being awarded in the summer of 2021.