Created in 2016, the USD46.4 million programme is the largest voluntary effort of its kind by any seaport in the nation designed to ameliorate the environmental impacts of goods movement. Combined with USD17.8 million given during a previous programme, the Port of Long Beach has committed USD65 million to improve the health of children, seniors and other vulnerable populations who live near the harbour.“With these grants, the Port is able to improve parks and recreational facilities that benefit areas around Long Beach that are closest to the cargo-movement routes,” said Harbour Commission President Bonnie Lowenthal. “This programme and our environmental initiatives are just part of our effort to be a good neighbour.”The Port Community Grants Program was created to distribute funding to organisations that serve populations most sensitive to Port-related impacts, maximising the impact on children, senior citizens, the chronically ill, and those with asthma. It identifies three focus areas: Community Health, Facility Improvements and Community Infrastructure. This round of awards arises from a Community Infrastructure solicitation earlier this year.A five-member advisory committee works with Port staff to identify funding opportunities. The committee is chaired by former Long Beach City Councilman Gary DeLong; other members are educator Sabrina Sanders, former Long Beach City College Trustee Irma Archuleta, community organiser Kathleen Irvine, and political consultant Joanne Davis.Earlier this year, the Port granted USD1.3 million to 16 projects in Long Beach and Paramount to improve air quality and energy efficiency at schools and community facilities. Each year, more than 190,000 visitors will benefit from the grants.

Ongoing support across each truck’s lifecycle benefits customers with consulting, training, spare parts, upgrades and much more – everything needed to keep lift trucks running efficiently in the unique conditions of each customer’s world. With Lifetime Advantage, Konecranes shows its dedication to outstanding quality, uptime and productivity, so that each customer can advance its own business in the ways that matter most. It means continuous support, from the initial offer throughout the entire lifecycle of one lift truck or a whole fleet, with the aim of achieving a higher level of performance.

Konecranes believes that maximising uptime is the result of decisions already made at the offering stage. This means making smart choices when it comes to such options as energy-efficient Ecolifting, safety enhancement and Smart Connected Lift Trucks digital services. What is decided together with customers will shape their experience in terms of equipment performance. Additionally, the pace of digitalization promises to revolutionise maintenance practices and create exciting new advances for operational efficiency. Meanwhile, after delivery Lifetime Advantage continues through upgrades and retrofits, Konecranes’ genuine spare parts, business services, digital solutions and education, all making upkeep of the trucks easier and supporting a longer lifetime and more efficient maintenance. As part of this commitment, Konecranes is now launching the first of several upgrade packages, containing themed solutions that can be retrofitted to customers’ existing Konecranes lift trucks. These packages are not meant to service the trucks but improve them with updated technology.

“From the start, it was obvious to us what should be the first upgrade package: safety,” says Johan Kårhammer, Global Spare Parts Operations Manager at Konecranes Lift Trucks. “We’ve always cared deeply about improving safety in the workplace, and we believe that these additional features will be of great use to customers who want to address safety risks in their operations but are not sure where to start. In the near future, we’ll be releasing more types of upgrade packages and solutions to advance existing trucks and fleets.” Six safety upgrades have so far been developed to address common operational risks, such as blind spots, yard staff working in the same space as moving trucks, engine overheating, impaired drivers and more. A reverse camera, reverse warning alarm, fire suppression system and ignition alcolock are just some of the solutions that address these problems. Each one is a simple addition to existing trucks, greatly improving everyday work safety to make sure that everyone returns home safely at the end of every shift. The Konecranes global distributor network will play a key role in implementing the Lifetime Advantage commitment in a fast-changing world.

“Located in over 100 countries around the world, our distributors are local faces who can be there to help customers address their daily challenges, improve current operations and provide support whenever and wherever something unexpected happens,” says Patrik Lundbäck, Director and Head of Sales and Distribution at Konecranes Lift Trucks. “They play a big part in the Konecranes Lifetime Advantage. This commitment is full of initiatives in very different service areas, but they all have one unique aim: to support customers to maximise their uptime and extend the lifecycle of their lift trucks as much as possible,” Lundbäck said.