The launch is the first step in one of Konecranes’ main strategies – developing new mid-priced products especially for the emerging markets.

The BOXHUNTER, launched today at the TOC Container Supply Chain Asia conference in Singapore, is the outcome of an intense product development effort that reinvented the design of today’s Rubber Tired Gantry (RTG) cranes. Konecranes Group’s President and CEO Pekka Lundmark is one of the key speakers at the conference.

Drawing on Konecranes’ proven, industry-leading technology, the design of the BOXHUNTER is built around the needs of container terminal customers who want the best but do not require all the features or the peak performance of the company’s top-of-the-range RTGs.

A major innovation for an essentially conservative market

Rather than try and simplify an existing RTG design or rethink one through a series of incremental modifications to existing concepts, Konecranes decided to brainstorm their entire approach from scratch.

“We did this by focusing on the operator and the user interface that we provide the operator with,” says Mika Mahlberg, Konecranes’ Vice President, Port Cranes. “The idea that we hit on was to turn things on their head, literally, and bring the operator down to the center of things in terms of stacking and moving containers: ground level.”

“Traditionally, the operator’s cab in an RTG is located at the top of the crane. This is great for visibility over the containers, but with today’s sophisticated video technology it’s no longer essential. We also decided to relocate most of the machinery used for driving the trolley and hoisting operations down to ground level as well. This simplifies the overall structure in a very important way and brings a new ease of access to this machinery as well, which is great from the service perspective.”

A simpler structure brings valuable savings in manufacturing costs. Despite a simpler structure the BOXHUNTER incorporates advanced video and laser technology that Konecranes has developed for its top-of-the-line Automated Stacking Cranes. Video cameras located at critical points around the crane and a sophisticated user interface in the cab give the operator excellent visibility everywhere he needs it.

As with all Konecranes container cranes, the BOXHUNTER can be equipped with extra operator-aiding, safety-enhancing features such as DGPS Autosteering. TRUCONNECT®, Konecranes’ remote monitoring service, is also available with BOXHUNTER.

Market opportunities worldwide

Asia is very much the focus of growth today in the container handling industry, as in many others. The BOXHUNTER is designed to maintain a steady, average level of performance, around 15+ container movements an hour, while still offering the high reliability and low downtime that lie at the heart of the Konecranes philosophy and brand.

“There just isn’t a comparable RTG out there today that combines this level of innovation, this level of operator experience, and this level of reliable performance. Customers buying the BOXHUNTER can also be assured that it offers the same safety and quality as our other products, because we never compromise with these things,” says Hannu Oja, Konecranes’ Director, Port Crane Technology.

The largest port in northern Vietnam and the second largest in the whole country, it lies barely 100 km to the east of Vietnam’s capital Hanoi on the China Sea and, with rapidly growing handling volumes, is positioning itself as a hub for Asian goods transport between Vietnam, Laos and PR China.

Phung Xuan Ha, Deputy General Director at Haiphong Port Holding Limited Liability Company, explains: “The growth rates are enormous. With the new gantry cranes from Terex, we will systematically further expand the capacities of our terminals.” The order also includes an option for Haiphong Port to purchase six additional gantry cranes.

“We are delighted that our rubber-tyred gantry cranes will be used for the first time in Vietnam,” explains Maurizio Altieri, General Manager of the TPS Xiamen facility in PR China, where the cranes are manufactured. “The prospering Asian market is demanding efficient solutions for container handling. With our products and services for terminal operators, this is precisely what we can offer. Vietnam, as a direct neighbor of China, is a significant and promising market for us.” 

Drive without noise and exhaust emissions

The E-RTG gantry cranes for Haiphong will be powered with electricity from the terminal’s electricity supply, where the power is supplied via a cable guided over a cable reel on the crane. The advantage compared to a conventional diesel-electric drive is that the cranes do not generate any local exhaust emissions and have low noise emissions. The improved efficiency rating considerably reduces energy costs, too.

Competitive edge

For Phung Xuan Ha, besides the cost-effectiveness of the gantry cranes, the performance data was also the deciding factor: “The equipment from Terex Port Solutions puts us in an even better position to satisfy our customers’ requirements for fast and efficient goods handling.” With a hoisting height of 18 m under the spreader, the cranes can stack standard containers 1-over-5. They have a span of 23.47 m, allowing them to cover six rows of containers and a truck lane, and can transport 40 t under the spreader.

Leading position in the Asian market

Terex Port Solutions is well represented in Asia thanks to its broad network of branch offices and its facility in Xiamen, PR China. Besides gantry cranes, many harbour cranes including mobile harbour cranes, portal harbour cranes and floating cranes, in addition to other TPS cargo handling cranes, have delivered outstanding performance in Asian ports for many years. Altieri concludes: “With TPS, port operators in Asia find the right handling equipment for every size and type of terminal. We not only offer the product, but also comprehensive service including direct on-site maintenance.”

“The immediate opportunity for PMT and the port is significant,” said John F. Reinhart, CEO and executive director of the Virginia Port Authority. “This is a good first step of providing a ‘proof of concept’ to bring business back to PMT. There is a lot of opportunity at PMT for the right users and this is one.”

On March 30, a Norfolk Southern automotive train arrived at the rail carrier’s Carolina Yard in Portsmouth carrying 700 Chrysler SUVs, manufactured near Toledo, Ohio. The vehicles were driven or transported from the rail yard to PMT by car carrier and vehicle convoy.

The Port of Virginia collaborated with Pasha Automotive, Norfolk Southern, Chrysler Group LLC and Siem Car Carriers to create a short-term, six-month, memorandum of understanding (MOU) between Pasha and Virginia International Terminals, LLC. If all goes well, this could be the basis for a longer term agreement, Reinhart said.

This alliance with Mitsubishi Corporation is also a very significant jump for Grup TCB. On the one side, it raises great expectations for the development of their management activity and implementation of container terminals in Asia and Africa. This enables both companies to build immediate synergies in certain projects in these geographies or in other areas where Grup TCB is already present, such as Latin America and the Mediterranean.

On the other hand, the agreement with Mitsubishi Corporation strengthens Grup TCB’s potential for funding new, more ambitious international projects that, by their nature, require large investments and more partners of recognized solvency and dimension. In this first cooperation, Mitsubishi Corporation and Kamigumi Corporation of Japan acquired a 25% of the TCV Stevedoring Company. The 75% majority remains in the control of Grup Maritim TCB. The purchase price has not been made public.

Mitsubishi Corporation is a global integrated business enterprise that develops and operates businesses across virtually every industry including environmental and infrastructure business, industrial finance, energy, metals, machinery, chemicals, foods. MC’s current activities are expanding far beyond its traditional trading operations as its diverse business ranges from natural resources development to investment in retail business, infrastructure, financial products and manufacturing of industrial goods. With more than 200 offices & subsidiaries in approximately 90 countries worldwide and a network of over 600 group companies, MC employs a multinational workforce of 65,975 people.

MC regards container terminal business as a promising sector with high growth potential. The global strategic partnership with Grup Maritim TCB S.L. in container terminal business is expected to reinforce MC’s efforts to develop and invest in infrastructure business.

Kamigumi Corporation, founded in 1947, provides port-harbor transportation services. The Company’s services include port-harbor transport, warehousing, trucking, packing, and heavy cargo transport. Kamigumi also provides other services like real estate, insurance agency operations, sports clubs, and restaurant management. Kamigumi has terminal business experience through operating container terminals at Hanshin ports and Keihin ports as single operator in Japan, and also in Laem Chabang Port in Thailand since 1990. The Company employs 4,332 people.

According to Xavier Soucheiron, the CEO of Grup Maritim TCB, “for our company, the relationship with MC is strategic not only because it will strengthen TCV activity, but mainly because we are focusing on new geographies where MC could help us to grow.”