New service and maintenance centre in the port of KotkaCommitted to improving the services it provides to its customers in the container and forest products industries, Kalmar has opened a new 1,400m2 service and maintenance centre at Kotka Container Terminal in Mussalo, south-eastern Finland.

have committed to providing an almost daily service between Kotka and the major deepsea ports of continental Europe.

Christer Granskog, President and CEO of Kalmar Industries, said:

“Kalmar is a company that differentiates itself from its competitors by constantly developing in-novative solutions for our customer segmentsand helping them to reach their optimum perform-ance levels.

“We have invested substantial resources in this service centre in Kotka because we see an increasing global trend for

customers wishing to concen-trate on their core businesses. Handling equipment is becoming very highly technical today and requires specialised knowledge, which is what we can offer.”

The premises have been built with modern technology and fur-nished with maintenance equip-ment that facilitates the work of the technical staff and ensures high-quality repair.

To save heating costs and to accommodate environmental factors, the workshop has been separated with a draught lobby, the wash facilities have an air-conditioning system, and the whole building is equipped with a heat recovery system.

The building includes fa-cilities for the training of main-tenance staff and machine operators. A service platform fa-cilitates the work on top of the machine. The technicalservice facility is a pilot project, which will be used to test and develop service and mainte-nance solutions and techniques, and the maintainability of the machines.

The centre offers technical ex-pertise and support for local in-dustries, which operate hun-dreds of machines for container and materials handling duties.

Initially, the centre mainly provides maintenance support to the cargo handling and ste-vedoring company Finnsteve. This will cover its fleet of strad-dle carriers, lift trucks and termi-nal tractors at Kotka Container Terminal to ensure that it has constant access to well-func-tioning machines. Finnsteve started container operations at Kotka Container Terminal in Mussalo at the beginning of 2005.

Kotka Container Terminal has been designed to handle 500,000 TEUs per year. Various leading container feeder lines

Continues on page 6

More on page 3, 4 and 5More on page 3

Kalmar around the

worldA GLOBAL BUSINESS MAGA ZINE FROM KALMAR INDUSTRIES, NO.1/2006

Shaking hands are Gui Mo, President, Headquarters, Shanghai Deep-water Port Construction – Port Branch, and Christer Granskog, President CEO, Kalmar Industries.

HHLA and Kalmar are cooperating in automating Container Terminal Burchardkai in Hamburg. Kalmar will supply the automatic stacking crane system (ASCs) and related technology for the Port of Ham-burg’s biggest terminal operator, HHLA. HHLA will automate the container yard of its Burchardkai terminal by year 2015. In the first phase of the investment project Kalmar will deliver 15 automatic stacking cranes and their control and automation systems during 2007–2008.

After a world record order of 60 straddle carriers from Kalmar in 2001 and 53 more in August last year, South African Port Operations (SAPO), the terminal operating subsidiary of South Africa’s transportation conglomerate Transnet Limited, has come back with an order for 25 additional straddle carriers.

The order comprises ten CSC 3-high stacking units and 15 CSC 4-high stackingunits, and their delivery to SAPO’s con-tainer handling facility in the Port of Durban will start in late summer this year.

www.kalmarind.com/news room

Pictured from the left: Rene Kleiss, VP Kalmar Container Cranes, Peter Schwenke, MD CTB, Sabine Dammertz, Head of purchasing dept. HHLA Karl-Heinz Inselmann, Head of Technology CTB,Thomas Elssner, Project manager ASC/CTB,Dr. Stephan Behn, Board member HHLA, Bert van der Velden, Kalmar Project manager, Jorma Tirkkonen, President, Kalmar Intelligence and automation, and Klaus Eger, MD Kalmar Germany.

More straddle carriersto SAPO

Automatic stacking crane system to HHLA

The world’s leaderin terminal tractors

38 Kalmar terminal tractors on the way to the new Yangshan Deepwater Port.

Kalmar offers the most comprehensive range of terminal tractors meeting the needs of custom-ers around the world. The range includes models for lighter distribution to those machines designed to un-dertake demanding duties for heavy industries, such as steel mills.

Kalmar has been developing machinery for ad-vanced RoRo handling since the 1960s. Leading the way in developing its terminal tractor offering, Kalmar is now introducing a new terminal tractor for

RoRo handling, the i-model, the world’s first series of tractors to be completely integrated with electronic control system through CAN-BUS technology.

Kalmar crosses the bridgeto Yangshan

C

Among those guests on handto witness the spectacle, was Gui Mo, President, Headquar-ters of Shanghai Deepwater Port Construction, Port Branch.

The Yangshan Port equip-ment orders have been placed in conjunction with other ma-chinery orders from Tongsheng Logistic Park. In total, Kalmar will deliver three 1 over 5 high and 6 + 1 wide RTGs to Tongsheng Logistics Park; 10 empty con-tainer handlers, including two to Tongsheng; eight DRF reachstackers, including six to Tongsheng; and 73 terminal trac-tors, five of which are destined for the logistics park.

facturing equipment to serve major port developments in China and across the wider Asia region. As well as the RTG deliv-eries to the Tongsheng Logistics Park, Kalmar’s new Shanghai fa-cility is also scheduled to deliver

two 1 over 5 high and 6 + 1wide RTGs to Yangzhou Yuanyang International Ports Co Ltd – a COSCO terminal located in Yangzhou, a major port along China’s Yangtze River.

Kalmar has had a strong presence in China since 1989 and is currently the number one supplier of reachstackers, ter-

minal tractors and heavy con-tainer stackers to the coun-try’s ports and terminals. Its significant market share in these sectors has put the company in an ideal position to penetrate the market further with other

handling solutions, includ-ing RTGs.

Tongsheng Logistic Parkis located on the same areaof land as Kalmar’s new USD10 million assembly plant in Shanghai’s Lingang Industrial Park, not far from the Yangshan Port development.

A 20 million TEU container terminal development, the Yangshan Port project was born out of the need to cater to future growth in the Shanghai area and the growing use of new mega container ships. Yangshan will comprise more than 50 con-tainer berths located on a clus-ter of islands in Hangzhou Bay, just south of Shanghai, which will be reached via the 32km East Sea Bridge.

Kalmar’s Lingang plant is its second facility in China and had, by the end of 2005, began manu-

Pictured from the left Gui Mo, President, Headquarters, Shanghai Deep-water Port Construction – Port Branch, Ken Loh, President Kalmar Asia and Christer Granskog, President CEO, Kalmar Industries.

Automated solutionsfor the future

CO

NT

EN

TS

Kalmar crosses the bridge to Yangshan ............ 3

i CAN, say new tractors for trailer handling ...... 4

HHLA starts automating ContainerTerminal Burchardkai .......................................... 6

Brisbane automated straddle carrier terminal enters a new dimension ..................................... 6

Kalmar Smartpath® to be fitted in 23 straddle carriers in Zeebrugge ...................... 9

All systems go on Réunion Island .................... 10

Full maintenance contractsecures peace of mind in Réunion ....................11

The key to big-time productivity gains ............ 12

Long Beach terminal impressed with the new DCF toplift .................................. 14

Investing in India .............................................. 15

Delicate handling solution ................................ 16

Service contract with P&O Ports ...................... 18

Gruvön Sawmilldelegates handling operations ......................... 20

Double pedal demonstrates expertise ............. 21

CMA CGM first to use environment-friendly containers ..................... 22

From Finland to China by rail ........................... 22

New service and maintenance centre in the port of Kotka .......................................... 24

In recent years most western ports have been struggling to keep pace with demands for increased effi-ciency and capacity. Automation is now emerging as a key tool with which to achieve this.

The challenges facing terminal operators are tougher today than they ever have been. The giant ca-pacity of the latest containerships puts increased pressure on han-dling speeds and productivity at the world’s major ports. By 2008, the slot capacity of the global container fleet will be almost double what it was in 2004, meaning that demand for faster and more efficient han-dling at ports will continue to inten-sify.

As the world’s leading container handling equipment supplier, we have responded swiftly, each year introducing improved machines that offer better and faster handling ca-pabilities, while at the same time making less noise and providing cleaner operations.

In this issue we introduce another two new product lines – namely, the DCF toplift series and i-series terminal tractors, which provides the platform for our latest generation machine and will be able to support add-ons such as automa-tion and driver assisting features.

Automation has quickly be-come a core element of our product and service range at Kalmar. It also serves as a link to our customers’ operations, providing valuable sup-port to their information manage-ment systems.

We started this pioneering work back in the 1990s. One of our first and most successful products has been Smartrail®, an autosteering and container position verification system for RTGs developed to mini-mise costs for terminal operators while simultaneously increasing productivity.

But automation is still relatively new to our industry. In process in-dustries, such as steel, chemical pulp and paper, automation has been successfully and widely used for decades. However, until recent times, port automation has mainly referred to IT solutions such as yard management systems that assist with decision-making processes in manual operations by keeping track of container locations. Now we have entered a new phase, with existing yard management systems being connected to automated equip-ment. Mobile phone technologies and wireless communications such

as WLAN and GPRS have made it possible to automate moving equipment and obtain reliable data fast enough for control purposes.

At Kalmar we strongly believe that customers benefit from our combined knowledge of equip-ment and automation, including on-board smart features, inte-grated systems and remote main-tenance for container handling equipment.

Many terminal operators also share that view. HHLA’s recent decision to convert Container Terminal Burchardkai in Hamburg to an automated stacking crane (ASC) system in cooperation with Kalmar was partly born out of the terminal operator’s wish to work with a single responsible supplier for its equipment, automation sys-tems and related technology. (More about this on pages 6 and 7.)

In association with Patrick Stevedores, we have accom-plished the world’s first fully au-tomated straddle carrier terminal at Fisherman’s Island, Brisbane, Australia. Employing 18 unmanned Edrive® straddle carriers, the facil-ity operates 24 hours a day, 365 days a year in nearly all weather conditions. Through automation, Patrick has achieved a smoother overall operation, a reduction in fuel and maintenance costs and a greatly improved safety record.

I am confident that all this is just the beginning. Encouraged by successes in Brisbane, Hamburg and several other terminals that use our on-board smart features (Smartrail® and Smartpath®), inte-grated systems and remote main-tenance products, we at Kalmar are embracing automation in our ongoing research and develop-ment efforts.

Although in its infancy, automa-tion has already proven its worth in resolving a number of our cus-tomers’ operating dilemmas – from increasing productivity needs and addressing labour shortages to controlling costs and fulfilling envi-ronmental responsibilities. I believe that there is much more it can do for our industry and that Kalmar, as the leading company in our field, has a duty to find out what that might be. One thing is for sure: automation will be a big part of our future.

Christer GranskogPresident and CEOKalmar Industries

Publisher: Benoît PassardKalmar IndustriesPO Box 878, Kungsgatan 70SE-101 37 StockholmTel + 46 8 700 51 40benoit.passard@kalmarind.com

Layout: Viestintätoimisto Tulus Oy, Tampere, Finland

PRINTED BY: Offset Ulonen Oy, Tampere, Finland, 2006

Editor: Aija KalanderKalmar IndustriesP.O.Box 387 FIN-33101 TampereTel +358 3 2658 111aija.kalander@kalmarind.com

Contributors: Paul Scott Abbott, Jeff Apter, Leila Tanskanen, Harry de Wilt

East Sea Bridge

32km

AirPort–Sea Port

highway

Luchaogang Port

Lingang Industrial AreaLingang Industrial Area

Harbor New City

YangshanDeepwater

Port

Kalmar crosses the bridge to

A convoy of eight Kalmar empty container handlers (ECH), two ContChamp DRF reachstackers and 38 terminal tractors made a striking picture when they crossed the East Sea Bridge from China’s mainland bound for the massive new Yangshan Deepwater Port Phase I, on 20 September 2005.

The biggest market for Kalmar terminal tractors is in the US where the application is mainly used for distribution centers of various kinds and warehouses. The 40,000th Ottawa model terminal tractor built in North America will roll off the assembly line this year. “2004 was the best year we ever had, and 2005 beat the heck out of that”, remarks Randy Dennis, Kalmar’s Vice President North America Industrial Sales Division.

“The popularity of the terminal tractor application in North America has dramatically increased in the last 10 years. The United States’ continuing development of “just in time” inventory management philosophy, a way of syncing daily parts delivery with production flow and distribution to decrease capital investment.

More trailers are being moved in and out of warehouses. That’s been a driver of our growth because you’ve got to have a terminal tractor to move semi-trailers efficiently to and from the warehouse so your products can be delivered on time.”

For the Asian market, Kalmar is assembling terminal tractors in Shanghai, China. By investing further in a new assembly plant, expanding the terminal tractor capacity as well as starting up assembly of empty container handlers, reach stackers and rubber tired gantry cranes, Kalmar will significantly increase its current capacity in the fast growing Asian region. Assembly of products in the new facility will start Spring 2006.

The world’s leader in terminal tractors

Continued from page 1.

2 3

Kalmar once again demonstrates its capability and market leadership with the fi rst terminal tractors on the market to use the new CAN-BUS control system. The new TTX182i, TRX182i, and TRL182i feature a new engine and transmission for greater power and torque and the new CAN-BUS control system offers faster, safer, simpler operation with less maintenance.

A new era starts with i

say new tractors for trailer handling

modern engines and transmis-sions with electronic control sys-tems generate a huge amount of information. It is obviously hard to control, but the biggest chal-lenge is really to take full advan-tage of the information and di-agnostics they offer. The only way to do this is to have these systems, meaning the engine and transmission, communi-cate with the rest of the trac-tor. For this reason, it was obvi-ous we needed to develop the CAN-BUS control system for the whole unit.”

“With CAN-BUS, it is possi-ble to collect more precise op-erational data about the tractor, such as driving positions, fuel consumptions, power utiliza-tions, and so forth. All this now very accurate data can be used in further R&D projects with the customer,” he concludes.

With CAN-BUS, there are one-third of the wire harnesses of the traditional system, no cir-cuit boards, one display show-ing all warnings and information, and identical electrical compo-nents regardless of the model. CAN-BUS also oversees the increased number of engine

and transmission sensors and enables more customer-specific options.

Less downtime, higher runtimeThis is mainly due to its detailed and well-presented information and diagnostics on the driver’s display, including all new stand-ard information and functions. The diagnostics submenu offers detailed information about the alarms and their codes, as well as operational data.

Troubleshooting now takes only seconds, as CAN-BUS shows more precise information, such as possible faults in sensors or connections. CAN-BUS can also connect to the Kalmar RMI (Remote Maintenance Interface) system for better service planning and fault diagnostics from the office or through the Internet.

The world’s widest terminal tractor rangePORT INDUSTRIAL

RORO

4x2PT122TTX182,TTX182i

GCW 75 tons*Low slope RoRo in ideal weather.

4x4TRX182,TRX182iTRL182,TRL182i TRX242TRX252

GCW115 / 150 tons*Deep slopes or changing weather conditions at ramp side.

LOLO

4x2PT122PT172TTX182,TTX182i

GCW 75 tons*Container terminal operation, often with Bomb Cart trailers.

4x4TRX242TRX252

GCW240 tons*or Trailer trains up to four trailers. First one typically hooked on the tractor.

INTERMODAL

4x2PT122PT172TTX182,TTX182i

GCW 75 tons*Container LoLo and/or road legal trailer spotting in railway yard.

4x4TRX182,TRX182i

GCW115 tons*Changing weather conditions.

FREIGHT

4x2ST122

GCW 55 tons*Transportation hubs for spotting road legal trailers.

WAREHOUSINGDIS-TRIBUTION

4x2ST122

GCW 55 tons*Distribution centers of various kinds, road legal trailer moving.

LIGHT MANUFACTURING

4x2ST122

GCW 55 tons*Handling of trailer movements within a manufacturing facility.

HEAVY MANUFACTURING

4x2TTX182,TTX182i

GCW 75 tons*Heavy loads on special trailers.

4x4TRX182,TRX182i TRX242TRX252

GCW115 / 150 tons*Heavy loads on special trailers.

Kalmar’s new i-models tractors are the start of a new era.

What does the i signify? For starters, it shows innovative solutions. The CAN-BUS control system’s many intelligent fea-tures help drivers and service-men to do their jobs much more effectively and safer. The total in-tegration of the engine, transmis-sion and entire machine with the CAN-BUS control system simpli-fies the design while still ena-bling full advantage of the new features.

The greatly improved per-formance of the new i-models can be felt in many ways, such as in the better pulling capac-ity, very smooth automatic gear change and CAN-BUS features, which bring a completely new level of easy operation. This gives the driver the freedom to concentrate on the essential – getting the job done.

The new CAN-BUS control system provides comprehensive information generation and col-lection, so the users can operate more productively. For example, the driver and service technician can better plan their tasks.

They offer very smooth and soft automatic gear changes and a proportional lift boom control with auto-revs-up that adjusts the hydraulic oil flow to the op-timum level. Drivers no longer need to rev-up the engine with the pedal, as the i-models adjust to the correct flow automatically.

CAN-BUS further helps the driver with several now-standard safety features, such as blocking the engagement of forward-re-verse, 4WD, king-pin opening and range change when the tractor is moving.

Move heavier loads easierWith the new Volvo TAD750VE and optional Sisu Diesel 74CTA (both EU stage 3A and EPA/CARB Tier III emission level), the TTX182i, TRX182i and TRL182i offer greater power and torque, with less service. Both engines offer high and stable torque at

a wide range of engine revs, the key to smooth, effective tractor pulling operation.

Both engines feature a new transmission, the Dana RTE 15822, based on the well-proven 32000 series but with new im-provements. The automatic gear change is now standard, but drivers may still select the man-ual operation mode as well.

Also a notable change is the wheelbase increase to 3100 mm in the TRL182i model in order to offer enough swing clearance, for example for trailers with freezer units.

A completely new element of controlAll of these new developments result from careful Kalmar re-search and development. Hannu Turpeinen, Kalmar Trailer Han-dling’s R&D Manager. “New,

More information:Timo Matikainen

Tel +358 3 2658 111timo.matikainen@kalmarind.com

What can the new i-models promise?

i CAN...... make the driver’s tasks easier and faster

... give more power and torque

... offer troubleshooting in 1/10 of the time

... simplify electrical system and maintenance

... give longer service intervals

... meet the new environmentally- friendly regulations

4 5

* Note: GCW (Gross Combination Weight) is the maximum available rating, which may not be achieved with standard specifi cation or with required gradeability.

Kalmar Intelligence and Automation

over the smaller machines with a loaded container. Operating on separate sets of rail tracks, the cranes are capable of mov-ing freely within the block. From the quayside, containers will be transported by straddle carri-ers to a buffer area, where they will be collected by the ASCs. Outgoing containers will also be handled through the buffer area using the same system. On the landward side of the block, the ASCs will either perform load-ing and unloading of road trucks, operated through a remote con-trol system by terminal control room staff, or handle contain-ers automatically in a straddle carrier buffer lane. The contract includes an option for an addi-tional 75 ASCs.

Make things easyCommenting on the decision to cooperate with Kalmar, Con-tainer Terminal Buchardkai’s Managing Director, Christian Blauert, said:

“Kalmar has been a long-term partner for HHLA and has shown, over many years, true dedication to developing the

business. We are convinced that we benefit from Kalmar’s com-bined knowledge of equipment, container handling systems and automation features. It makes life much easier for us to deal with one responsible supplier.”

Kalmar places strong emphasis on automation development through its business unit, Intelligence & Automation, which focuses on the marketing and development of onboard smart features for container handling equipment, integrated automation systems and on-line remote maintenance products and services.

Jorma Tirkkonen, President of Kalmar Intelligence & Automation, said:

“We are very proud that HHLA has chosen to work with us on this project, which is lead-ing the way for the whole indus-try. Automation will be a solution for many terminals looking for ways to improve their capacity and productivity in a safe and environmentally friendly way.”

The Port of Hamburg’s biggest container terminal operator, HHLA, has chosen Kalmar Industries for the supply of its automatic stacking crane (ASC) system and related technology for the fi rst step in the conversion of its Container Terminal Burchardkai facility to a semi-automated operation.

automating ContainerTerminal Burchardkai

In phase one of the terminal conversion, Kalmar will equip the first five yard stacking blocks with 15 ASCs, along with their automation and control systems, during 2007 and 2008. The first cranes will arrive at Burchardkai at the beginning of 2007.

The Burchardkai terminal handled approximately 2.7m TEU last year. HHLA plans to in-crease its capacity to 5.2m TEU by re-engineering the operation and converting the main part of the conventional straddle carrier container storage area to an ASC system by the year 2015. HHLA also expects to improve pro-ductivity significantly. During the conversion process all present terminal operations must be able to continue uninterrupted, while capacity increases gradually.

By 2015 Container Terminal Burchardkai will be operated as a ‘block’ system, with 30 yard blocks stacking ten containerswide, five high and 44 TEU (330m) long. Each block will em-ploy two smaller ASCs capable of straddling the ten-wide, five-high blocks and one wider and higher ASC, capable of passing

Continues on page 8

automated straddle carrier terminal entersa new dimensionAfter years of intensive research, development and testing, the world’s fi rst fully automated straddle carrier (AutoStrad) system started large-scale operations in Patrick Corporation’s Fisherman Islands’ facility in Brisbane, Australia when Berths 7, 8, and 9 offi cially opened for business on 1 December, 2005.

The facility now operates with 18 automated Kalmar EDRIVE® straddle carriers, the first such machines to be purpose-built for unmanned operations. The automated 65-tonne straddles are fitted with motion con-trol and navigation systems which allow them to operate unmanned 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, in very nearly all weather conditions.

Between them, the 18 straddle carriers will handle over 400,000 TEU during the first year of operations on the 25 hectare site. They will be responsible for moving con-tainers from the 750 metre quay, stacking them in holding yards and loading them onto vehicles.

Automated straddle car-rier trial operations were ini-tiated in 2000 and, following their success, the machines undertook their first com-mercial moves at Berth 7 of Fisherman’s Island in 2002.

Brisbane

HHLA starts

6 7

An artist’s impression of how operations will look at HHLA’s Container Terminal Buchardkai when phase one of the new Kalmar automatic stacking crane system is in place in 2007/2008.

Continued from page 7

to be integrated in 23 straddle carriers in ZeebruggeKalmar has been contracted by APMT Zeebrugge to fi t 23 straddle carriers with its Smartpath® container position verifi cation system. Delivery of the fully Smartpath® enabled machines is due to take place during next few months.

Last year Patrick confirmed a warranty/service contract with Kalmar for its automated straddle carrier fleet at the Fisherman Islands terminal in Brisbane, Australia.

The contract includes scheduled warranty / preventive maintenance and servicing, service parts, and daily and weekly checks.

To further boost efficiency at its automated terminal Patrick has instaled the automated ESC straddle carriers with Kalmar’s Remote Machine Interface (RMI), which has become an essential part of the service scope offered under all Kalmar rental and contract maintenance services.

Kalmar developed RMI as a tool for remote machine monitoring, maintenance tasking and reporting. Its main advantages are centralised management of the fleet, easy-to-read reports and clear format analyses. It also offers remote support from Kalmar factory experts over the internet.

After a successful trial period with five automated straddle carriers, Patrick decided to open a large-scale facility over three fully operating berths.

The terminal currently operates with the use of four Panamax ship-to-shore cranes. The older cranes were refurbished in 1994, at which time one of them was also raised by 6m. The terminal has two post-Panamax cranes on order. Once these are delivered, one of the older cranes will be scrapped, bringing the total crane count to five.

Kalmar Industries and Patrick have developed the AutoStrad system in partnership. Kalmar’s role in the development of the AutoStrad terminal was to apply its knowledge and experience to developing machine control sys-tems that move, brake and steer the straddle carriers and en-sure that the machines pick and place the containers in the correct po-sitions. Patrick Technology & Systems (PTS) concentrated on navigation posi-tioning, the tasking sys-tem and the AutoStrad “Traffic Management System” (TMS).

Service team Mark Galt,Marcus Weber, Rodney Nolan, Uwe Hilliges, Barry Shotter,Bill Bubb,Bill Castles, Vincent Viviers.

Kalmar Intelligence and Automation

Jorma Tirkkonen, President of Kalmar Intelligence and Automation, confirms that the automation concept is attracting interest from terminal operators on a global basis.

distances and optimising laden travel distances, thus providing significant improvements in productivity.

It reduces unproductive and unplanned container moves in the terminal and also ensures that misplaced containers can be retrieved easily.

Since Smartpath® container positioning is completely integrated, it also lets the driver fully concentrate on his job by providing him with tools such as a terminal map and by creating automatically the container pick and place impulses to the yard management system.

The real-time container position information can be integrated into all leading yard planning and equipment control systems.

Smartpath® is also machine and manufacturer independent and is therefore developed for use with machinery produced by all manufacturers.

“Kalmar and Patrick have a joint venture company – PTS – which is already using its expertise to help other terminal operators analyse how they can implement automation in their

own terminals. Our initial focus was to get the technology to work in Brisbane. The success in Australia has initiated a genuine demand in other part of the world.”

KalmarSmartpath®

Smartpath®

■ practically maintenance free and always fully automatic container position message sending

– position detection always with the data from GPS and/or from onboard sensors; no magnetic nor metallic tags in the yard surface, no white line painted on the surface, no wire embedded in the surface

– easy updates; container yard as a data base in the memory

– GPS-antenna requires cleaning once or twice a year

Smartpath benefits■ nothing needed to be attached or embedded to the yard surface no steel strips, no magnetic nor metallic tags, no buried wire, no painted line for any camera

– => no civil work required

■ much more cost effective than these conventional systems■ also practically service free■ all container moves reported

– => no lost containers

– => no checkers needed

– => less people in container yard => improved safety

■ less keying in from the SC opearators

– => improved ergonomicsMore information:Keijo Parviainen

Tel +358 3 2658 111keijo.parviainen@kalmarind.com

Kalmar Smartpath® is an automation package for straddle carriers and reachstackers. The system verifies and reports on the location of all containers to be handled and saves time by minimising unladen travel

8 9

Service Contract

In order to fully utilise the capabilities of its new Kalmar straddle carrier fl eet equipped with the Smartpath® container position verifi cation system, SERMAT – the association acting on behalf of the three individual stevedoring companies at Port Réunion in the Indian Ocean – has contracted a newly established service company for the full maintenance contract of both the equipment and systems.

Kalmar is playing a leading role in the new service company, Société Réunionaise de Maintenance Portuaire (SRMP). Its goals are to create a service structure capable of exe-cuting an eight-year machine maintenance contract with Port Réunion and to strengthen the sales and servicing activities in the Indian ocean area in general, including not only Réunion, but also Mauritius, Madagascar, Comores, Seychelles and Rodrigue. The total number of people on SRMP’s payroll is 11.

The maintenance contract covers full maintenance of 12 CSC straddle carriers for a period of eight years, commencing 1 July 2005, and full maintenance of two new terminal tractors for a period of six years from the same commencement date. Excluded under the contract is additional work such as damage repair and overtime.

Kalmar has a strong presence at Réunion thanks to the port’s 15-year collaboration with its local dealer, DMP.

Jean de la Perrière, Jeanine Isautier and Michel Antonelli head up the three companies responsible for handling operations at the Port of Réunion.

All systems goAll systems goon Réunion Islandon Réunion IslandThe French Island of Réunion is experiencing a frenzy of con-sumer activity. The port, which serves as the economic heart of the Indian Ocean depart-ment island, is happily enjoying the consequences of this new-found spending power. Year on year it is setting new through-put records, averaging an annual growth rate of more than 5% over the last decade.

The three stevedoring com-panies operating at the Port of Réunion, SAMR, SOMACOM and SGM Handling, have thoroughly changed the landscape of the port and its development per-spectives by jointly investing in 12 latest generation Kalmar straddle carriers. The machines feature Kalmar’s Smartpath® container position verification system, which provides real-time position verification for each container handled, enabling indi-vidual machines to be tasked in the most efficient way.

Explains Jean de la Perrière, President of SGM Handling: “One of the key benefits of Smartpath® is that it allows us to adapt quickly to new container

and Mærsk Line – already call at Port Réunion with regular liner or feeder services.

Because of its excellent geo-graphical position and the com-bined operating expertise within the port, it is little wonder that Port Réunion has grand ambitions for the future. However, as Mr de la Perrière explains, Port Réunion is confronted with immediate growth issues:

“At present we are reporting the strongest growth of all French ports. To tackle this challenge, the Est Port extension is underway and is scheduled for completion at the end of 2006 after two-and-a-half years’ work. It will include the construction of a new 650m-long berth, as well as the widening of the approach channel from 130m to 160m and dredging to increase the draft from 12m to 16m, allow-ing us to handle even the latest generation container vessels.”

Kalmar’s input into the Est Port extension project will see substantial productivity increases in Port Réunion’s container handling operations. Last autumn the port took into operation 12 four-high CSC450 straddle carriers

with twin-lift spreaders and two TRX182 terminal tractors, each with a three-unit multi-trailer system. By switching from reachstackers – which require wider aisles and more space to manoeuvre – to a straddle carrier system, the port has realised a 50% increase in its container storage capacity.

“The greater flexibility offered by the CSC450s will also mean im-proved gate delivery times for drivers,” says Mr de la Perrière. “Moreover, the better manoeuvrabil-ity of the straddle carriers combined with the fact that they are equipped with 50-ton capacity twin-lift spread-ers will result in considerably im-proved quayside operations.”

He continues: “Kalmar’s track record in being responsive to our after-sales needs has been excel-lent. As such, we now see Kalmar as a partner rather than an equipment supplier and are happy to extend our co-operation with them.”

Planning expertise Port Réunion also employed the services of Kalmar Terminal Development to help in its planning process, includ-ing estimation of the required fleet size and identification of optimal layouts, as well as other assistance associated with the conversion to straddle carrier operations. Kalmar Port Optimizer, a new simulation tool, was also used in the process.

handling systems. At Réunion, for example, we are switching from reachstackers to straddle carriers to handle growing con-tainer volumes. We expect the incorporation of Smartpath® into the new straddles to make the transition much smoother for our drivers.”

Catering to future growth Port de l’Ile de la Réunion ranks third in size among French ports. “Our existing 180,000 TEU

per year box volumes put it far ahead of any other Indian Ocean port in terms of throughput,” says Mr de la Perrière.

Situated at the centre of the Indian Ocean island group, the port receives some 70% of European containerised traffic destined for the region and it is also well positioned on the Asia to East and West Africa routes. The world’s three largest con-tainer lines – MSC, CMA CGM

More information:Ilkka Annala

Tel +358 3 2658 111ilkka.annala@kalmarind.com

Kalmar has delivered 12 four-high CSC450 straddle carriersfitted with the Smartpath® system for the Port of Réunion.

The deal includes also full maintenance contract.

secures peace of mind in Réunion

Full maintenance contract

10 11

Getting a feel for the product Integral to the launch of Kalmar’s DCF series of toplifts were two US events to familiarize both dealers and customers with the new product line. The events took place in South Carolina and California. Feedback from the two events showed that the new toplifts were judged to be well ahead of the competition.

The Kalmar DCF series of toplifts offers customers a range of benefits:

1. Unrivalled performance improved cycle times through faster travelling and lifting speeds (up to 50% faster than its predecessor); greater lifting capacity – up to 100,000lbs (45 metric tonnes) when lifting a 9’6” box to the five-high position.

2. Improved ergonomics intuitive and responsive operator controls; low noise and vibration levels.

3. More uptime field-proven components and less maintenance – 500 hrs service interval; fast troubleshooting thanks to in-built diagnostics.

4. Low overall costs best power-to-weight ratio combined with state-of-the-art drive train technology = lower fuel costs; longer service intervals and reduced tyre wear = lower service costs.

The machine has been designed specifically for the North Amer-ican market in response to the needs of the most demanding terminal operators. Designed and built to give the customers a clear advantage, the toplifts offer more container moves per dollar and maximum return on investment.

After-market support has been an integral part of the DCF series product develop-ment project. Optimised parts logistics and the training of sup-port people have already been completed. Improved support also incorporates on-site train-ing at delivery and optional on-site training six months and 12 months after delivery.

The machine operates at full capacity when lifting a 9’6” con-tainer to the five high position, even when the spreader is ex-

Kalmar has launched the DCF series of toplifts, a new generation machine that combines high productivity and uptime with low operating costs and increased driver confi dence. This machine can lift a 40-foot container to the 5-high position 26 seconds faster than any other lift truck available on the market today. It’s not diffi cult to work out the massive contribution to productivity this speedy machine can make in a high-volume container handling environment – not just in the long term but even on a daily basis.

tended. Retained lifting capacity independent of the spreader po-sition means that there is rarely a need to reposition the machine when placing a container.

It also offers significantly in-creased lifting speeds. The DCF

410, for example, can lift loads up to 50% faster than its pred-ecessor. This is made possible by the use of the same technical solution adopted in reachstacker lifting cylinders, known as the re-generation system.

The lifting speeds of the new DCF series of toplifts have been increased significantly by incorporating the re-generation system used in Kalmar reachstackers.

Travelling speeds have also been improved, while greater spreader mobility allows for more flexible – and therefore more efficient – operations.

More uptimeKalmar has also put easy main-tenance high on its priority list in the development of the DCF series with the inclusion of fea-tures such as a maintenance-free steer axle joint and mast lu-brication at ground level. Sched-uled maintenance now runs at 500-hour intervals – the best in the industry.

Simpler hydraulics have also been incorporated to offer a well-organised layout and easy accessibility for service opera-tions.

Thanks to the use of proven components and advanced diagnostic features, the machine

is optimised for fast trouble-shooting. Should there be a malfunction, the driver receives one of three different warnings, enabling him to determine the seriousness of the problem. In critical situations, the system stops machine operations altogether to prevent further damage, although the limp-home function will allow the machine to return to the workshop for repairs. Meanwhile, built-in self-diagnostics greatly reduces the time needed for identifying the problem and thus uptime is maximized.

The DCF toplifts operate at full capacity when lifting a 9’6” container to the five high position, even when the spreader is extended.

The key to big-timeproductivity gains

12 13

in Indlift employs 18 staff and has operations in Mumbai, Khandla, New Delhi, Vizag and Bangalore. The previous owner of Indlift, Vijay Kumar, will take up the position of Managing Director of Kalmar India.

Christer Granskog, President and CEO, Kalmar Industries, com-ments:

“This acquisition fits in with Kalmar’s strategy of boosting its direct involvement in sales and services in its major markets.

“Kalmar has enjoyed a success-ful partnership with Indlift. The com-pany’s longstanding experience and dedication to customer service will form a basis from which Kalmar can establish its own operations in India.”

Investing Kalmar has established its own subsidiary company in India through the acquisition of 51% of Indlift, which has been the agent for Kalmar products in India since 2000.

India

“We have been impressed with it,” said Ed Mitchell, Senior Manager for corporate planning for International Transportation Service (ITS). “It’s certainly a larger machine with many new features that make it stand above the competition and even other Kalmar equipment.”

“Business is growing hand over fist for us,” said Mitchell, who noted that he was quick to put the new DCF 410 to work as soon as possible after Kalmar of-ficials demonstrated it at the Port of Long Beach. “It has been used every day since,” Mitchell smiled.

The new DCF 410 brings to an even dozen the Kalmar top-lift contingent at the ITS Long Beach terminal. Mitchell said he has been well-pleased with all the Kalmar machines that he has been putting to use at ITS Long Beach since beginning a transition from a competitor’s units in 2000.

Long Beach terminal impressed withthe new DCF topliftWith the continuing boom in imports from Asia, operators of U.S. West Coast container terminals are looking for ways to enhance productivity while reducing operating costs. Kalmar’s new DCF series toplift is providing such a solution at the Port of Long Beach, California, where it has been busy moving containers since its November 2005 introduction.

More information:Al McDougal

Tel +1 281 246 1423al.mcdougal@kalmarind.com

Extra-specialBut the DCF 410 toplift already is proving to be extra-special.

“For one, the new machine has a faster hoist speed,” Mitchell said of the Kalmar DCF 410 toplift. In fact, its speed is as much as 50 percent faster than that of its predecessor.

He noted that the Kalmar DCF 410 also boasts greater lifting capacity – up to 45 metric tons when lifting a 9-foot-6-inch - high box to the five-high position. “The machine is larger, so it has increased stability, too,” Mitchell said. “And it has greater ergonomics, including wider view angles for the operator.”

Driver-operators also have been impressed with the DCF unit’s intuitively responsive opera-tor controls and its low noise and vibration levels.

A reduction in the number of hydraulic lines and other factors,

of Long Beach. Lines served in-clude “K” Line, COSCO, Yang Ming, Hanjin, Hamburg Sud, CP Ships, Maruba, Polynesia Lines, OOCL, NYK Line, P&O Nedlloyd and Hapag Lloyd. It is one of the busiest such facilities anywhere in the world.

The Port of Long Beach com-bines with the neighboring Port of Los Angeles to move contain-ers at a pace of some 15 million TEUs (20-foot-equivalent units) a year, representing the third-busiest containerport complex in the world, behind only No. 1 Hong Kong and No. 2 Singapore.

According to Mr Kumar, Kalmar’s investment in India marks its com-mitment to playing an integral role in the development of the country’s port industry:

“India is opening up and be-coming a key growth market for container and heavy materials han-dling equipment and related serv-ices. With the acquisition of Indlift, Kalmar will be well placed to bring the best available technology, serv-ice and support to its customers in India.”

There are several projects pres-ently in place in India to modernise existing ports and establish new facilities. Total container volume is estimated to be more than 4 million TEU in 2005, continuing the 10% av-erage growth trend of recent years. India’s railway network is also one of the largest in the world, providing a healthy market for inland terminal development. Meanwhile, industrial activities are also developing.

Kalmar has a strong presence in India with around 200 Kalmar machines – ranging from RTGs and reachstackers to terminal tractors and FLTs – working in the country’s ports and terminals industry.

Mr Vijay Kumar.

Ed Mitchell, Senior Manager for corporate planning for

International Transportation Service (ITS).

such as a maintenance-free steer axle joint and mast lubrication at ground level, bode to help lessen maintenance needs.

“More ‘up’ time means greater cost-efficiency for our operation,” Mitchell noted.

Other early orders, in addition to that from Long Beach, have in-cluded one for six DCF units from Global Marine Terminal in Jersey City, New Jersey, the only privately owned and operated container terminal at the Port of New York and New Jersey. And even ter-minal operators from far beyond North America, including one in Italy, have placed early orders for Kalmar DCF series toplifts.

International Transportation Service ITS is terminal operator for the 246-acre Pier J facility, which en-compasses nine berths served by 16 gantry cranes, at the Port

14 15

In July, Norske Skog, one of the world’s leading manufacturers of newsprint paper, took delivery of two Kalmar DCE75-6HE fork-lift trucks at its paper mill in Al-bury, New South Wales, Australia. The trucks, all made to the same specifications, have a lifting ca-pacity of 3,600kgs and are fitted with the Kalmar hydrostatic drive system and a Legacy Twinhead vacuum suction lift attachment.

Norske Skog made the order when plans to increase produc-tion of 50,000 tonnes were put into operation. Presently the mill produces 215,000 tonnes of newsprint annually, a figure that is expected to rise by 20% when the extension is completed. This increase caused Norske Skog to reconsider its logistics opera-tions at the mill and led to the acquisition of the forklift trucks.

Peter Tolsher, a warehouse operator at the mill in Albury, comments on Norske Skog’s de-sign specifications:

‘’We were looking for real ‘work horses’ – machines that would be able to cope in a tough handling environment, while at the same time providing excel-lent working conditions, such as

Delicate handling solutionThe extension of production capacity at the Norske Skog Paper Mill in Albury, New South Wales, Australia, makes great demands on logistics solutions.

a superior driver’s environment encompassing good visibility.

“The work is intense, with ap-prox. 640 tonnes of paper being moved in and out each day, so it is of the utmost importance that the drivers’ working conditions are of an optimum standard to ensure that a good and safe job is carried out.”

The newsprint paper is made up of 40% recycled fibre and 60% plantation pine. It is es-sential that the rolls are han-dled very carefully and without being damaged. Norske Skog’s and Kalmar’s solution was to equip the forklifts with Legacy Twinhead vacuum suction lift attachments, which have been designed to avoid clamp dam-age to the paper rolls. The at-tachment, able to lift two paper rolls weighing approximately 1,500kg’s simultaneously, is to be positioned on the standing rolls, while the vacuum is built to suck and lift the rolls for further

Norske Skogin Australasia

Norske Skog has three

paper mills in Australasia:

the Albury and the Boyer mills

in Australia and the Tasman

in New Zealand. Together,

these paper mills have an an-

nual capacity of more than

880,000 tonnes of newsprint

and related grades of paper,

with sales worth around one

billion Australian dollars.

transportation in the warehouse. Both incorporate an automatic vertical mast function, which holds the rolls in a vertical posi-tion. This minimises the risk of damage to the end of the rolls when placing them on the floor, onto truck flats or when they are stacked.

The forklifts operate a Perkins diesel engine with par-ticle filter to adhere to environ-mental standards and the Spirit Delta cabin has an EEC stand-ard air conditioning system, to suit Australian climate condi-

tions. To achieve the best driv-ing performance the forklifts are equipped with Kalmar’s patented electronic monitoring program, KCS.

Before the trucks were shipped to Australia, Mr Tolsher visited the Kalmar factory in Ljungby, Sweden, with fellow warehouse operator Wayne Bryce to perform a thorough final check and test drive:

“We were more than satis-fied with the comfort and ac-cessibility of the forklifts. Kalmar adapts its machines to meet cli-ent requirements making each product individual and unique.

“The factory visit proved to be vital. It was necessary to fully understand all the advanced functions and details of the machines before being able to operate them at full capacity. It gave us the possibility to learn, check and test all the functions and initiate any final adjustments that were necessary. It is an ex-cellent advantage to have every-thing integrated and in full work-ing order when the forklifts are delivered.”

Bryan Murphy, Warehouse Team Leader, Norske Skog and

Pictured at the Norske Skog paper mill in Albury, Australia, with the two Kalmar DCE75-6HE forklift trucks, are (from the left) Bengt Larsson, Managing Director, Kalmar Equipment (Australia), Prem Nath, Sales Manager, forklift trucks, KEA, Bryan Murphy, Warehouse Team Leader, Norske Skog Paper Mill Pty Ltd, Albury, NSW.

It is essential that the paper rolls are handled very carefully and without being damaged. Norske Skog’s and Kalmar’s solution was to equip the forklifts with Legacy Twinhead vacuum suction lift attachments, which have been designed to avoid clamp damage to the paper rolls.

Norske Skog paper mills have an annual capacity of more than 880,000 tonnes of newsprint and related grades of paper, with sales worth around one billion Australian dollars.

Kalmar’s Forklift Sales Manager, Prem Nath, considered the existing and future logistical needs of the mill to provide a legitimate forklift specification. Only when Mr Nath was fully satisfied that he was able to meet the customer’s wishes did he present the solution:

“Our objective is to make life easier for the customer. They are experts in their own profession – in their customers’ eyes they are producers and distributors of high-quality newsprint. With this in mind it was my job to find the optimum materials handling so-lution to suit their operation.

“Kalmar has a lot of expe-rience in the paper handling industry and is able to meet the exact requirements of the customer, while meeting their budget. We provide them with the best outcome for eachdollar spent.”

More information:Bengt Larsson

Tel +61 3 9701 0311bengt.larsson@kalmarind.com

Image: G

orilla/D

avid Tro

od

16 17

More information:Damien Cols

Tel +32 3 541 0966damien.cols@kalmarind.com

Service contractwith P&O Ports

Piet Wauters, Director of Technical Services and Freddy Debue,

Container Terminal Manager, believe that by joining forces with Kalmar, P&O Ports’ Antwerp Gateway can

increase productivity and minimise operating costs.

P&O Ports has signed a full service contract with Kalmar for the provision of preventative and breakdown maintenance, engineering support and spare parts supply 20 Kalmar Edrive® ESC 7th generation straddle carriers operating at its new Antwerp Gateway terminal. The contract, based on a fi xed hourly rate,is for 8,000 machine hours –the equivalent of approximately two years.

Smooth operators onthe Deurganckdok

Walter Anthonissen, Kalmar Belgium’s Senior Service Engineer, could be forgiven for feeling like he is working under a magnifying glass. After all, there are few assignments more high-profi le than his: Mr Anthonissen is site supervisor at the Antwerp Gateway Terminal in the new 6 million TEU Deurganckdok facility, charged with managing the fi rst full-service maintenance contract for P&O Ports’ 20 new 7th generation ESC straddle carriers.

Mr Anthonissen and two engineering colleagues from Kalmar Belgium are stationed full-time at Antwerp Gateway. They have been allocated their own office at the terminal while they service the 8,000 machine-hour contract. By late February, the twenty ESC carriers, had clocked up an average of 700 hours of operation. Most of the service and maintenance of the straddle carriers during this time has centred on official guarantee matters and the first 500-hour full check-ups, as well as the odd accident repair job.

Mr Anthonissen explains:“We are proud to be playing a part in Antwerp’s continued growth. The port

is booming and, as such, terminal operators are under pressure to maintain high levels of efficiency at all times. We are committed to making sure that Kalmar strads perform to all expectations. I believe our expertise with Edrive® straddles is a clear advantatage, especially in technical areas such as programmable logic control (PLC) and the use of AC inverters.”

It takes threeMr Anthonissen also discusses day-to-day co-ordination and planning with Werner Peeters, Head of Antwerp Gateway’s technical department in charge of rolling equipment. The client-subcontractor relationship at Mr Anthonissen’s new semi-permanent post on the left bank of the Scheldt River is smooth, professional and amicable. “We get along well. Werner used to be a colleague of mine for some five years with Kalmar Belgium. We ’grew-up’ together in the straddle carrier business there,” he says.

The deal is more than just a service contract though, be-cause it is based on close coop-eration between the technical staff of P&O Ports and Kalmar. P&O Ports will also have full ac-cess to the engineering exper-tise and support at Kalmar’s factory in Finland.

P&O Ports is constantly evaluating the benefits of the cooperation. Explains Piet Wauters, Director Technical Services at P&O Ports Belgium:

“We are monitoring operat-ing costs, availability and reli-ability closely at all times be-cause this is the first time that our company has signed a full service contract for a large-scale straddle carrier operation.

“We believe that by joining forces with Kalmar, we can in-crease productivity, and mini-mise operating costs. Moreover, making use of Kalmar’s expertise will enable us to concentrate on the efficient management of Antwerp Gateway.”

Despite being in its early stages, the cooperation has al-ready impacted positively on the terminal’s handling capabilities, according to Mr Wauters:

“Not only did the first ship to call at Antwerp Gateway arrive late, it also arrived on a Sunday. However, Kalmar’s technical staff were still at hand to provide as-sistance.”

In practice, workload at the terminal is now divided between P&O Ports and Kalmar technical staff, whereby the former serv-ice of the machinery during the night and Sundays, and the lat-ter during the day from Monday to Saturday. Briefings between shifts are held to ensure that both parties are well-informed regarding the overall operation at the terminal – a joint venture between P&O Ports, Maersk, Duisport, Cosco Pacific and CMA-CGM, and managed by P&O Ports.

Kalmar’s 7th generation ESC straddle carriers were intro-duced last year to respond to the need for increased produc-tivity, efficiency and environmen-tal sustainability in the shipping industry.

18 19

Kalmar supplied Stora Enso with an 8-tonne DCE 80-9 HE incor-porating the double pedal design in November 2004. An intensive evaluation was carried out and the machine fully satisfied the mill’s requirements and led to the order of a further five hydro-statically powered machines in April 2005.

Conny Christensen, Design

Double pedaldemonstratesexpertiseKalmar has developed a patent-pending double pedal for its hydrostatically powered forklift truck (FLT) range, to considerably reduce strain on drivers’ feet and legs. The pedal has been tested at the Stora Enso newsprint mill in Hylte, Sweden, where more than 30 drivers trialled the prototype.

Manager Industrial Handling, Kalmar Industries, explains the importance of the double pedal:

“A good driver environment and an ergonomically correct working position lead to more efficient work and reduce strain on the driver during intensive driving.”

When the right pedal is de-pressed the left pedal is raised a

few millimetres above its neutral position and is locked, making a convenient support for the rest-ing foot. To brake, you release the active pedal upwards. The resting pedal is activated when the driver depresses it mak-ing the opposite pedal the foot support.

Safety is increased as the driver always has both feet on

In conjunction with the transition Kalmar has supplied the mill with eight new 16-tonne, DCE160-12forklift trucks (FLTs), two RTD 1523 logstackers with a 15-tonne lifting capacity and a 30-tonne capacity RTD 3026 logstacker to the mill.

Gruvön Sawmill, Sweden, has passed responsibility for its machinery, opera-tions, maintenance and its 30 staff involved with materials handling, to Kalmar. The mill is part of Stora Enso Timber and has a planned annual produc-tion of over 400,000m3 of sawn wood products. Around 100,000m3 of this is refi ned at the sawmill’s planing mill.

The RTD 3026 logstacker with a lifting capacity of 30-tonnes in operation at Gruvön Sawmill.

Håkan Lundberg, Site Manager at Gruvön Sawmill, commented on the new opera-tion: “We were looking to ensure efficient handling at the sawmill

Gruvön Sawmilldelegates handling operations

and Kalmar offered the best so-lution. With Kalmar taking care of all handling assignments, we can concentrate on our core busi-ness operations.”

Focus on functionThe three new logstackers will be used in the unloading and storage of timber. The machines are all fitted with long range booms and a rotating gripper in order to efficiently unload timber from trucks and railway wagons, pile it up and drive it to the saw.

The FLTs will handle the sawn products within the plant, at the warehouse and when un-loading. Sawn and planed prod-ucts are transported to custom-ers by truck, sea and rail, and in containers.

The Kalmar double pedal in action.

Kalmar has developed a unique, patent-pending double pedal for its hydrostatically powered forklift truck (FLT) range, to considerably reduce strain on drivers’ feet and legs.

In cooperation with Stora Enso

a pedal, making braking and changing direction more effi-cient.

“Stora Enso Hylte was seek-ing a new pedal system to re-solve its drivers’ problems with unnatural angles on their an-kles. We were quickly able to develop a prototype in accord-ance with their wishes,” says Jan Lönn, Kalmar Industries’ Design Engineer responsible for the double pedal. “The drivers’ reactions have been very posi-tive after six months of intensive use.”

Vertically adjustable supportThe Hylte trucks have been equipped with several extras to reduce strain on drivers’ legs and feet. The pedal plate and the strength required to depress the pedal can be adapted to suit the needs of any driver. The heel rests on a vertically adjust-able support plate. Regardless of whether the driver is a strong-footed man or a slender-footed woman, the individual can set the support plate in accordance with their needs.

Reduced pedal pressureThe pedal’s response to the driver’s movements is crucial to driving precision. It should not be necessary to have to exert a high pressure on the pedal to make the truck react. At the same time, the mechanics must be sufficient to make the pedal spring back when the driver reduces the pressure on the pedal.

“Overall, this also contributes to decreased strain on the driver’s feet and legs,” explains Mr Lönn. “Quite simply, you need less human muscle power to drive the truck efficiently.”

More information:Jan Ohlsson

Tel +46 8 445 3800jan.ohlsson@kalmarind.com

20 21

One of the eight, 16-tonne, DCE160-12forklift trucks handling sawnproducts at Gruvön Sawmill.

from Finland to the Far East on the Trans-Siberian railway. Mr Andersson estimates that, after two or three years of work, the Trans-Chinese railway would transport 50,000TEU. This would be just a fraction of the huge volume of goods which leaves China by sea, but still the route would offer a serious alterna-tive. Traditionally, traffic on the Siberian railway has been bus-ier on the westbound route to Finland, but Mr Andersson be-lieves the new connection would increase eastbound freight vol-umes, which is where VR Cargo expects greatest growth.

Korean link delayed There are also plans to con-nect South and North Korea to the Trans-Siberian or the Trans- Chinese railway. However, ac-cording to press reports, the connection was supposed to have been completed in early autumn 2005 and open for traf-fic in October of the same year. Mr Andersson says the service is still not available and is turning into a seemingly never-ending

project. The well-documented political difficulties between

South and North Korea are bound to impede the pros-pect of a common railway network.

“However, if the con-nection does one day become a reality, it will change the Trans-Siberian route dramatically. It will then be possible to send

goods directly from South Korea to Europe via North

Korea without the need for a sea leg,” he says.

Ulan-Ude

Chita

Krasnojarsk

Nakhodka

KouvolaTurku

Pusan

Irkutsk

St. Petersburg

Shenyang

Harbin

Omsk

Novosibirsk

Kazan'

Yekaterinburg

Nizhniy Novgorod

Tianjin

Changchun

Zabaikalsk

Seoul

Moscow

Beijing

RUSSIA

MONGOLIA

KAZAKSTAN

FINLAND

CHINA

VR Cargo is planning a container train service from Kouvola in Finland to Beijing and / or Tianjin in China. The project is still in its infancy but, if all the pieces fall into place, regular traffi c on the Trans-Chinese railway could be a reality in the fi rst quarter of 2007.

“Our hope is that, if the project gets underway, we will take a test drive in November this year to make sure everything works. Initially, there will be one weekly train, but the target is a train every day,” explains Matti An-dersson, who is in charge of VR Cargo’s international accounts.

According to Mr Andersson, the time is ripe for a container train service on this route. The basic infrastructure in the coun-tries along the Trans-Chinese railway is good enough and the volume of freight high enough to enable profitable traffic. Moreover, the atmosphere is fa-vourable for the project both in Russia and in China.

So far only a few concrete steps have been taken towards the opening of this service. Preliminary investigations have been made and there are agree-ments with the representatives of the Russian and Chinese rail-roads to sit down at a confer-ence table early this year. As it is up to the Russian railways to make the next move, the exact date for the meeting is to be set by them.

Because the project is such a vast undertaking, there are a number of issues to be agreed upon. It will take some time for the parties to reach a mutual un-derstanding on matters such as customs clearance and border crossings, not to mention tariff rates.

“The Russian tariff rate policy could put a spanner in the works for the entire plan. If we manage to agree on rates which are competitive with sea transport rates, the project has every chance of succeeding. If not, it will not be a viable option,” says

by railMr Andersson. “However, we have been given to understand that the rates will be set at a feasible level – after all, Russia sees this as a good business opportunity too.”

Transport times halved Overall, Mr Andersson is opti-mistic of a successful solution. He concedes that the container train rates could be slightly higher than sea transport rates, but points out that because the transportation time is around half that of sailing times to and from the Far East, this is per-fectly acceptable.

“As regards customs technol-ogy, this should pose no obsta-cles to opening the connection. The condition of the railway net-work is also fairly good and does not require any immediate im-provement. Crossing points and customs clearance stations are in place, and both Beijing and Tianjin have a facility which can serve as a terminus. There is also adequate space for container loading and unloading, and the building of container yards will be necessary only if railway traffic grows remarkably,” he explains.

From Finland to China

CMA CGM in January received the go-ahead to operate as a merged company after the European Commission approved its $600 million purchase of Le Havre-based Delmas. The acquisition of Delmas makes the French group the world’s third biggest operator of containers behind Maersk Sealand (including P&O Nedlloyd) and the Mediterranean Shipping Company. It now has 244 vessels, 53 of which are in ownership and a further 75 vessels on order for delivery by 2009. Its container carriers call at 212 ports in 126 countries worldwide. Its modern container fleet of 860,000 TEU boasts an average age of four years.

The wood usually used to line container floors is Apitong, a rare hardwood that grows in the tropical forests of Malaysia and other countries of South-east Asia used in solid decking for the open flatbed trailer and ocean containers. The main importance for this product is to avoid any warping. Because of its rarity and popularity the provenance of Apitong is not always known because of a lot of illegal logging. The situation is made worst as the best and strongest logs come from the oldest trees. And the price of Apitong wood fluctuates substantially.

The main difference between a traditional box and a bamboo eco-container lies in the flooring, a glue-laminated timber made of bamboo (70%) and pine wood (30%).

So CMA CGM in an effort to fight rainforest deforestation and protect the environment has found a durable alternative to Apitong plywood, by lining container floors with bamboo.

Once an Apitong tree has been felled it takes 60 years for a new tree to reach the same height. But, unlike trees, once it has been cut, bamboo grows to the same height in four to five years and can be harvested under a regular programme, making it an environmentally sustainable alternative.

Technically, bamboo offers flooring has the same thickness as an Apitong plywood floor panel, which gives the possibility of interchanging panels for in-service repairs. It meets all requirements regarding load capabilities, moisture levels and resistance to insect infestation.

Bamboo flooring is a little harder than Apitong flooring, which makes driving nails into it to secure cargo a little more difficult. And at about 330 kg per TEU bamboo is about 10% heavier than an Apitong floor and has a planned operating life of around 10 to 12 years.

Container leasing company Blue Sky is committed to make twice-yearly follow-up inspections to monitor the performance of the bamboo floorboards of the eco-containers it has leased to CMA CGM.

CMA CGM first to use environment-friendly containersBased in the southern French Mediterranean port of Marseilles, CMA CGM is the fi rst major company to obtain such containers following an agreement with Blue Sky Intermodal, a UK-based service company operating in the container and transportation industry. Under the agreement, it leases 200 Twenty foot Equivalent Unit (TEUs) eco-containers and purchases 200 40-foot boxes.

“The service would benefit all parties, because transport time has become a crucial factor. The route is also safe.”

Market demandMr Andersson estimates that freight from China to Europe would mainly consist of products from Western electronics com-panies with factories in China, while Finland would transport forest and metal industry products to China.

VR Cargo has also under taken market re-search in Sweden and Norway where local car and forest industries, as well as the furniture sector, have shown in-terest in the new route. VR Cargo has received preliminary inquiries and information about poten-tial volumes, but with noth-ing concrete to offer it has not been possible to make any firm progress.

ing port in Finland,” says Mr Andersson.

Last year, 130,000TEU of merchandise was transported

“If the container train serv-ice interests our Western neigh-bours, Turku, of course, will be the other loading and unload-

Image: Esko

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