After the first order in April this year for 15 diesel- electric Terex® N SC 634 E straddle carriers, Terex Port Solutions (TPS) has received a follow-up order from Eurogate Container Terminal Hamburg GmbH (Eurogate) for 15 additional machines of the same type. The straddle carriers will be delivered to Eurogate at the start of 2015 and will join an extensive fleet of Terex straddle carriers there. All new machines can stack 9’6’’ high- cube containers 1-over-2. In the terminal they will replace machines with outdated technology. The 30 straddle carriers are fitted with Terex® N TS 62 F twin-lift spreaders and feature a lifting capacity of up to 60 t. These carriers will help Eurogate increase the performance, availability and efficiency of its fleet in the long term, and to reduce environmental impact considerably.
Spreaders completely integrated into the straddle carriers
Terex straddle carriers and Terex spreaders together form an efficient system. The spreader functions, like those of the straddle carriers, are controlled by the fully integrated CAN bus control system. This design reduces interfaces, making the system of straddle carriers simpler, more robust and reliable. In addition, the designers focused on service-friendly features for the spreader. The telescopic arms move in maintenance-free guides and are no longer mechanically locked, but hydraulically braced. This limits damage in the event that a collision should occur. The spreader design also allows all maintenance points and components to be accessed quickly and easily, reducing operating costs. Since the spreaders of the new straddle carriers for Eurogate will be also equipped with extensive sensorics developed by TPS, they can be landed on containers quietly. For operators of container terminals this feature, along with the increased efficiency thanks to the use of sensorics, is a major criterion in the purchase decision.
Impressive overall package including on-site service
According to Peter Zielinski, Managing Director at Eurogate, the spreaders, series-manufactured since 2013, and their interplay with the straddle carriers were a major factor in the decision to opt for TPS: “Straddle carriers and spreaders form a powerful package that impressed us.” Extensive services are also part of the scope of delivery. Eurogate benefits from the proximity of TPS technicians to the customer and equipment, as Zielinski explains: “A TPS service center is located directly on our terminal premises and the service technicians are always available via the hotline. This helps us to maintain the availability of all Terex straddle carriers at our terminal.”
Long-term customer again puts its trust in TPS
Lutz Wächter, General Manager of the TPS site at Würzburg (Germany), sees the order as an additional confirmation of the strategy of TPS to retain customers by offering system solutions to meet the customer’s needs: “The Eurogate Group has once again come to rely increasingly on TPS. We regard the fact that we received this order so quickly after the first one as a clear mark of confidence.”
More than 2,600 straddle carriers and sprinter carriers since 1968
Straddle carriers, as well as Terex sprinter carriers used exclusively for transporting containers to the stackyard, have been a success story at TPS for almost half a century. TPS has manufactured more than 2,600 of the machines since 1968; the 1,000th diesel-electric straddle carrier left the plant in Würzburg in July 2014. The machines for Eurogate also have diesel-electric drives, whereby two machines in the most recent delivery are designed as N SC 634 EECO. These straddle carriers are fitted with a hybrid drive system, which is also equipped with a short-term energy storage unit in addition to the diesel generator. The system will help Eurogate to continue to reduce its fuel consumption and exhaust emissions significantly.
