Written by
Marine log staff
Konecranes Generation 6 Mobile Harbor Cranes
As part of the first major overhaul of Konecranes Gottwald’s Mobile Harbor Cranes portfolio in 15 years, Konecranes launched its sixth generation of Mobile Harbor Cranes.
The company has worked closely with customers around the world on the development of the new cranes and says the result is a range of products that can handle virtually any type of ship and cargo – container, general cargo, project cargo – eco-efficiently and bulk cargo any place, either on the quay or on a barge.
“These cranes represent the very best of Konecranes in terms of technology and durability, and thus support our commitment to sustainability,” said Rob Smith, President and CEO of Konecranes. “Our customers’ carbon footprint is just as important as our own, and we want to reduce it through low-carbon, eco-efficient solutions and by extending product life cycles in ports, factories and wherever our products and services are used.”
Konecranes Generation 6 is designed for power consumption; Electricity can be obtained from an onshore grid, so that no direct CO2 emissions arise during operation. Operators can also opt for a new battery solution that also reduces emissions and offers more flexibility by enabling network-independent crane operation. For unpowered wharves, which are common in developing countries, the cranes are supplied with fuel-efficient diesel generators and the latest Konecranes hybrid drives.
In addition to lower emissions, the crane is characterized by its robust construction, which is intended to double the service life in container operation compared to previous generations, more powerful load-bearing capacity curves and high working speeds ensure greater efficiency and faster handling times.
The new cranes will be equipped with intelligent crane functions for safe, ergonomic and efficient crane operation and equipped with Truconnect remote monitoring, which collects status, usage and operating data from control systems and sensors in order to support maintenance planning and the prediction of possible components or device failure.
Customers also have access to the company’s customer portal for a comprehensive overview of equipment maintenance needs and performance.
These capabilities reflect Konecranes’ investment in the growing power of data. The company maintains a data science laboratory in Lyon, France, as part of its ongoing efforts to digitize products, services and operations, and has leveraged real-time insights from its tens of thousands of connected devices around the world to drive supply and demand balance in real time and navigate through the COVID-19 pandemic.
Konecranes also launched its online self-service product advisor, which gives customers the ability to configure their own cranes and ease the buying process at a time when face-to-face meetings – the most important way the industry has done business for decades power – this can be difficult because of the pandemic.