Konecranes launched its sixth generation Mobile Harbor Cranes yesterday, refreshing and strengthening its industry-leading portfolio as global trade accelerates and the industry seeks more sustainable lifting solutions to reduce its impact on the climate.
Generation 6 marks the first major overhaul of Konecranes Gottwald’s mobile harbor crane portfolio in 15 years and comes with the accelerated growth of the global bulk and general cargo handling market. Research by Drewry Maritime Advisors predicts that the global bulk and general cargo handling market, excluding RoRo and vehicle traffic, will grow 6.8% year over year to 7.4 billion tons in 2021. Drewry expects the growth to continue in the coming years, reaching 8.5 billion tons by 2025, an average annual growth rate of 3.5%.
Konecranes, which launched the world’s first mobile harbor crane in 1956 and is a pioneer in Ecolifting ™, has worked closely with customers around the world to develop the new cranes. The result is a product range that can serve practically every type of ship and every type of cargo – containers, general cargo, project cargo and bulk cargo – at any location, be it on the quay or on a barge, in an eco-efficient manner. The sale is now open.
“Konecranes is a pioneer and leader in high performance mobile harbor cranes, and yesterday’s launch underscores that tradition at a time when growth in the global bulk and cargo handling market is accelerating and customers are looking for more sustainable solutions,” said Konecranes President and CEO Rob Smith.
“These cranes represent the best Konecranes has in terms of technology and longevity, and thus support our commitment to sustainability. 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, ”said Smith.
Konecranes Generation 6 Mobile Harbor Cranes
Freedom of movement – with fewer emissions
Generation 6 reflects Konecranes’ commitment to a decarbonized and circular world for customers and society at large, and is built around the use of electrical energy; 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.
“Big and small traffic jams around the world are increasingly concentrating on reducing the carbon footprint of their operations in the short term. Growing trade and the need to replace old equipment is likely to lead to increased demand from ports around the world for more efficient cargo handling equipment to support productivity gains, cost reductions and carbon emissions, ”said Dinesh Sharma, director, Drewry Maritime Advisors .
In addition to lower emissions, the crane’s design promotes roundness thanks to its more durable construction: its robust construction doubles the service life of the cranes in container operation compared to previous generations, while stronger load curves and high working speeds ensure greater efficiency and faster turnaround times. The durable design not only saves the resources needed to build new cranes, it also supports resale value when customers renew their fleets.
A truly connected fleet designed by the customer
The new products also reflect Konecranes’ technology leadership. The new cranes are 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 get access to your KONECRANES customer portal to get a comprehensive overview of the maintenance needs and the performance of the devices.
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 yesterday, 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 been for decades Doing business – this can be difficult because of the pandemic.
Source: Konecranes
