Kalmar, part of Cargotec, has completed the project to increase the lifting height of two Kalmar rubber-tyred gantry cranes (RTGs) for Terminal Pacifico Sur Valparaíso S.A. (TPS) in Chile. The contract was signed in September 2013 and the upgraded cranes were commissioned and operational in mid-January 2014, ahead of schedule. Following the successful project, TPS has awarded Kalmar with a project to heighten further ten RTGs. The contract was signed in February 2014.
TPS is one of the two most important container terminals in Chile, playing a key role in the import/export trade with USA and Asia, and is gearing up for expansion. The innovative RTG heightening solution, provided by Kalmar's specialist Crane Upgrades team, effectively increases the crane stacking height from five containers to six and enables the terminal to increase its yard stacking capacity by 20 percent. This is a solution that is particularly suited to terminals where space is at a premium.
TPS spokesperson, Miss Nicole Jaramillo, Reliability Engineer at Terminal Pacifico Sur Valparaíso S.A. said, "Increasing the lift height of our RTGs instantly provides us with additional capacity in the yard, without having to expand the physical area. Kalmar gained the latest order against tough competition through an international bid. The main criteria were based on price, design and technical capabilities. Kalmar's strong presence in Chile was also an important factor for us. We were very pleased both with the short time it took to complete the previous project and for the resulting uplift in capacity, and that is why we decided to continue with Kalmar with the heightening of ten more RTGs."
Marcelo Massa, Managing Director, Kalmar Argentina commented: "Kalmar's Crane Upgrades team will be in charge of electrical, mechanical and structural design modifications to the RTG geometry, manufacturing of the new structural components, software modifications, disassembly and reassembly, painting, testing and commissioning of each crane.
"South America is an important market, and more and more operators are seeing the immediate benefits of upgrading their crane capacities. Kalmar has established a South American Business Centre for Crane Upgrades to support our customers looking for specialist help in demanding crane refurbishment projects," Massa said.
Kalmar's strategic intent is to become a major global crane refurbishment and services provider. In 2013, it completed several upgrade projects for customers in different parts of the world.
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