Gottwald Looks Back on a Successful Anniversary Year 2006
Düsseldorf (Germany), 12 January 2007 – The year 2006 was an eventful one for Gottwald Port Technology GmbH. The company celebrated 100 years of company history, the 50th birthday of the Mobile Harbour Crane and the sale of the 1,000th Mobile Harbour Crane. In spring 2006, Gottwald Port Technology GmbH as well as Demag Cranes & Components GmbH were consolidated under the roof of Demag Cranes AG, which successfully completed its IPO on 23 June 2006. On top of this, the past year saw several significant developments that further strengthened Gottwald’s position as pacesetter in innovative port handling solutions:
• Harbour Crane Sales, including Mobile Harbour, Portal Harbour and Harbour Pontoon Cranes, totalled 82 units, which is the company’s best performance ever.
• The new Generation 5 of Harbour Cranes was very well received by customers. The first three new models 6, 7 and 8 seamlessly continued the success story of the Generation 4 which was phased out partially last year but still contributed substantially to the high order level.
• Floating Cranes, launched to the market in 2004, continued to ride on a wave of success.
• Gottwald’s strengths in the automated segment advanced considerably. The first E-AGV Automated Guided Vehicles – the diesel-electric version of the well-known AGV – went into service. In addition, the first four ASC Automated Stacking Cranes were erected, tested and commissioned.
• Once again, Gottwald went beyond the shore with an order for a WSG Wide Span Gantry to be supplied to the Inland Hupac Rail Terminal in Italy.
“2006 was indeed a happy birthday year for Gottwald,” says Dr. Mathias Dobner, CEO of Gottwald. “It was the most successful year in our history. We strengthened our position in all areas. The excellent results reflect that our efforts made in the past are paying off and that our strategy of innovation based on proven know how is successful.”
Harbour Crane Market Review: Further increase with strong performance in Africa and the Americas
In 2006, Gottwald for the first time succeeded in crossing the threshold of 80 Harbour Cranes and set a new record by selling 82 Harbour Cranes, which include Mobile and Portal Harbour Cranes as well as Harbour Pontoon Cranes. This represents a 7.9% increase over 2005 (76 units) and was the company’s best performance since the launch of the Mobile Harbour Cranes to the market in 1956. Promising positive developments characterized business operations in growing and established markets. As in recent years, orders came from both existing and new customers.
Sales in Europe, Gottwald’s main market, reached 35 units, accounting for 42.7% of the company’s Harbour Crane Business. The most important single markets in Europe were the United Kingdom with six cranes (7.3% of total number), followed by Belgium, The Netherlands, Italy and Turkey with five cranes each (equivalent to 6.1% of total number in each case).
With two deliveries to Germany, Gottwald strengthened its position in its home market and demonstrated exemplarily its ability to offer solutions for all types of terminals. One 100-tonne HMK 260 E Mobile Harbour Crane was delivered to the Rhine river port in Düsseldorf. A powerful new Generation 5 G HMK 7608 Mobile Harbour Crane with 150-tonnes capacity was delivered to the Port of Hamburg, the largest seaport in Germany, where Gottwald’s proven Mobile Harbour Crane technology has already been in use for a number of years in fruit handling. The G HMK 7608, currently the largest Mobile Harbour Crane in the Port of Hamburg, went into service in the high performance universal terminal of C. Steinweg (Süd-West-Terminal) GmbH & Co. KG where containers, project cargoes, coffee & cocoa, iron & steel and other metals are handled.
On the international level, the Americas showed dynamic growth with 15 Mobile Harbour Cranes (18.3%) sold to Brazil, Chile, Mexico, Puerto Rico and USA. Also in Africa performance was strong. With 12 Mobile Harbour Cranes sold to Algeria, the Ivory Coast, Madagascar, Morocco, Senegal, Tanzania and Tunisia, it accounted for 14.6%.
The most important single markets outside Europe were Puerto Rico with five cranes and Syria with six cranes. In addition, Gottwald continued to expand its worldwide presence with a new country, i.e. the Fijis, coming on board. As a result, Gottwald Mobile Harbour Cranes are now present in no less than 82 countries.
The Harbour Crane segment was marked by the partial phasing out of the Generation 4. The models HMK 300 E, HMK 330 EG, HMK 360 E and HMK 360 EG as well as their HSK and HPK counterparts (portal and barge mounted counterparts) were replaced by the three new models 6, 7 and 8 of the new Generation 5. The innovative Generation 5 concept was officially launched in spring 2006 and, like the Generation 4, covers all types of Gottwald Harbour Cranes, i.e. Mobile and Portal Harbour Cranes and Harbour Pontoon Cranes (Floating Cranes) as well as 4-rope grab variants for professional bulk handling.
Both Generations proved popular in 2006. Of the 82 cranes sold, 56 were Generation 4 cranes, which represents 68.3% of order intake and reflects the high standard established by Gottwald. Twenty-six cranes, i.e. 31.7%, were attributable to the new Generation 5, including 10 Model 6, 11 Model 7 and five Model 8 cranes, which is confirmation of the successful market launch.
With 60 units, conventional two-rope cranes contributed 73.2% to the total order intake, compared to 58 cranes in 2005. Four-rope grab cranes for professional bulk handling, which clearly remains an important part of Gottwald’s strategic focus, rose by 22.2% from 18 cranes in 2005 to 22 cranes in 2006, accounting for 26.8% of orders. Portal Harbour Cranes, which use Mobile Harbour Crane technology from the slewing ring upwards, totalled five units and Floating Cranes, also based on Gottwald Mobile Harbour Crane technology, four units.
“The broad spectrum of cranes, including cranes of all sizes, on tires, rails and pontoon are confirmation of port and terminal operators’ confidence in Gottwald’s Harbour Crane concepts,” says Gottwald’s Sales Director Giuseppe Di Lisa. “Over the years they have established themselves not only as universal equipment but also as a serious alternative to special equipment, such as small and medium-size container gantry cranes as well as bulk gantry cranes and continuous ship unloaders for bulk handling. And now, with the Generation 5 with even higher capacities of up to 200 tonnes under hook.”
Generation 5: Well received by customers
Gottwald is very pleased with the progress being made with the Generation 5 that continues in the company’s spirit of combining proven technology with innovation – a product of continuous development, designed to meet individual customer requirements. Together with four cranes already in operation since the end of 2005, the total number of Generation 5 Cranes commissioned or on order amounts to 30 at the start of 2007. This impressive number includes all three models 6, 7 and 8 and covers all three types i.e. Mobile Harbour, Portal Harbour as well as Harbour Pontoon Cranes in numerous versatile variants. In detail these are: three G HMK 6406, five G HMK 6407, two G HMK 6407 B, six G HMK 7408, six G HMK 7608, one G HMK 8210 B and two G HMK 8710 Mobile Harbour Cranes, one G HSK 7416 B and two G HSK 8216 B Portal Harbour Cranes as well as two G HPK 8200 B Harbour Pontoon Cranes. They are used for container and general cargo, but also for professional bulk handling as well as ship-to-ship handling.
“With the Generation 5 that unites lifting capacities up to 200 tonnes, a high level of servicefriendliness and leading-edge technology Gottwald is well positioned to play a substantial role in current and future cargo handling in all types of terminals,” says Di Lisa. “And the fact that the start of the new Generation 5 has been so successful encourages us to be very optimistic about the future.”
Floating Cranes: Riding on a wave of success
Another notable positive development is the continuing success of the Floating Cranes, available as Harbour Pontoon Crane and as Portal Harbour Crane on a barge. In the year under review, Gottwald received four orders for four Floating Cranes, including two HPK 330 EG as well as two Generation 5 G HPK 8200 B Harbour Pontoon Cranes.
Customer St. James Stevedoring on the Mississippi River, USA, with whom Gottwald developed the first Harbour Pontoon Crane in 2004, an HPK 330 EG named “Alex G”, purchased its second HPK 330 EG, called “Don D”. Associated Terminals, another terminal operator located on the Mississippi, ordered its first Gottwald Floating Crane in 2006, an HPK 330 EG named “Glenn S”. One of Gottwald’s most recent installations was named “Valk” (Falcon): a G HPK 8200 B Harbour Pontoon Crane in the port area of Amsterdam, Netherlands, ordered by Rietlanden Stevedores. “Valk” was the first Floating Crane of the Generation 5 and at the same time the first Generation 5 Floating Crane in Europe.
Another G HPK 8200 B was ordered by PT Puteri Borneo Company for coal handling in Indonesian coastal waters in Kalimantan (35 km ahead of the coast of Kalimantan). With this order Gottwald’s Floating Crane technology successfully advances into new dimensions and areas of applications. For the first time, a Gottwald Floating Crane will be able to provide proof of its suitability for coastal waters, where weather conditions with windforces of up to 6 on the Beaufort scale and wave heights of up to 1.6m, can occur.
The G HPK 8200 B for PT Puteri Borneo Company will obtain Special Feature class “LA” in the Lloyd’s Register Book. This classification confirms that the crane meets the highest demands in terms of its overall mechanical and structural design and construction (e.g. steel structure, machinery and electrical installations) and is thus compliant with Lloyd’s Register „Code for Lifting Appliances in a Marine Environment“. The approval procedure is expected to be finished end of January 2007.
“Floating cranes are among our most successful product launches,” says Di Lisa. “And with the latest addition to our Harbour Crane portfolio, we have once again demonstrated our leadership in innovations.” Introduced to the market in 2004, Gottwald has already commissioned or taken orders for seven Floating Cranes, including five Harbour Pontoon Cranes as well as two HSK 330 EG Portal Harbour Cranes on barges. They are used on rivers, in coastal waters and ports, for ship-to-ship as well as ship-to quay handling. All hitherto existing Gottwald Floating Cranes are intended for professional bulk handling and thus designed in the four-rope grab variant that has proven itself time and again. However, Floating Cranes are of course also suitable for container and general cargo handling.
Di Lisa: “Thanks to their autonomy, low specific investment costs and short delivery lead times, there is a multitude of possibilities opening up for our Floating Cranes, especially when thinking of high quay costs or high costs for appropriate quay infrastructures. Floating Cranes can, to mention just one example, at peak times complement landside equipment and thus increase capacities, which is particularly interesting in view of the growing size of ships.”
Automated Segment: Further milestones
Also the developments in the automated segment, which is becoming an increasingly important field of activity for Gottwald, are very encouraging. Devoting a great deal of attention to the green port developments, Gottwald had launched, in 2005, the diesel-electric version of its well-known diesel hydraulic AGV Automated Guided Vehicle. In the course of 2006, Gottwald supplied the first 34 E AGVs type CT-60 with a capacity of 60 tonnes to three leading container terminals in the Netherlands and Germany. Container-Terminal Altenwerder (CTA) in the Port of Hamburg, Germany, and Europe Container Terminals (ECT) in Rotterdam, The Netherlands, have started to expand their existing Gottwald diesel-hydraulic AGV fleets with the new E-AGVs. Twenty-one E-AGVs, together with Gottwald’s navigation and management software came into service at CTA. One E-AGV was supplied to ECT. In addition, also in Rotterdam, the first 12 out of 96 E-AGVs were supplied to the new Euromax Terminal.
Gottwald sees great potential in the new diesel-electric E-AGV, balancing environmental challenges with economic demands. “Our AGV technology for automated container transport between quay and stack in large terminals is a proven concept. Many of the several hundred vehicles already supplied have been working reliably in daily operation for more than 15 years,” says Dr Mathias Dobner. “In the new diesel-electric E-AGV, Gottwald, the leading supplier of diesel-electric Mobile Harbour Cranes, makes use of a drive technology that has been proven to be a winner at ports again and again. The benefits for the customer: a greater degree of efficiency, greater availability and cost-effectiveness, improved environmental friendliness. And last but not least, Gottwald is the only supplier of AGVs for use in container terminals, including the management and navigation software to control the AGV fleet.”
Finally, business in the automated segment was expanded with the execution of the first ASC Automated Stacking Crane order. The first four ASCs for two stack modules were erected, tested and commissioned in the fourth quarter of 2006 in the new P&O Antwerp Gateway Terminal at Deurganckdok, Antwerp, Belgium, allowing the customer, a consortium led by P&O, to start automation of the container storage area. Currently, an intensive test programme combined with software and productivity optimisation is underway. Final handover is scheduled for end of March 2007.
Dr. Dobner sums up: “Over the years we have acquired a solid experience in the field of automation. After the development of the AGVs at the end of the 1980s, soon followed by the first software solutions, the launch of the ASC was the next logical step. And we expect to be able to expand our position in this buoyant segment of the cargo handling market and to grow our portfolio further.”
Wide Span Gantries: Gottwald goes again beyond the shore
Another order worthy of special mention illustrates once more how Gottwald shapes the future not only on waterways and in ports. This order covers the supply of a WSG Wide Span Gantry to the Inland Hupac Rail Terminal Busto Arsizio-Gallarate in Italy, one of the most important freight load transfer terminals from road to rail south of the Alps.
Hupac, which has been supplied with five WSG cranes for the first terminal extension phase in 2005, ordered one additional WSG crane from Gottwald in 2006 to further increase its capacities for intermodal container transfer between rail and road. All WSG cranes from Gottwald in the Busto Arsizio-Gallarate Terminal are linked up to a computer network.
A successful year gone by – a promising year ahead
2006 was very much a year of celebrations for the inventor of the Mobile Harbour Crane. In the 100th year of its history, which also coincided with the 50th anniversary of the Mobile Harbour Crane, Gottwald sold its 1,000th Mobile Harbour Crane. The jubilee crane, an HMK 330 EG was inaugurated in May 2006 at Teesport, UK. On the occasion of the inauguration ceremony, the crane was christened “Henry Bolckow”, after the German who came to Teesside in 1832 and set up in the iron business with his partner in Middlesbrough, giving the former small shipping town an alternative industry to that of exporting coal.
This highlight was followed by a groundbreaking birthday party held in September 2006 in Düsseldorf, Germany, with 4,000 guests including employees and their families as well as representatives, and officials from Düsseldorf.
And looking back on 100 years of innovation and success Gottwald maintains a positive outlook for the current year. “We have a sound basis to continue our process of ongoing growth in 2007 under the umbrella of the Demag Cranes AG,” states Dr. Mathias Dobner. “Our clear target is to further expand and develop our technological and market leadership.
We are sure that the consolidation of the Demag Cranes & Components GmbH and Gottwald Port Technology GmbH under the umbrella of Demag Cranes AG that successfully went public at the end of June 2006 can create significant additional benefits to our customers. 2007 is off to a good start.”
Photo:
Two HPK 330 EG Harbour Pontoon Cranes (Floating Cranes) handling bulk materials on
the Mississippi; St. James Stevedoring, Convent/LA, USA.
Gottwald Port Technology
Gottwald Looks Back on a Successful Anniversary Year 2006
Düsseldorf (Germany), 12 January 2007 – The year 2006 was an eventful one for Gottwald Port Technology GmbH. The company celebrated 100 years of company history, the 50th birthday of the Mobile Harbour Crane and the sale of the 1,000th Mobile Harbour Crane. In spring 2006, Gottwald Port Technology GmbH as well as Demag Cranes & Components GmbH were consolidated under the roof of Demag Cranes AG, which successfully completed its IPO on 23 June 2006. On top of this, the past year saw several significant developments that further strengthened Gottwald’s position as pacesetter in innovative port handling solutions:
• Harbour Crane Sales, including Mobile Harbour, Portal Harbour and Harbour Pontoon Cranes, totalled 82 units, which is the company’s best performance ever.
• The new Generation 5 of Harbour Cranes was very well received by customers. The first three new models 6, 7 and 8 seamlessly continued the success story of the Generation 4 which was phased out partially last year but still contributed substantially to the high order level.
• Floating Cranes, launched to the market in 2004, continued to ride on a wave of success.
• Gottwald’s strengths in the automated segment advanced considerably. The first E-AGV Automated Guided Vehicles – the diesel-electric version of the well-known AGV – went into service. In addition, the first four ASC Automated Stacking Cranes were erected, tested and commissioned.
• Once again, Gottwald went beyond the shore with an order for a WSG Wide Span Gantry to be supplied to the Inland Hupac Rail Terminal in Italy.
“2006 was indeed a happy birthday year for Gottwald,” says Dr. Mathias Dobner, CEO of Gottwald. “It was the most successful year in our history. We strengthened our position in all areas. The excellent results reflect that our efforts made in the past are paying off and that our strategy of innovation based on proven know how is successful.”
Harbour Crane Market Review: Further increase with strong performance in Africa and the Americas
In 2006, Gottwald for the first time succeeded in crossing the threshold of 80 Harbour Cranes and set a new record by selling 82 Harbour Cranes, which include Mobile and Portal Harbour Cranes as well as Harbour Pontoon Cranes. This represents a 7.9% increase over 2005 (76 units) and was the company’s best performance since the launch of the Mobile Harbour Cranes to the market in 1956. Promising positive developments characterized business operations in growing and established markets. As in recent years, orders came from both existing and new customers.
Sales in Europe, Gottwald’s main market, reached 35 units, accounting for 42.7% of the company’s Harbour Crane Business. The most important single markets in Europe were the United Kingdom with six cranes (7.3% of total number), followed by Belgium, The Netherlands, Italy and Turkey with five cranes each (equivalent to 6.1% of total number in each case).
With two deliveries to Germany, Gottwald strengthened its position in its home market and demonstrated exemplarily its ability to offer solutions for all types of terminals. One 100-tonne HMK 260 E Mobile Harbour Crane was delivered to the Rhine river port in Düsseldorf. A powerful new Generation 5 G HMK 7608 Mobile Harbour Crane with 150-tonnes capacity was delivered to the Port of Hamburg, the largest seaport in Germany, where Gottwald’s proven Mobile Harbour Crane technology has already been in use for a number of years in fruit handling. The G HMK 7608, currently the largest Mobile Harbour Crane in the Port of Hamburg, went into service in the high performance universal terminal of C. Steinweg (Süd-West-Terminal) GmbH & Co. KG where containers, project cargoes, coffee & cocoa, iron & steel and other metals are handled.
On the international level, the Americas showed dynamic growth with 15 Mobile Harbour Cranes (18.3%) sold to Brazil, Chile, Mexico, Puerto Rico and USA. Also in Africa performance was strong. With 12 Mobile Harbour Cranes sold to Algeria, the Ivory Coast, Madagascar, Morocco, Senegal, Tanzania and Tunisia, it accounted for 14.6%.
The most important single markets outside Europe were Puerto Rico with five cranes and Syria with six cranes. In addition, Gottwald continued to expand its worldwide presence with a new country, i.e. the Fijis, coming on board. As a result, Gottwald Mobile Harbour Cranes are now present in no less than 82 countries.
Harbour Crane Product Review: Broad-based strong performance
The Harbour Crane segment was marked by the partial phasing out of the Generation 4. The models HMK 300 E, HMK 330 EG, HMK 360 E and HMK 360 EG as well as their HSK and HPK counterparts (portal and barge mounted counterparts) were replaced by the three new models 6, 7 and 8 of the new Generation 5. The innovative Generation 5 concept was officially launched in spring 2006 and, like the Generation 4, covers all types of Gottwald Harbour Cranes, i.e. Mobile and Portal Harbour Cranes and Harbour Pontoon Cranes (Floating Cranes) as well as 4-rope grab variants for professional bulk handling.
Both Generations proved popular in 2006. Of the 82 cranes sold, 56 were Generation 4 cranes, which represents 68.3% of order intake and reflects the high standard established by Gottwald. Twenty-six cranes, i.e. 31.7%, were attributable to the new Generation 5, including 10 Model 6, 11 Model 7 and five Model 8 cranes, which is confirmation of the successful market launch.
With 60 units, conventional two-rope cranes contributed 73.2% to the total order intake, compared to 58 cranes in 2005. Four-rope grab cranes for professional bulk handling, which clearly remains an important part of Gottwald’s strategic focus, rose by 22.2% from 18 cranes in 2005 to 22 cranes in 2006, accounting for 26.8% of orders. Portal Harbour Cranes, which use Mobile Harbour Crane technology from the slewing ring upwards, totalled five units and Floating Cranes, also based on Gottwald Mobile Harbour Crane technology, four units.
“The broad spectrum of cranes, including cranes of all sizes, on tires, rails and pontoon are confirmation of port and terminal operators’ confidence in Gottwald’s Harbour Crane concepts,” says Gottwald’s Sales Director Giuseppe Di Lisa. “Over the years they have established themselves not only as universal equipment but also as a serious alternative to special equipment, such as small and medium-size container gantry cranes as well as bulk gantry cranes and continuous ship unloaders for bulk handling. And now, with the Generation 5 with even higher capacities of up to 200 tonnes under hook.”
Generation 5: Well received by customers
Gottwald is very pleased with the progress being made with the Generation 5 that continues in the company’s spirit of combining proven technology with innovation – a product of continuous development, designed to meet individual customer requirements. Together with four cranes already in operation since the end of 2005, the total number of Generation 5 Cranes commissioned or on order amounts to 30 at the start of 2007. This impressive number includes all three models 6, 7 and 8 and covers all three types i.e. Mobile Harbour, Portal Harbour as well as Harbour Pontoon Cranes in numerous versatile variants. In detail these are: three G HMK 6406, five G HMK 6407, two G HMK 6407 B, six G HMK 7408, six G HMK 7608, one G HMK 8210 B and two G HMK 8710 Mobile Harbour Cranes, one G HSK 7416 B and two G HSK 8216 B Portal Harbour Cranes as well as two G HPK 8200 B Harbour Pontoon Cranes. They are used for container and general cargo, but also for professional bulk handling as well as ship-to-ship handling.
“With the Generation 5 that unites lifting capacities up to 200 tonnes, a high level of servicefriendliness and leading-edge technology Gottwald is well positioned to play a substantial role in current and future cargo handling in all types of terminals,” says Di Lisa. “And the fact that the start of the new Generation 5 has been so successful encourages us to be very optimistic about the future.”
Floating Cranes: Riding on a wave of success
Another notable positive development is the continuing success of the Floating Cranes, available as Harbour Pontoon Crane and as Portal Harbour Crane on a barge. In the year under review, Gottwald received four orders for four Floating Cranes, including two HPK 330 EG as well as two Generation 5 G HPK 8200 B Harbour Pontoon Cranes.
Customer St. James Stevedoring on the Mississippi River, USA, with whom Gottwald developed the first Harbour Pontoon Crane in 2004, an HPK 330 EG named “Alex G”, purchased its second HPK 330 EG, called “Don D”. Associated Terminals, another terminal operator located on the Mississippi, ordered its first Gottwald Floating Crane in 2006, an HPK 330 EG named “Glenn S”. One of Gottwald’s most recent installations was named “Valk” (Falcon): a G HPK 8200 B Harbour Pontoon Crane in the port area of Amsterdam, Netherlands, ordered by Rietlanden Stevedores. “Valk” was the first Floating Crane of the Generation 5 and at the same time the first Generation 5 Floating Crane in Europe.
Another G HPK 8200 B was ordered by PT Puteri Borneo Company for coal handling in Indonesian coastal waters in Kalimantan (35 km ahead of the coast of Kalimantan). With this order Gottwald’s Floating Crane technology successfully advances into new dimensions and areas of applications. For the first time, a Gottwald Floating Crane will be able to provide proof of its suitability for coastal waters, where weather conditions with windforces of up to 6 on the Beaufort scale and wave heights of up to 1.6m, can occur.
The G HPK 8200 B for PT Puteri Borneo Company will obtain Special Feature class “LA” in the Lloyd’s Register Book. This classification confirms that the crane meets the highest demands in terms of its overall mechanical and structural design and construction (e.g. steel structure, machinery and electrical installations) and is thus compliant with Lloyd’s Register „Code for Lifting Appliances in a Marine Environment“. The approval procedure is expected to be finished end of January 2007.
“Floating cranes are among our most successful product launches,” says Di Lisa. “And with the latest addition to our Harbour Crane portfolio, we have once again demonstrated our leadership in innovations.” Introduced to the market in 2004, Gottwald has already commissioned or taken orders for seven Floating Cranes, including five Harbour Pontoon Cranes as well as two HSK 330 EG Portal Harbour Cranes on barges. They are used on rivers, in coastal waters and ports, for ship-to-ship as well as ship-to quay handling. All hitherto existing Gottwald Floating Cranes are intended for professional bulk handling and thus designed in the four-rope grab variant that has proven itself time and again. However, Floating Cranes are of course also suitable for container and general cargo handling.
Di Lisa: “Thanks to their autonomy, low specific investment costs and short delivery lead times, there is a multitude of possibilities opening up for our Floating Cranes, especially when thinking of high quay costs or high costs for appropriate quay infrastructures. Floating Cranes can, to mention just one example, at peak times complement landside equipment and thus increase capacities, which is particularly interesting in view of the growing size of ships.”
Automated Segment: Further milestones
Also the developments in the automated segment, which is becoming an increasingly important field of activity for Gottwald, are very encouraging. Devoting a great deal of attention to the green port developments, Gottwald had launched, in 2005, the diesel-electric version of its well-known diesel hydraulic AGV Automated Guided Vehicle. In the course of 2006, Gottwald supplied the first 34 E AGVs type CT-60 with a capacity of 60 tonnes to three leading container terminals in the Netherlands and Germany. Container-Terminal Altenwerder (CTA) in the Port of Hamburg, Germany, and Europe Container Terminals (ECT) in Rotterdam, The Netherlands, have started to expand their existing Gottwald diesel-hydraulic AGV fleets with the new E-AGVs. Twenty-one E-AGVs, together with Gottwald’s navigation and management software came into service at CTA. One E-AGV was supplied to ECT. In addition, also in Rotterdam, the first 12 out of 96 E-AGVs were supplied to the new Euromax Terminal.
Gottwald sees great potential in the new diesel-electric E-AGV, balancing environmental challenges with economic demands. “Our AGV technology for automated container transport between quay and stack in large terminals is a proven concept. Many of the several hundred vehicles already supplied have been working reliably in daily operation for more than 15 years,” says Dr Mathias Dobner. “In the new diesel-electric E-AGV, Gottwald, the leading supplier of diesel-electric Mobile Harbour Cranes, makes use of a drive technology that has been proven to be a winner at ports again and again. The benefits for the customer: a greater degree of efficiency, greater availability and cost-effectiveness, improved environmental friendliness. And last but not least, Gottwald is the only supplier of AGVs for use in container terminals, including the management and navigation software to control the AGV fleet.”
Finally, business in the automated segment was expanded with the execution of the first ASC Automated Stacking Crane order. The first four ASCs for two stack modules were erected, tested and commissioned in the fourth quarter of 2006 in the new P&O Antwerp Gateway Terminal at Deurganckdok, Antwerp, Belgium, allowing the customer, a consortium led by P&O, to start automation of the container storage area. Currently, an intensive test programme combined with software and productivity optimisation is underway. Final handover is scheduled for end of March 2007.
Dr. Dobner sums up: “Over the years we have acquired a solid experience in the field of automation. After the development of the AGVs at the end of the 1980s, soon followed by the first software solutions, the launch of the ASC was the next logical step. And we expect to be able to expand our position in this buoyant segment of the cargo handling market and to grow our portfolio further.”
Wide Span Gantries: Gottwald goes again beyond the shore
Another order worthy of special mention illustrates once more how Gottwald shapes the future not only on waterways and in ports. This order covers the supply of a WSG Wide Span Gantry to the Inland Hupac Rail Terminal Busto Arsizio-Gallarate in Italy, one of the most important freight load transfer terminals from road to rail south of the Alps.
Hupac, which has been supplied with five WSG cranes for the first terminal extension phase in 2005, ordered one additional WSG crane from Gottwald in 2006 to further increase its capacities for intermodal container transfer between rail and road. All WSG cranes from Gottwald in the Busto Arsizio-Gallarate Terminal are linked up to a computer network.
A successful year gone by – a promising year ahead
2006 was very much a year of celebrations for the inventor of the Mobile Harbour Crane. In the 100th year of its history, which also coincided with the 50th anniversary of the Mobile Harbour Crane, Gottwald sold its 1,000th Mobile Harbour Crane. The jubilee crane, an HMK 330 EG was inaugurated in May 2006 at Teesport, UK. On the occasion of the inauguration ceremony, the crane was christened “Henry Bolckow”, after the German who came to Teesside in 1832 and set up in the iron business with his partner in Middlesbrough, giving the former small shipping town an alternative industry to that of exporting coal.
This highlight was followed by a groundbreaking birthday party held in September 2006 in Düsseldorf, Germany, with 4,000 guests including employees and their families as well as representatives, and officials from Düsseldorf.
And looking back on 100 years of innovation and success Gottwald maintains a positive outlook for the current year. “We have a sound basis to continue our process of ongoing growth in 2007 under the umbrella of the Demag Cranes AG,” states Dr. Mathias Dobner. “Our clear target is to further expand and develop our technological and market leadership.
We are sure that the consolidation of the Demag Cranes & Components GmbH and Gottwald Port Technology GmbH under the umbrella of Demag Cranes AG that successfully went public at the end of June 2006 can create significant additional benefits to our customers. 2007 is off to a good start.”
Photo:
Two HPK 330 EG Harbour Pontoon Cranes (Floating Cranes) handling bulk materials on
the Mississippi; St. James Stevedoring, Convent/LA, USA.
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