New Kalmar straddle carriers arrive at Maritime’s freight terminal in Tamworth
Posted 19 Jul 2021
Maritime Transport’s intermodal freight terminal in
Tamworth (BIFT) has welcomed the arrival of two new ESC450 straddle carriers
supplied by Kalmar, part of Cargotec. Maritime’s latest investment in plant
machinery will deliver a significant boost to both service reliability and
uptime at BIFT, as container volumes continue to grow.
Featuring a highly-efficient, diesel-electric drive, the eighth
generation models are designed to accommodate a four-high container stack with
a 40-tonne lift capacity, and boast excellent manoeuvrability, low noise, and
easy maintenance, as well as spacious, ergonomic cabins that provide operators
with the best possible driving experience. Capable of handling containers of
all sizes, the new straddles will also connect to Kalmar’s fleet management
system, Insight, offering machine and driver performance data, and direct reporting
of faults.
Both straddle carriers were ordered in Kalmar’s Q1 intake
with delivery scheduled for Q3. Parts arrived at BIFT on 28th June,
ahead of schedule. Kalmar’s technicians will spend the next four weeks
assembling them to replace three SISU machines. Kalmar’s Complete Care service
agreement on both machines will also provide Maritime with preventive and
corrective maintenance services for the next ten years, enabling better
operational and financial predictability, lower operational risk, and reduced
downtime.
To date, Maritime has invested more than €3.75million in
all-new top specification container handling equipment at BIFT, which now
benefits from two Konecranes Noell N SC 644 E straddle carriers purchased in
2019, and two Sany SDCY100K6GC empty container handlers supplied through Cooper
Handling Solutions as well as the new Kalmar machines.
John Bailey, Managing
Director – Intermodal and Terminals, Maritime Transport:
‘The arrival of our new straddle carriers reinforces BIFT as
one of the country’s most integral intermodal terminals with unrivalled access
to the Midlands, and will play a key role in facilitating increased container
volumes in the coming months as we introduce more services to our customers,
including the BIFT to DP World London Gateway flow that commenced on 28th June.
Kalmar has delivered cutting-edge container handling
equipment across our terminals in Wakefield, Trafford Park, and East Midlands
Gateway, and we will continue working closely with them as we invest in our
infrastructure.’
Dave Patterson, Vice
President, Market Area South & West Europe, Kalmar:
