Straddle Carriers for Unloading Containers

The challenge

Konecranes is a world leader in the lifting business sector, providing innovative lifting solutions to companies in the manufacturing and process industries, shipyards and ports. With around 400 employees, Konecranes Noell GmbH in Würzburg develops and produces the so-called straddle carriers (German: Portalstapler or Portalhubwagen). They are mainly used in container ports where they are deployed to transport and stack containers incoming and outgoing by ship, rail and lorry. The straddle carriers consist of a frame and a lifting device (spreader), which can be moved vertically by means of hoisting winches, suspended between the frames. The frame is equipped with a chassis with wheels. The operator's cabin is flange-mounted to the top of one end face of the frame. The straddle carrier moves over a container and then the spreader is locked with the four corner fittings of the container so that it can be lifted. Konecranes has now been building these vehicles for more than 50 years and can look back on a total number of more than 3,600 straddle carriers delivered worldwide.

Over the years, the straddle carriers have undergone continuous further development, particularly in the field of electronics. As the enclosures are mounted on a vehicle they are subject to considerable loads which had to be taken into account in the design. The company was therefore looking for a manufacturer with the technical know-how that could offer a reliable solution so that the end product could be used reliably and long-lastingly, even under the toughest conditions. It was, and is, important to Konecranes to find a manufacturer that produces high-quality control cabinets. This is where häwa GmbH, with whom Konecranes has been working successfully since 2004, came into play.

Key features

• Performance of tasks ranging from horizontal transport and stacking in the container stack to loading and unloading trains and lorries.
• Two possible construction heights with payloads of up to 60 tonnes.
• Suitable for the transport of special goods.
• Drive: Either diesel-hydraulic, diesel-electric or a particularly efficient, environmentally friendly hybrid system.
• 13 - 15 especially robust stainless steel cabinets, in part air-conditioned, house the electrotechnical equipment and electronics.

The häwa solution

Konecranes Noell Straddle Carriers are universal devices with low specific investment costs that make virtually no constructional demands on terminal infrastructures. They perform tasks ranging from horizontal transport and stacking in container stacks to loading and unloading trains or lorries. Operating companies can choose between two heights (one-over-two or one-over-three high-cube containers) with load capacities of up to 60 tonnes. Straddle carriers are also suitable for transporting special goods. They are powered either by diesel-hydraulic, diesel-electric or a particularly efficient and environmentally friendly hybrid system.

The devices are equipped with the latest technology in order to cope with the various processes in everyday terminal operations. Consequently, 13 to 15 enclosures from häwa are installed per straddle carrier. These control cabinets contain the entire electrotechnical equipment and electronics. All cabinets are manufactured in stainless steel and are in part air-conditioned. As the enclosures are mounted on a vehicle and used in all weathers, the sturdy construction is particularly important. This particularly robust construction is achieved, among other things, by reinforcing the cabinets at the corners.

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