misinformation

INTERMODAL/CONTAINER INDUSTRY NEWSNew lightweight container chassis from KögelKögel has introduced a lightweightcontainer chassis, designated Port 40Light, to provide operators with higherpayload capabilities. It is suitable for two20ft or one 40ft container. “This rigidlightweight container chassis weighsjust 3,990 kg in its basic version,” saidKögel, “permitting a technical grossweight of 41,000 kg and a fifth-wheelload of 14,000 kg.”Allowing a payload in excess of37,000 kg, the new chassis is aimed atproviding maximum cost-effectivenessfor intermodal transport involving railor barge truck haul. With custom optionssuch as light alloy wheels, aluminiumsupport legs and aluminiumair tanks for the braking system, thereis scope for reducing tare weight evenfurther.The low tare weight of the basic unit,said Kögel, is the outcome of designoptimisation measures. “The Kögel engineersdrew some of their inspirationfrom the tried-and-tested lightweightbuild concept of the Kögel Port 20Tankplex, but they also employed a newcross beam concept that saves yet moreweight as a result of ingenious weldedconstruction.”To simplify the (un)loading of containers,the Port 40 Light is equippedwith a rear section that is inset by70mm and, therefore, also with an optimisedunder-ride guard that is alsoinset. This means that the vehicle canget closer to the ramp, and the gap betweencontainer and ramp that needs tobe bridged with a drive-over panel iscorrespondingly reduced. In the courseof the next few months, all other KögelPort models will gradually be adaptedto incorporate this optimised rear sectionas standard equipment.As with all Kögel vehicles, the entirechassis is protected by nano-ceramictechnology and cathodic dip-paintcoating, followed by UV painting. Thechassis is available with immediate effect,together with Kögel’s BasicServiceor ProService support packages.The new chassis allows a container gross weight of 37t as part of an intermodal land transportchainDaikin orderUASC has ordered 3,500 new reefercontainers with reefer machines fromDaikin. The order marks the “secondmilestone” in the expansion of UASC’sreefer services, following the recent deliveryof 2,000 new reefer containers.“In terms of quality, performance andreliability, our latest reefer order comprisesone of the industry’s most ecoefficientand reliable units. The secondphase of new reefer units will supportthe growth of existing services and enhancedgeographic access followingnew partnership with CMA CGM andHamburg Süd to enter the North Atlantictrade, linking Northern Europe withthe USEC,” said Gareth Madsen, head ofreefer management at UASC.continued from page 1AICM is headed by chairman Jack Allenand CEO Patrick Marron, both ofwhom were previously executives intrucking industry giant manufacturerNavistar Inc. This month, AICM announceda “long term manufacturingagreement” with Navistar to “jointlyproduce 53ft containers for the US market”in Alabama.In an interview with WorldCargo News,Marron said that under the agreement acontainer production line will be set upinside Navistar’s existing plant. AICMwill own the manufacturing equipmentand contract production from Navistar.The plant itself will be heavily automated,using technology from Center-Line in Windsor, Ontario. This companyspecialises in advanced production technologiesand systems for manufacturingindustries, including resistance welding,cold spray coatings and factory automation.AICM is also touting its green credentials.The facility in Alabama is “NorthAmerica’s largest LEED accredited nextgenerationstate-of-the-art green facility”and 100% waterborne coatings willbe used from the outset. Flooring materialswill be “current industry standards”,but the company intends to source moresustainable material from within NorthAmerica. Marron said it recognises thatthere are supply and quality issues thatneed to be addressed in this area and itwill work with customers to make sureany alternatives meet their needs.The recent anti-dumping casebrought by Stoughton Trailers againstCIMC and Singamas highlighted thatUS customers have some specific designrequirements. These include a minimumclear interior width of 100 inches anda sidewall corrugation depth of 30mm.Marron said AICM meets these criteria,as well as the standards set by of the Associationof American Railroads for domesticintermodal containers.AICM has shown prototype containersto railroads and trucking industrycompanies, and the responses havebeen overwhelmingly positive. However,while many US container ownerssay they would welcome a US supplier,their submissions in the Stoughton antidumpingcase highlight that price is akey consideration. That case, said Marron,and the end result that countervailingduties were not imposed on Chineseimports, has not dampened AICM’s enthusiasm.It believes that by leveragingautomation and the strength of its owndesign, AICM will be very competitive.Full scale production is scheduled tobegin early in 2016. Currently, CenterLineis building and testing theproduction line equipment at its facilityin Windsor, and once this process iscompleted it will be broken down andshipped to Alabama.The plant will have a capacity of15,000 containers a year. AICM is focusingon 53ft containers initially, but thereare plans to add other domestic specialcontainers for the storage industry, militaryand other applications in the future.June 2015 17