misinformation

CARGO HANDLING NEWSmoving the crane along the blockand positioning the load/spreader– is a significant challenge. ASCsand the Konecranes RTGs forTPKS are purpose-built for automatedcontrol, but most RTGswere never built with it in mind.Drive systems with eight wheelsand a chain drive are common,but they are not considered thebest platform to automate. HITin Hong Kong is currently tryingto retrofit automation to RTGsat two separate terminals. Sourcesinvolved with the project say itis proving very challenging, withdifferent combinations of sensorsbeing tried to detect the positionof the spreader and the target.Choices aheadAs automation moves forward,it may be that some terminaloperators choose to purchasenew machines, rather than retrofitold ones, if they choose toautomate. As noted above, PSASines is “retrofitting” its KalmarRTGs, but the machines wereonly delivered earlier this year.Interest in remote controlledSTS cranes continues to build.Speaking at this month’s TOC21Europe in Rotterdam, ABB’sBryfors said there are now 50 STScranes with ABB remote controlsystems operating in seven terminalsworldwide – more than hasbeen disclosed previously. Theseterminals include DP World Yarimcain Turkey.Elsewhere, the three Liebherrcranes delivered to Patrick Stevedoresin Australia are equipped forfuture remote control, and Siemensclaims to have supplied remotecontrol automation systemsfor new STS cranes. These couldbe the three new ZPMC cranesfor ECT in Rotterdam, which arealso remote-ready.Also speaking at TOC Europe,Siemens’ head of sales for ProcessIndustries and Drives, GerhardFischer, said the company offersseveral automation modules, includingsway and skew control,which can be combined to delivera remote control STS crane. Theseinclude a truck positioning systemso the vessel interface can achievea productivity target of 40 movesper hour. Siemens sells systemsand components to crane OEMs,as well as end users directly.In an interview with WorldCargoNews, ABB’s Uno Bryfors saidthe industry is really still getting togrips with how best to use remotecontrol. It is a cultural as well as anoperational change, and there area lot of issues to address in movingto this style of working, includinghow long operators should sit orstand at their remote desk beforethey need a break. There may alsobe health and safety legislation toconsider in this regard.Remote drivingIn some cases, however, the craneis essentially driven from a remotelocation, without widercultural change. This might bea first step but, he said, it is “notsolving that much”. The challengefor terminals is to developa control room culture, wherethe potential of the technologycan be realised. This includeshaving multidisciplinary teamswhere remote operators can fillother roles when there are novessels to work, which can be aconsiderable period in terminalshandling one call a week from avery large vessel.Frank Tazelaar, managing directorof APM Terminals MVII terminal,had some interesting thingsto say about its motivation formoving to remote control cranesat the company’s new flagship facilityin Rotterdam. APMT wasnot looking, as other terminalshave, to support a major demographicchange or numerical reductionin the workforce. Remotecontrol STS cranes do not, as isthe case with ASC cranes, actuallyreduce the labour requirement.The main factor was that theterminal is a 50-year investmentand the height and speeds of thecranes are such that moving theoperator off the crane is a healthand safety issue. It was, in fact an“obvious” decision, given the requirementsof today, he added.The terminal worked withthe Dutch Technical Institute onworking environment, as wellas the social change involved inmoving to a remote control operation.They learned that thenatural reaction to try and mimicthe real operating environment ina remote location, with vibrationsand the noise of the operating environment,is in fact incorrect.The remote control environmenthas to be different, TazelaarOctober 19-21, 2015Messe Bremen – Conference & Exhibition CentreBremen, GermanyRegister Now!stressed, designed more to makethe operator identify and focus onthe parts of the role where he orshe is required to intervene. Becauseof this using a simulator isthe best way to train the operator,even if they have years of priorexperience in a traditional cab, assome behaviour will have to beunlearned, he explained.Not for gamersAs to the main requirements for aremote operator, Tazelaar stressedthat it is “not for young gamers”at all. “What is required are professionaldrivers that can focus ona repetitive task.”The “repetitive” element of therole is perhaps one of the biggestchallenges. Because the crane cycleis largely automated the operatorspends most of his or her timesupervising the crane, interveningonly when required to land thespreader or container on the vessel.There is a very real potentialfor boredom to set in.On this point, Bryfors mentionedthat the benefit of beingable to locate the operators in anoffice environment creates newpossibilities. Whereas working onthe crane makes a shift change amajor logistical exercise, it typicallytakes less than a minute for a remoteoperator to move out, a newperson to move in and change thedesk position to their preferredsettings. There is, he stressed, flexibilityfor terminals to devise waysto address the repetitive elementof the job in a meaningful way.An area where automation stillhas many challenges is intermodalcranes for handling containersfrom rail. A big part of the issuehere is the lack of standardisationin train and rail car equipment.Geiger from Kuenz said the biggestchallenges within Europe arethe need to handle continentalLDW soldLloyd Dynamowerke (LDW)is now on a stable footing afterbeing acquired by Korea’sHyosung Corporation in February.LDW filed for bankruptcyin October last year afterits then 95% owner, India’sKirloskar Electric Company(KEC), declined to inject thenecessary capital to allow thecompany to continue its operations.LDW had a significant orderbook at the time andthe administrator in Bremenopted to sell the company asa going concern. New ownerHyosung is a large industrialconglomerate with a turnoverof approximately US$11Bin 2013. LDW’s Holger Rubachsaid being part of a largergroup will have advantagesof scale, particularly in purchasing,which will benefitLDW’s business. Hyosung alsomanufactures its own range ofmotors, but will retain LDWproduction in Bremen, andcurrent customers, which includethe Liebherr Group, willsee no changes.traffic and maritime traffic at thesame terminals, and dealing withthe 80 different types of railwaywagon in service.There is also a wide variety ofIT systems in use, and no agreementon an “automation philosophy”concerning where craneintelligence should reside in thewider equipment layer design.Addressing these issues requiresthe industry to adopt an automationphilosophy in order to createthe right environment for automatedcranes to operate. Crane intelligenceOrganized byIn association withSponsored by:Exhibit boothspace isstill availableVisit our website for more detailswww.transportsymposium.comThe components of the Lennix Charlie system include an infrared camera,reflector, controller and softwareFor a number of years, all slewingcranes supplied by Ardelt (amember of Kranunion) in Germanyhave been fitted as standardwith an anti-sway controlsystem, to compensate load sway.The original system was developedin cooperation with CeP-LuS (Cesar Skew), and helped thedriver to discharge the load intohoppers with more precision.CePLuS provided anti-swaysystems for various types ofcrane, including systems withclosed loop feedback control forcranes requiring high accuracy,such as STS container gantries.Since 2005, CePLuS has beenpart of Siemens.Ardelt products are nowequipped with an improved system,Lennix Tango, developedby Lehnert RegelungstechnikGmbH, which is owned byMario Lehnert, the man originallybehind CePLuS. Oneapplication is on a pedestalmounted,double-level luffingTukan 750 crane at the LouisHagel berth on the Reiherstiegcanal in Hamburg, where it optimisesfine positioning duringmanual operation over the shipand ensures a smooth transitionto semi-automated operationtravelling to and discharging inthe hopper.Lennix Tango can also be usedin tandem mode, for handlingone load together with two slewingcranes. Terex Port Solutionshas used it as part of its TandemLift Assistant system for its Gottwaldmobile harbour cranes.For STS container cranes,Lehnert Regelungstechnik isoffering the positioning andcollision avoidance system LennixCharlie. As well as anti-sway,this includes other functions,such as soft landing, which reducesspreader downtime by automaticallystopping above thecontainer. The bay is scannedby lasers, and “smart activation”guarantees collision avoidanceeven if the anti-sway is deactivated,while the Next-Step-Assistance function knows thefuture position of the load. “Thesystem is the standard solutionfor Liebherr Container Cranes,”said Moritz Lehnert, directormarketing and sales.24June 2015