MAINTAINING EFFICIENCY AS CARGO VOLUME INCREASES

The Port of Barranquilla is the most important multipurpose maritime and river terminal on the Colombian Caribbean coast. Located 22 kilometers from the mouth of the Magdalena River, it has the infrastructure to mobilize a wide range of cargo, including containers, refrigerated freight, general cargo, bulk, liquid bulk and special projects. It provides access to international shipping lanes and a host of complementary services, including storage, repairs and packing to assist its users.

Capacity keeps on growing

An increase in the volume of cargo and new logistics platform services offered by the port meant they needed more reach stackers for the loading, unloading, and storage of more containers, as well as the handling of special loads, such as tires. The goal was to improve customer service times, which they needed to maintain under highly demanding schedules.

In the first quarter of 2019, Konecranes delivered three Liftace TFC 45 HC reach stackers to fill out the Barranquilla fleet. With a capacity of up to 45 tons, the trucks help optimize port operations by speeding up the flow of cargo through 12 hectares of container storage.

William Elliott, Vice President Operations at the Port of Barranquilla, says there were several reasons for this choice. “Konecranes Liftace reach stackers offered the best operating comfort and the highest level of efficiency for our operational needs,” he says. “This turned out to be a natural choice, as the rest of our fleet consists of the same lift truck models, and we’ve always had good experience with them.”

Their new reach stackers are highly productive and efficient, with variable lift speeds for exceptional handling rates. An economical choice, easy maintenace and service combined with low fuel consumption keep costs to a minimum. A proven customer favorite, these lift trucks have shown themselves to be agile, robust and reliable in ports around  the world, and are made to a high level of safety, with advanced monitoring systems and excellent visibility. The vehicles can be fitted with dedicated lifting gear for general and special loads, making them fully adaptable to their working environment.

Since they started using the lift trucks, Port of Barranquilla personnel have been very pleased with the quality of the equipment and the excellent support and service they have received. Local distributor Equipos y Servicios Trex de Colombia (“Trex”) has worked closely with Konecranes to provide full technical assistance and compliance in the delivery of spare parts and services, with a professional and customer-centric attitude.

Future purchase plans

Mr Elliott notes that the increased availability and reliability of their reach stacker fleet has had clear benefits for their customers in noticeably increasing the speed of ship unloading and therefore achieving a reduction in waiting times.

“We will need to replace some of our reach stackers between 2020 and 2022,” he says, “Considering the great support we always get from Trex along with the high quality and performance of our Konecranes equipment, they will definitely be at the top of the list when making the final purchase decision. With the constantly changing demands of our busy harbour, Konecranes lift trucks help bring a new level of efficiency to our daily activities and give valuable insight as we plan our long-term operations.”