LIFTING BANANAS TO NEW HEIGHTS

Naportec S.A.,located in Guayaquil, is the second-largest city in Ecuador. Owned by Dole Fresh Foods, it’s one of the biggest shipment facilities in the country, with 450 employees working across 112,000 square metres. Dealing mostly with the transport of local fruit to both national and international markets, it has played a key role in developing and improving logistics chains across Ecuador.

New equipment gets fruit to customers faster

When you eat a Dole banana, chances are it travelled part of the way to you via a Konecranes lift truck. Different tropical fruits, such as bananas, mangoes and pineapples, are growing in popularity around the world. The dock at Guayaquil has been expanding with new technology and infrastructure to deal with this demand.

Because the dry and refrigerated products they move are consumable, the company follows the Food Safety Act (2015) from the United States, their biggest export market. This means that they always take the utmost care and any new equipment must support this effort.

To improve efficiency, increase throughput and maximize the safety of both personnel and product, Naportec has gradually replaced their old machines with new Konecranes equipment. They currently have a total five Konecranes reach stackers in both B and C models: two SMV 4531 full reacher stackers and three SMV 108 empty reach stackers. They also have two 45-ton Konecranes Linde reach stackers and two Konecranes RTGs.

“Our Naportec terminal has been in operation for 15 years,” says Ronald Cruz, Dole Maintenance Manager. “Some of our older machinery was giving us problems because it was wearing out. But the Konecranes equipment has made all the difference, helping us to optimize our processes, prevent damage and greatly reduce downtime.”

They also got TRUCONNECT® installed on their Konecranes reach stackers to help keep track of the condition of the lift trucks on a real-time basis, use preventive maintenance to anticipate repairs and keep the equipment in good working order.

“Konecranes is very good in responding to technical questions,” continues Mr. Cruz. “They always meet our expectations. Productivity has noticeably increased.”

Targets for the future

Your Dole banana also helps the environment on its way to you. In 2015, Naportec received eco-efficient certification from the Ecuadorian government. Despite a substantial increase in business, they managed a 42.3% reduction in the use of diesel fuel in the three years since 2012, a number to which their new fuel-efficient Konecranes
lift trucks strongly contributed. This official recognition confirms the company’s commitment to decreasing their environmental impact in both the short- and long-term.

Naportec has been steadily developing their services, including a recent addition to their dock that brings it to 360 metres with the ability to handle two ships at once, 64,000 square metres for storage and a 4,700 square meter platform and cold chamber. By 2020, they intend to consolidate their position in the logistics market as a highly competitive cargo port with excellent standards of safety, quality and operational efficiency.

Helping them achieve their goals is Genar Inc., the regional distributor for Konecranes Lift Trucks in Central America and the Caribbean. They share a long history of cooperation with Naportec, and as trusted partners, provide both sales and service throughout the life of every truck.
Konecranes reach stackers are helping to bring a whole bunch of Dole bananas and other fruits to people all over the world.