Konecranes delivers the first Flow Drive reach stacker to Africa
APM Terminals Southern Africa (Pty.) Ltd. received a Konecranes reach stacker equipped with Flow Drive at their facility in Port Elizabeth, South Africa, in early May this year. It replaces an older truck and brings the latest fuel-efficient lift truck technology to the African continent.
As one of the world’s largest port and terminal operators, APM Terminals has 74 port and terminal facilities and over 100 inland service operations in a total of 58 countries. In South Africa, they have 6 inland service depots, including Port Elizabeth, which offers reefer and dry container storage for full and empty containers, as well as container repairs and sales. They handle thousands of containers a year and require dozens of lift trucks for the task. The demands of such a busy container yard eventually wear out even the best equipment. APM needed a new reach stacker.
“Konecranes has a strong presence in APM facilities all over the world,” says Winfried Lux, Regional Manager MEA, Lift Trucks, Konecranes. “APM Terminals already had good experience with our lift trucks in Port Elizabeth, and the time was right to introduce the first Flow Drive reach stacker to the region. EIE Group was key in making that happen.”
“APM Terminals and EIE Group have a special, long-term business relationship that continues to grow and flourish,” says Lenny Naidoo, Key Account Sales, EIE Group. “As the local distributor for Konecranes, we knew exactly the right model for APM’s requirements, and are excited to be bringing this innovative technology here. We’ll provide maintenance as part of our continuing service package to the entire Port Elizabeth lift truck fleet.”
The new reach stacker is a Konecranes SMV 4531 TC5, equipped with Flow Drive. It combines the smoothness of a hydrostatic transmission with the fuel economy of a torque converter and a small but powerful Volvo TAD-853-VE engine – two technologies built into one transmission in a specially-designed engine compartment – that can reduce fuel consumption by up to 25 percent. Software optimizes drivability at all speeds so that the driver can concentrate on the main task of lifting. Less refueling not only lowers costs, but allows more time for productivity. The net result of Flow Drive is lower emissions, but with improved performance, precision and safety. This particular truck has also been customized with a hydraulic sliding cabin for better driver visibility.
This is a part of Powered by Ecolifting, Konecranes’ vision to minimize the footprint and improve the handprint of equipment terminals. From eco-optimizing diesel drives, to hybridization and fully-electrified fleets, we will continue to do more with less.