The crane specialist aims to get market share in an already busy market by offering a “superior system” supported by experienced support staff.
It will also no doubt be helped along by use of the latest technology and by its extensive knowledge in automation. Autosteering with dual antenna DGPS is something that Konecranes has offered with its RTGs for over 15 years now.
“As far as we know, we are the first one in the market to release this type of a system that is commercially ready-to-go”, Tuomas Saastamoinen, Port Cranes, Konecranes, told Port Strategy.
“The key point is that we can now offer an automated system which can be used at our customers’ present RTG yard with no major civil works needed”, he added.
According to Mr Saastamoinen, nobody has done ARTG on this scale before. With the new system there is no need for an operator, the cranes place and lift the containers automatically so there is no cab. Only the truck operation is done manually by the remote operator, sitting somewhere outside the yard.
The system is built around the Konecranes 16-wheel RTG and brings together an intelligent steel structure and Active Load Control system.
It includes a complete package of truck guidance infrastructure, a Remote Operating Station with a specially developed Graphical User Interface (GUI), and an IT system that interfaces with the customer’s Terminal Operating System (TOS).
Mr Saastamoinen said to PS that with this full scale introduction of automated RTG operation, owners and operators of RTG-based container terminals have a “secure growth path” to fully realising plans for automation.