Many are expanding rapidly and, therefore, employing a lot of capital – outsourcing can reduce this. There is also the desire to focus on container handling instead of maintaining equipment.
Kalmar says it is close to signing a contract in which it will maintain a complete 1.2m teu container terminal; all the equipment and terminal infrastructure will be maintained by Kalmar and a partner.
A deal signed with Gateway Terminals India last July was notable in that Kalmar also employs all the machine operators/drivers at the terminal.
The agreement with Mumbai-based GTI applies to 29 Kalmar E-One rubbertyred gantry cranes at the Nhava Sheva container terminal.
This is a five-year deal which requires Kalmar to supply GTI, a joint venture between APM Terminals and Container Corporation of India, with preventative and breakdown maintenance, engineering support, daily inspections, equipment operators and spare parts supply. Kalmar is providing more than 100 maintenance specialists and operators trained to meet international standards, to work three shifts a day.
The GTI management said:”As a new terminal, we wanted a partner we could trust to help achieve our productivity goals. Kalmar’s service experience and professionalism assured us that our required level of quality would be met.
“Kalmar’s local presence meant that working together with this company would allow us to focus on our core business as a terminal operator.” Rob van Hove says the risks and costs Kalmar is willing to take on should not be underestimated. The company offers customers the choice of paying per working hour or per move, and can handle financing, people and the workplace.
“If a Kalmar customer wants to start paying per move, this customer will be saving millions in investments, he will have a lot fewer worries to contend with, and he can operate more flexibly.”
All of these things will then be landing on Kalmar’s plate, of course. “And that’s the important thing – the fact that you can offer something others can hardly handle, if at all!”
