Re-sale values dont stack up

The Port of Liverpool’s Iain Robertson, for one, says that he is not currently aware of a viable second hand market.

“Straddle carriers are difficult to ship, while the cost of doing so would be prohibitive. Our strads are ten years old and have another two or three years’ service left in them, after which they won’t be worth anything. For that reason, I’d challenge anyone to find a second hand market for equipment like that!”

For reachstackers, the situation is easier. Although highly utilised in ports, they are run on good surfaces and are generally well maintained. So while a reachstacker may have done a lot of work, it will be good over-all condition.

“In my opinion, once a machine has done five to six years at a port, it can be sold off at good residual values (35%) to a secondary operation,” adds Ports of Auckland operations engineer John Miller. “Many ports seem to hold on to their old machines for far too long. I think 15,000 hours should be the limit for a reachstacker.”

Asked how Ports of Auckland deploys reachstackers, Mr Miller says that using them to carry loads long distances would be inherently expensive and that it is more economically viable to use cheaper distance transport, such as terminal tractor/chassis units.

However, he says that this is an issue that has to be seen in the context of the operation as a whole. For example, where reachstackers are carrying loads long distances, providing accumulators in the hydraulics allows the inevitable oscillating movements to be tackled.

As for substituting reachstackers for FLTs, he says unit costs and maintenance are similar, although the former are much safer and more productive. He nevertheless points out that it is difficult to gain the full benefit from reachstackers if terminals retain some FLTs on stacking duties, since the required stack density cannot be achieved.

“Eventually, Ports of Auckland will convert entirely to reachstackers, with the exception of empty stacking forklifts and ro-ro machines,” he says.