Manufacturer aims for ambitious performance guarantees

Antti Kaunonen explained that this model means that Kalmar would get paid on the basis of performance, such as completed container moves per hour, rather than the number of container handling machines it sells or leases.

“This is something that won't be achieved overnight, but it is a long-term goal to which we are committed,” he said.

Cargo handling efficiency

Availability and performance guarantees will boost the efficiency of cargo handling, believes Kalmar and this concept works by optimising customer service.

For example, instead of selling machines, Kalmar could lease them to customers, while ensuring they are available and maintained according to a defined schedule, plus delivering the required spare parts, said Mr Kaunonen.

Following this, the company could commit to providing spare parts within X hours or days.

However, to deliver availability guarantees, Kalmar would need to calculate the fleet size needed to ensure availability of the required number of operational machines, at all times, stressed Mr Kaunonen.

“The key point for both parties is to realise that once we have responsibility for not only the machines, but also their connectivity, optimisation and maintenance, we can offer (and guarantee) higher levels of performance and availability than with traditional maintenance models,” he said.