ZPMC collaboration to promote crane training

New Zealand’s Ports of Auckland will be the collaboration’s first customer, with a remote desk-controlled crane training simulator set to be installed there to train the terminal’s operators prior to ZPMC cranes being delivered later this year.

The Vortex simulator from Canada-headquartered CM Labs will integrate ZPMC’s remote-control system, exposing trainees to crane operations and the control room environment in a realistic simulated environment.

This includes the simulation of all crane functions, camera displays, automated safety functions and the terminal’s container management system.

Vortex simulators objectively track and capture operating metrics like moves per hour and collisions.

From an Instructor Operating Station, trainers can launch exercises for training on both manual and semi-automated controls. They can also inject faults like inclement weather, snags, disabled cameras or corner cast failures.

“By bringing together CM Labs, the leader in crane simulation-based training, and ZPMC, the market leader in STS cranes, we will deliver training technology that will allow ZPMC’s clients to produce more efficient and safer operators,” Arnold Free, CM Labs’ chief commercial officer, said.

“Remote crane operations are gaining popularity in container terminals as an alternative that improves safety, operating ergonomics and operator productivity,” said Zhao Bin, ZPMC Smart Solutions Group’s vice general manager.

“We see enormous growth in remote-desk STS operations as well as demand for training.”