G HMK 7608 Mobile Harbour Crane during its transport to quay 304 at P&O Ports in the Port of Antwerp, Belgium
Düsseldorf, 6 February 2006 – For Gottwald Port Technology, the world’s leading supplier of Mobile Harbour Cranes with some 1,000 cranes sold globally, the year 2005 proved more successful than ever before. The company enjoyed a record number of orders and successfully started deliveries of some new cranes heralding the new Generation 5 that will be launched officially in summer 2006. In addition, Gottwald successfully continued to establish the company firmly in its second business line, the product segment for automation in cargo handling, an increasingly important element in worldwide terminal operations.
Dirk Kiessling, CEO and CFO of Gottwald Port Technology, comments: “In 2006 Gottwald will celebrate its 100th Anniversary. With this in mind the success of 2005 is particularly pleasing and worthy of special mention. The good results are confirmation that our strategy aiming at offering a broad spectrum of state-of-the art solutions and products for all kinds of cargo handling applications is sound. We have strengthened our worldwide presence and reinforced our position in many important international markets. Gottwald successfully continued its leadership in the Mobile Harbour Crane business, but also the automated segment made strong progress. Both business lines contributed importantly to a year with which we at Gottwald are extremely pleased. The year 2005 offers clear proof of Gottwald’s performance. And Gottwald’s centennial year will continue in this spirit, with the new Generation 5, which made its start with the commissioning of four Mobile Harbour Cranes in late 2005 and will officially be launched onto the market in summer 2006.”
Gottwald’s Harbour Crane business proved hugely successful in 2005 with a record number of orders for 76 cranes, compared to 66 cranes in 2004 and 62 cranes in 2003. “Indeed, 2005 was a historical year,” says Gottwald’s Sales Director, Giuseppe Di Lisa. “This is the highest number since Mobile Harbour Cranes were launched onto the market in 1956 and we exceeded the previous year’s figure by
15 per cent.” Order intake was strong in all geographic regions. Apart from Gottwald’s main market, Europe, where the inflow of new contracts remained as strong as ever, Gottwald received extremely positive signals in several important regions. Both traditional Gottwald customers and completely new customers were attracted by Gottwald’s Harbour Crane solutions. Di Lisa: “The testimonials from our customers prove that our commitment to technical performance really does make the difference.”
In the Middle East region and in Latin America, which have become two important and continuously growing markets for Gottwald in recent years, the company further strengthened its position. The Middle East region continued to play a fundamental role with four orders for eight cranes. In Latin America Gottwald realized further growth with six orders for six cranes. Among these orders was Gottwald’s tenth Mobile Harbour Crane for Chile.
Performance was also strong in the USA and the Far East. The US market made a particular contribution in 2005 with five orders for six cranes, including five high performance four-rope grab cranes for professional bulk handling as well as one HMK 260 E crane for container handling. These orders were placed by new and returning customers. Tropical Shipping in Riviera Beach/Florida, for example, purchased its third HMK 260 E crane for container handling – a proof of trust in Gottwald’s equipment and services. In the Far East, Gottwald expanded its position with eight orders for 13 cranes, including the very first Gottwald cranes for Thailand.
As in previous years Gottwald continued to expand its worldwide presence and conquered new markets. Apart from the above mentioned market entry in Thailand, Gottwald Harbour Cranes have also been launched with success in Bulgaria. In India, two orders for four cranes marked an important step for Gottwald in its efforts to regain a foothold in this market. As a result, Gottwald Harbour Cranes are now present in no less than 83 countries.
The conventional two-rope segment made a substantial contribution to Gottwald’s overall increase in orders with 58 cranes, compared to 35 cranes in 2004. In the four-rope grab segment for professional bulk handling Gottwald received orders for 18 cranes. Rail-mounted HSK Portal Harbour Cranes totalled four units in 2005. To date Gottwald has delivered 160 four-rope grab cranes to customers worldwide as well as some 30 HSK Portal Harbour Cranes. Apart from one crane, all HSK cranes were at the same time four-rope grab cranes. “The HSK is a typical example of Gottwald’s unchallenged role as pacesetter in innovative harbour crane concepts,” comments Di Lisa. The HSK cranes that combine the proven technologies of the HMK Mobile Harbour Cranes with a rail-mounted portal instead of rubber-tyred chassis were launched in 1998 in close cooperation with a customer. In the meantime a complete product range has evolved. Di Lisa: “Since 2000 the average number of HSK cranes sold per year has been about five, which confirms port and terminal operators’ confidence in Gottwald’s HSK concept.”
The reference list 2005, including a wide spectrum from small cranes such as the HMK 90 E to high-capacity cranes such as the HMK 300 E or the HSK 330 EG, shows that Mobile Harbour Cranes are being used in a broader range of applications. “With regard to our aim of widening the field of applications in which Mobile Harbour Cranes are used, we have every right to feel extremely satisfied,” says Di Lisa. And he points out that “in fruit handling and handling of steel products or project cargo, Gottwald Mobile Harbour Cranes are now the first choice of terminal operators.”
Among the four-rope grab cranes ordered in 2005 are many high-capacity cranes as well as a number of HSK Portal Harbour Cranes with portals tailored to meet customers' specific requirements. “This is an unmistakable sign that Gottwald’s cranes have firmly established themselves in the professional bulk handling sector,” says Di Lisa. Notable four-rope grab crane orders in 2005 included four orders for five four-rope grab cranes placed by leading terminal operators – new and existing customers – in the US. Caroline Marine Terminal in Wilmington/North Carolina purchased one HMK 330 EG crane for handling coal, salt and aggregates. Pacific Coast Recycling in the Port of Long Beach/California ordered an HSK 330 EG for professional handling of scrap steel and Chesapeake Bulk Handling in Sparrows Point/Maryland purchased an HSK 330 EG for professional handling of hard coal. Two HSK 330 EG cranes – in this case mounted on pontoons (or barges as they are called in USA) – were also the right choice for Shipyard River Terminal in Charleston/South Carolina for their coal handling activities. This order was all the more pleasing, since it was the first time that Gottwald supplied HSK cranes mounted on pontoons. In 2004, Gottwald had introduced HPK Harbour Pontoon Cranes to the market place and sold the first pontoon-mounted crane, an HPK 330 EG, using the same proven technologies as the Gottwald HMK Mobile Harbour Cranes, to a customer on the Mississippi River.
Di Lisa: “These orders show that our cranes for professional bulk handling continue to play a fundamental role for the company when conquering new markets. And the potential order situation is excellent. But also with regard to HPK Harbour Pontoon Cranes for professional ship-to-ship bulk handling Gottwald is looking after some very promising projects. We have penetrated a market segment that in the mid-term should offer considerable potential. And the order for the two pontoon-mounted HSK cranes reflects again our ability to develop untapped markets.”
More recently, Gottwald also introduced some tools to increase efficiency in bulk handling: The Gottwald Visumatic with special options for bulk handling. A load-sensing mode registers and records the number of lifts required to remove a quantity of bulk goods from the hold. In this way, the best procedure and sequence for unloading the ship holds can be determined. Gottwald’s Visumatic visualisation and control system not only determines the bulk tonnage in the individual holds, but also provides data on the total quantity of bulk handled. When the crane loads bulk onto trucks directly, precise readings on bulk tonnage make it possible to make full use of the truck carrying capacity while, at the same time, preventing overloading. When filling a hopper, Gottwald Mobile Harbour Cranes can use the point-to-point handling mode to reduce cycle times significantly. Once the hopper location has been entered in the system, the Visumatic drives the slewing gear and luffing gear automatically to position the grab over the hopper. The crane operator then only has to lower the grab and open it. The Visumatic is also pre-programmed for direct hopper control via the Visumatic screen in the crane tower cab.
Di Lisa sums up: “To date, Gottwald has sold some 1,000 cranes. Since the launch of the first Mobile Harbour Crane 50 years ago, the Gottwald brand has become a significant player in the professional harbour crane business. The high order number is also a clear sign that the market for Mobile Harbour Cranes is still growing. However, to remain trendsetter in this growing market, the importance of continuous improvements and adjustments to the ever changing market requirements increases. And that’s why the inventor of the Mobile Harbour Crane has been working intensively to optimize and expand its portfolio and will launch a new generation of Harbour Cranes to offer greater benefits and opportunities to terminal operators: the Generation 5.”
The new Generation 5 Harbour Cranes from Gottwald with innovative features and a greater choice of variants than ever before will make their official debut in the summer, but a number of the new cranes are already in operation since the end of 2005. The first deliveries of Gottwald’s new Generation 5 cranes include two 140-tonne cranes ordered by P&O Ports Antwerp in Belgium as well as two 200-tonne cranes ordered by the Port of Carrara in Italy. Both terminal operators are long-standing customers of Gottwald who were looking for cranes with superior handling capacities and hoisting speeds. “The increase in seaborne trade and the rapid rise in container handling as well as the growing quantities of products such as steel and coal being handled place special demands on the capacities of harbour cranes,” says Kiessling. “So far Gottwald Mobile Harbour Cranes were characterized by a maximum lifting capacity of 120 tonnes. The new Generation 5 with capacities of up to 200 tonnes is a great leap forward in terminal operations, bringing performance in container, bulk and cargo operations to new heights while continuing with the proven technology Gottwald is famous for.”
Since the end of 2005, two new G HMK 8710 Mobile Harbour Cranes of the new Gottwald Model 8 have been in operation in the Port of Carrara, Italy, an important shipment hub for large machines, such as turbines, generators and other heavy items. The cranes with a capacity of 200 tonnes each are currently the largest Mobile Harbour Cranes in the world. Equipped with two 100-tonne hosting gears and a 1,112 kW diesel generator, the G HMK 8710 is ideally suited for heavy lifts in single but also tandem-lift operation. Maximum hoisting speed is 82 m/min. In the Port of Carrara the new G HMK 8710 cranes are used to handle a broad spectrum of cargo, including large blocks of marble and containers.
As part of the new Crane Generation 5 the new Carrara cranes are specifically designed for high handling capacities of up to 200 tonnes and long service life and are not just an upgrade of existing models. “The high handling capacities should not come at the expense of crane classification,” explains Di Lisa. “Our customers do not want to have just a ‘strong’ crane, but rather a strong crane with a long lifetime designed to their specific needs. And precisely this is what they get from Gottwald.” The lifetime of the crane is determined by the strength of the steel construction. In order to achieve the lifetime requirements for a specific application, Gottwald Port Technology builds cranes in crane classifications up to A8.
Also since the end of 2005, P&O Ports Antwerp in Belgium has been using two 140-tonne G HMK 7608 Mobile Harbour Cranes for its mixed cargo operations, including heavy loads, containers and a broad spectrum of general cargo, at quay 304 in the Port of Antwerp. The G HMK 7608 version is equipped with a 140-tonne hoisting gear and an 845 kW diesel generator. Maximum hoisting speed is 100 m/min.
Aside from superior handling rates and capacities Gottwald’s revolutionary new Generation 5 offers a number of innovations. The Generation 5 is designed to deliver individual crane solutions for customer specific requirements. The cranes are highly modular in design, based on proven base structures and component standardisation and can be tailored to all kinds of applications according to customer needs. They can be used as universal cranes or for special purposes in terminals of any size. The merits of Gottwald’s new Generation 5 are in a nutshell: extended areas of application to higher handling weights, superior handling rates and larger ships; classifications according to requirements; long service life; service friendly design; increased reliability and last but not least a wide variety of additional optional features. The cranes are extremely economical, not least since they are based on the proven diesel-electric concept Gottwald is famous for. The electricity is generated on board by a diesel-generator set. The diesel-electric drive is highly efficient, provides a fuel-saving source of energy and has long maintenance intervals. Through the use of external power from a shore supply source, Gottwald Harbour Cranes are even more economical and environment-friendly. The cranes of the new Generation 5 are available as Mobile Harbour Cranes (mounted on a rubber-tyred chassis), Portal Harbour Cranes (mounted on a portal) as well as Harbour Pontoon Cranes (mounted on a pontoon) and four-rope grab cranes for professional bulk handling. For more details on the new Generation 5 please refer to Gottwald’s press release “You Name it, We Crane it – Gottwald Launches Generation 5 Harbour Cranes”
With five Wide Span Gantry Cranes supplied to the recently extended inland Hupac Rail Terminal Busto Arsizio-Gallarate in Italy, Gottwald demonstrated the suitability of Gottwald WSGs not only for the use on waterways, but also for intermodal container transfer between rail and road. The Wide Span Gantry Cranes that were launched onto the market with success in early 2003 are designed for trimodal handling between ship, train and truck at inland waterway terminals; for intermodal handling between rail and road at rail terminals as well as stackyard management. The Busto Arsizio-Gallarate terminal near the north Italian metropolis of Milan, where containers, semi-trailers and swap bodies are loaded from truck to train, counts as one of the most important cargo handling terminals for combined transport south of the Alps.
The WSG success on land was further strengthened by an order placed by Swissterminal for the Frenkendorf inland Depot near Basel, Switzerland. This WSG crane was ordered in January 2005 and is expected to be ready for commercial operation in April 2006. It will be used for stackyard management and for transhipment between rail and road in the inland Depot Frenkendorf. The crane has a span width of 43.8 m and offers one-over-five stacking capability. It is equipped with a rotating telescopic spreader, a 20-m-long cantilever arm on the hinged portal side and a 13-m-long cantilever arm on the rigid portal side. Lifting capacity is 52 tonnes on the ropes. This was not the first time that Swissterminal had done business with Gottwald. In 2003, Swissterminal ordered the first Gottwald Wide Span Gantry – for the COBI Container-Terminal in Birsfelden by the Rhine, also near Basel, Switzerland.
With these recent successes, the overall number of Wide Span Gantries sold reaches 12 units. “This gives Gottwald a sound foundation for future expansion in this growing market,” states Dr. Mathias Dobner, CTO of Gottwald Port Technology. “And the orders from Hupac and Swissterminal demonstrate once again that our strategy of using innovative products to conquer new market segments is successful.”
During 2005, Gottwald also continued to strengthen its position in its second business line, the automated segment – a business line of growing importance for the company and at the same time an increasingly important element in future-orientated efficient terminal operations. Milestones in this segment included the successful launch of the environmentally and economically advanced E-AGV series, the diesel-electric version of the well-known diesel-hydraulic AGV Automated Guided Vehicle. The first 21 unmanned E-AGVs type CT 60-E will be supplied to HHLA’s Container-Terminal Altenwerder (CTA) in the Port of Hamburg, one of the most modern, fully automated container terminals in the world, in the course of 2006, together with Gottwald’s navigation and management software that can easily be integrated into a host terminal management system.
A significant breakthrough, setting new standards for high-performance container terminals, was the first order for Gottwald’s ASC Automated Stacking Cranes placed by Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company (P&O), UK in May 2005 for the new P&O Antwerp Gateway Terminal at Deurganckdok, Antwerp, Belgium. The new cranes will allow P&O to operate their entire container storage area fully automatically and to seamlessly link up the ship-to-shore equipment at their terminals to all hinterland storage areas, logistics systems and onward shipping facilities, including long and short sea traffic, inland waterways, road and rail. The first four ASCs for two stack modules will be delivered, tested and commissioned by June 2006.
To further boost its strength in the software segment, an increasingly important element in the present and future activities of the company, Gottwald acquired the majority of its long-standing partner TBA Nederland B.V. With effect from 1 January 2006, Gottwald has taken over the majority of shares (70%) of TBA Nederland B.V. The new software company TBA B.V. will enable Gottwald to offer customers a full range of dedicated software products and solutions for port handling systems and terminal planning.
Building on existing strengths, listening to customers, exploiting the growth potential in existing markets and conquering new markets, setting standards rather than following trends, continue to be the company’s most important objectives in 2006. “Gottwald has entered the centennial year of the company in a very strong position,” says Dirk Kiessling. “Thanks to our product competitiveness, Gottwald is in better shape than ever to lead the market. And the excellent results for the first quarter of fiscal 2005/2006, which started on 1 October 2005, are more than pleasing. The response to our products and solutions both in the harbour crane segment and the automated segment are very positive indeed. We are well on the way from being a traditional builder of Mobile Harbour Cranes to a supplier of port handling systems with a large portfolio of hardware and specially developed software. To sum it up: we are first choice for terminal operators and the strong results, not only in 2005 but in recent years, give us confidence that we will remain first choice in the future.”
Gottwald Port Technology GmbH
Postfach 18 03 43
40570 Düsseldorf, Germany
Peter Klein
Tel.: +49 (0)211 7102-3355
Fax: +49 (0)211 7102-3660
Mobile: +49 (0)173 722 10 74
peter.klein@gottwald.com
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