Kalmar to Help Borg Havn IKS Improve Productivity

Aiswarya Lakshmi May 22, 2018

Kalmar, part of Cargotec, has been awarded a contract for the automation retrofit of two Kalmar rubber-tyred gantry cranes (RTGs) by Borg Havn IKS, Norway. The order, which also includes a one-year maintenance and support agreement for the automation software, was booked in Cargotec's 2017 fourth quarter order intake. The project is scheduled to be completed during Q4 of 2018.

Borg Havn is a marine terminal located in Fredrikstad, southeast Norway. The terminal has an annual throughput capacity of approximately 150,000 TEUs, and the port authority is aiming to make it a forerunner in both sustainability and the adoption of modern automation technologies.

In order to extend capacity at the terminal by increasing stacking density, Borg Havn has made the decision to move away from its current mode of operation using reachstackers and implement remotely controlled RTGs to handle container movements.

The comprehensive retrofit project involves upgrading the two manually operated cranes to Kalmar AutoRTGs including all related automation software and hardware as well as new cable reels with fibre optics for low-latency data communication. The RTGs will also be retrofitted with the Kalmar SmartRail laser-guided gantry steering solution, and Kalmar will also supply two remote-control desks for controlling the machines.

Pål-Erling Johnsen, Technical Manager, Borg Havn IKS said: "We have, together with Kalmar, established a good technical solution for retrofitting our RTGs. Our aim is to get the cranes into a condition which will enable remote operations with good endurance. The work done so far is very promising, and we are looking forward to a fully satisfactory solution."

Miikka Haapa-aho, Director, Automation Retrofits, Kalmar said: "This project is an excellent example of how we can use our industry-leading technical competence and deep knowledge of automation to convert older machines that were originally designed for manual operation. This kind of conversion demonstrates that it is possible for terminals of all sizes to start their automation journey without major changes to infrastructure and equipment."