Capital Equipment News December 2015

LIFTING

SANY TAKES UP THE CHALLENGE of port container handling

By Pierre Sanson

T he harsh operating environment of a container port has placed exceptional demands on the design parameters and construction of the equipment used to move goods timeously to meet ship- ping deadlines. Technology has allowed for greater progress and sophistication and that’s a good thing for ports and harbours, as there are a number of issues related to heavy-duty machinery, such as operating costs, durability, reliability and safety that need consideration. The intensity and demands of port opera- tions are of the biggest challenges facing operators in the container and stevedoring ports. Each loading and unloading operation must be performed quickly to fit in with the port’s busy schedule and firm deliveries, of- ten 24/7 and 365 days per year. A market well endowed with competitive brands requires manufacturers to take the lead and develop their equipment to provide more versatility with a lower initial invest- ment compared to other equipment. Sany’s range of port equipment, from reach stackers to the empty container handlers, have proven uptime and availability so crit- ical to the busy operation of a container port where operating temperatures often range from tropical climates to -40°C. Manufactured by Sany Heavy Industry Co − a Chinese multinational heavy machinery manufacturing company, headquartered in Changsha Hunan Province − it is the sixth largest heavy-equipment manufacturer in the world and the first industry in China to enter the FT Global 500 and FT Global 2000 rankings. In South Africa, the Sany port equipment range is represented by Gijima Heavy Ma- chinery (GHM), a 100% owned South Afri- can company based in Gauteng. In the five years since its appointment, GHM has made tremendous strides in establishing and sup- porting the brand. With the full support of Sany Southern Africa in Johannesburg, a di- vision of the Sany Group, GHM has strategi- cally positioned itself to supply and service a niche market in the container, transport and port operations.

parts of the full Sany range of port equip- ment which comprises: Reach Stackers, Empty Container Handlers, Gantry cranes, Forklifts and Haulers manufactured by Sinotruck. GHM is represented by dealers throughout the country and has plans in the pipeline to establish its own branches in Durban and Cape Town in the near future. GHM was founded on a tender received from Transnet Freight Rail sector and, from small beginnings, the Transnet fleet stands at 45 units situated at various depots throughout the country from Phalaborwa to Cape Town and from Lohatla to Durban. The units were supplied on a full maintenance programme and subjected to a stringent planned main- tenance schedule, which has resulted in a minimum downtime for the units. GHM is justifiably proud of its record with Transnet as some of the units have now completed 14 000 hours of service with minimum downtime, except for routine maintenance. Specialised equipment requires specialised technicians and GHM has an unblemished track record in this area. With the full sup- port of the Sany Group, technicians receive training in China on a regular basis and this is supplemented with in-house training from local Sany personnel who are based in Johannesburg.

In an interview with Monir Walters, Nation- al Sales Manager of GHM, he stated, “GHM has come to believe in its team of guys who have committed to the company since its inception and with this confidence behind us, we are looking to expand our business to cover more of the private sector require- ments. We are already making our presence felt as companies like MSC, Grindrod Inter- model and Ceres Rail Company have pur- chased units, with more units in the pipeline for other corporate groups. We are fortunate to have third party finance available, which will cover any rental requirements as an al- ternative to outright purchase.” “In looking at the future development of GHM, I believe that there will be some growth in the heavy duty machinery mar- ket as more private companies will be using equipment outside the port areas with more logistic centres, intermodal hubs and termi- nals etc, established to cater for the needs of growing applications. We will be well placed to meet those demands as we will have refurbished machines available that will represent considerable savings over the price of new units. With the uncertainties of the exchange rate at the moment, this will make any deal of this nature more attractive to the purchaser,” concluded Walters.

GHM specialises in the supply, service and

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