Kalmar Industries has won an order from the Port of Tacoma on the US West Coast to supply seven CSC 340 straddle carriers for the Port’s extensive on-dock intermodal rail operations. The units, which will be used to load and unload double-stack container cars, will be delivered in October 2008.

Tacoma boosts on-dock rail operations

The straddle carriers, which have a 40-tonne single-lift capability, will be engineered to stack containers three-high. They will also feature Kalmar’s seventh-generation technology consisting of an enhanced CAN-bus PLC diagnostics system, fly-by-wire controls and PLC-controlled engines, and a hydrodynamic drive system.

Leif Wallin, president, Kalmar Americas, commented: “This new order further extends Kalmar’s partnership with the Port of Tacoma, adding to the fleet of 26 Kalmar straddle carriers already employed at the port. The new machines, which will replace five older straddle carriers, are ideally suited to the demanding operating conditions found at intermodal rail terminals.”

Kalmar has been supplying straddle carriers to the Port of Tacoma since 1986 and has built a very close working relationship with the port. This has led to a number of industry firsts: for example, Tacoma became the world’s first on-dock rail operation to use only straddle carriers, and Kalmar and the port authority jointly produced the world’s first straddle carrier operator training video.