Kalmar rises to the challenge

Kalmar has been awarded the contract to raise the height of a further 10 rubber-tyred gantry (RTG) cranes for Terminal Pacifico Sur Valparaíso S.A. (TPS) in Chile, following the successful completion of a similar project to increase the lifting height of two of its RTGs at the facility; these were commissioned and became operational in mid-January.

TPS is one of the two most important container terminals in Chile, playing a key role in the import/export trade with USA and Asia; it is currently gearing up for expansion.  Raising the cranes’ stacking height from five containers to six will enable the terminal to increase its yard capacity by 20%.

“Increasing the lift height of our RTGs instantly provides us with additional capacity in the yard, without having to expand the physical area,” said Nicole Jaramillo, reliability engineer at TPS.  She explained that Kalmar gained the latest order against tough international competition, where the main criteria were based on price, design and technical capabilities.