Gottwald breaks through with grab cranes in Brazil

Sale of two more mobile harbour cranes to Brazil by Gottwald Port Technology signals the success of its strategy to target the bulk handling grab crane market, the company believes.

Rocha Top and Loxus Graneis have each put into service a new HMK 330 EG four-rope grab cranes for bulk handling. The cranes were commissioned in January 2003 and April 2003 respectively.

Though Gottwald already had 10 mobile harbour cranes in service in Brazil (five HMK 280 Es and five HMK 300 Es), these were the first EG models that it had sold to the whole of Latin America.

'The two new orders are a sign that Gottwald is successfully pursuing its strategy to conquer the bulk handling market with its wide range of four-rope grab cranes not only in Europe and Asia but also in the Americas,' said Gottwald's regional sales manager Rainer Buessing.

Rocha Top operates the first HMK 330 EG diesel-electrically driven mobile harbour crane for handling bulk materials such as fertilisers, minerals as well as grain at its facilities in Paranagua in the State of Catarina. The HMK 330 EG is handles up to 1,000t per hour.

The crane at Loxus Graneis, located in the Port of Imbituba, is used for professional hard coal handling. Luis Augusto Opice, manager of Loxus Graneis, said: 'We expect to achieve an average coal handling rate of more than 800t per hour.'

The HMK 330 EG, with its higher classification and its two slewing gears, is the four-rope version of Gottwald's present best-selling HMK 300 E. Components such as hoisting gear, slew ring and rope pulleys are adapted to the needs of bulk handling operations.