Automated Gantry Cranes

As the volumes of trade between countries increase due to globalization, the volume of container movements received at main port terminals in most countries has increased also. Thus, the need for a highly effective mode of executing receipts and transfer of containers from ships, trucks and trains becomes expedient. Coupled with the safety concerns around human traffic within container handling cranes, design and manufacture of automated gantry cranes came into force.

Advantages Of Automated Gantry Cranes

Automated gantry cranes are the newest and unmanned versions of gantry cranes which can be controlled remotely, thus eliminating some hours of downtime associated with increased human interaction with the container handling system. They are very large versions of rail container gantry cranes, and are employed to increase operational efficiency and reduce operational costs. Automated gantry cranes have the capability to perform container movements at higher speeds, based on operator programming.

Though automated gantry cranes are mostly used for container handling, a good number of them can also be found in manufacturing industries where an automated warehousing system is employed. Here, they are referred to as “Stackers” and the crane moves on a track (similar to the gantry rail or tyre) along an aisle within the warehouse. Its hoist is similar to the fork in a forklift and can be raised or lowered to retrieve or place a large item on the stacks.

It is very advantageous for use in cold-room industries and oil and gas drilling in sub-zero regions, as it prevents the operator from constantly working in freezing temperatures. This would be carried out from a console in a warm room, thus reducing risks associated with workman’s compensations.

Automated gantry cranes are better suited for loading and offloading multiple containers at a time. They are also equipped with anti-collision systems which are employed to prevent all sorts of collisions, be it other cranes or otherwise. They also have very large spans and heights, to maximize value for the large investment it requires. Automated gantry cranes have been touted as the safest way to handle containers by most manufacturers, because of the limited interaction within the system by humans.

In terms of cost and manufacturing lead time, automated gantry cranes are guzzlers. Some of them can take up to two years from request to delivery, because they are usually manufactured of request due to high costs involved. A full unit can cost as much as US$15 million, before cost and time overruns. Major manufacturers of these crane types include Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Kone Cranes, Samsung Heavy Industries, and Kalmar Industries among others.

Finally, it must be noted that in general terms, an automated gantry crane can refer to any of the gantry crane types which required very little human manipulation to function. They should also not be confused for other crane types which are automated, but not in the gantry family of cranes. I would also like to state that the automated gantry crane is the shipping industry’s response to general safety during container handling operations, improved efficiency and profitability, including cost and time minimization.