Forklift News - Cargotec and Kalmar receive US orders

Kalmar has customised its lifting equipment for Vestas' wind turbine plant in Pueblo, Colorado, USA.

Cargotec has won its first commercial contract for a Cargotec Port Security (CPS) spreader-mounted radiation detection system from US-based Lockheed Martin.

The CPS equipment bought by Lockheed Martin features a ship-to-shore crane spreader fitted with CPS technology to scan containers while the spreader is in transit. According to Cargotec, scanning while the container is moving will not compromise overall terminal productivity. The technology can be installed on crane spreaders, straddle carriers and other mobile equipment like marine vessels engaged in security operations.

The system is designed to meet US requirements for 100% inbound container scanning in all ports by 2012. It has been awarded Qualified Anti-Terrorism Technology designation by the US Department of Homeland Security after demonstrating 100% accuracy in a system evaluation.

Troy Thompson, CPS president, says Cargotec is "extremely pleased" to have achieved its first commercial order and is delighted to work with Lockheed Martin, "an outstanding leader in the field of homeland, infrastructure and maritime security".

"In a very short time, terminals in the US and around the world are going to need container security solutions that comply with the US container security initiative but which do so without compromising port productivity.

"At a time when the global economy is undergoing significant strains, we need security solutions that do not add an extra security step in transhipment and intermodal operations. The system which we are supplying to Lockheed Martin has demonstrated proven performance at a very high scanning standard without slowing terminal operations," Thompson says.

Lockheed Martin will use the scanning system to complete integration testing of the company’s Container Scanning System. The CPS system will be a part of the company’s integrated technology solutions portfolio and will be installed and tested at a US East Coast port in 2009.

Headquartered at Bethesda, Maryland, Lockheed Martin is a global security company that employs about 146,000 people worldwide. It reported 2008 sales of USD42.7 billion.

Cargotec’s brands Hiab, Kalmar and MacGregor provide cargo handling solutions. The group’s 2008 sales totalled EUR3.4 billion (USD4.5 billion) and it employs about 12,000 people.

Meanwhile, Kalmar has won a contract to supply eight reach stackers and forklifts to Vestas Towers A/S’s new production facility in Pueblo, Colorado, US. Delivery is scheduled for this month.

Several machines will be customised with special attachments to lift Vestas’ wind turbine tower sections. Two machines, placed at each tower section’s end, will lift each section weighing up to 70 tonnes (154,324lbs) and up to 30 metre- (98.4 foot-) long and 4.5 metres (14.8 feet) in diameter.

Vestas Wind Systems A/S, headquartered in Denmark, has production facilities in over 12 countries and is a leading supplier of wind power solutions. It has installed over 38,000 wind turbines in over 60 countries. Its new Pueblo plant will be completed in the northern hemisphere autumn of 2009.

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