Despite a simpler structure, the BOXHUNTER has advanced video and laser technology.

Konecranes has introduced its first product developed specifically for the emerging markets.

The BOXHUNTER container-handling crane is a completely new type of RTG that will give the company access to a new market segment. The launch is the first step in one of Konecranes' main strategies, developing new mid-priced products especially for the emerging markets.

Instead of simplifying an existing RTG design or rethinking one through a series of incremental modifications to existing concepts, Konecranes says it decided to brainstorm the company's entire approach from scratch.

"We did this by focusing on the operator and the user interface that we provide the operator with," says Mika Mahlberg, Konecranes' vice president for port cranes. "The idea that we hit on was to turn things on their head, literally, and bring the operator down to the centre of things in terms of stacking and moving containers: ground level."

"Traditionally, the operator's cab in an RTG is located at the top of the crane. This is great for visibility over the containers, but with today's sophisticated video technology it's no longer essential.

"We also decided to relocate most of the machinery used for driving the trolley and hoisting operations down to ground level as well. This simplifies the overall structure in a very important way and brings a new ease of access to this machinery as well, which is great from the service perspective."

The simpler structure will result in manufacturing cost savings. Despite a simpler structure, the BOXHUNTER incorporates advanced video and laser technology that Konecranes has developed for its automated stacking cranes. Konecranes says video cameras located at critical points around the crane and a sophisticated user interface in the cab give the operator excellent visibility.

Konecranes director for port crane technology Hannu Oja claims that there isn't a comparable RTG today that combines the level of innovation, operator experience and reliable performance seen in the new machine. "Customers buying the BOXHUNTER can also be assured that it offers the same safety and quality as our other products, because we never compromise with these things."

The BOXHUNTER was launched at the TOC Container Supply Chain Asia conference in Singapore this week and is the outcome of an intense product development effort that Konecranes says has reinvented the design of today's rubber-tyred gantry cranes.

Konecranes Group president and CEO Pekka Lundmark was one of the key speakers at the conference.