The tendering process for the supply of "big trucks" to Katoen Natie started in early 2011.

Global logistics service provider Katoen Natie has bought nine Hyster reach stackers and two forklifts - a 25 T and a 32 T - after a tender process to identify the best total cost of ownership.

The Hyster units are used to handle shipping containers of all sizes in high-intensity terminal and stevedoring applications around Antwerp, Belgium.

After a few months of operation, Katoen Natie has measured a 6 l/h saving per truck. This could amount to 90,000 l of fuel saved over a five- to six-year period.

The tendering process for the supply of "big trucks" to Katoen Natie operations in Antwerp started in early 2011. According to Katoen Natie, "several equipment suppliers were involved in the highly critical and calculated decision-making process".

Dirk Waeterschoot from Katoen Natie explains: "We were looking for total cost of ownership figures to understand the full scope of our investment for the life of the new equipment."

Katoen Natie calculated each individual detail that affects the lifetime cost of the equipment and overall uptime. After a challenging specification process, which included every single element in the calculations including maintenance costs and resale value, the contract was awarded to Barloworld Handling, the Hyster distribution partner in Belgium.

One of the key elements Katoen Natie looked at was the fuel consumption and the way in which the different brands achieve Tier 4i/Stage IIIB emissions compliance.

"Hyster has done an excellent job together with Cummins to not only achieve a significant reduction in fuel consumption, but eliminate the need for AdBlue and associated hidden costs and hassle," says Waeterschoot.

All Hyster forklifts over 16 T lift capacity use exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) technology, so the operators can fill the fuel tank without having to use the urea resin known as AdBlue. Hyster claims that fuel savings of up to 15% are now typical across its new big truck range, but savings of up to 20% are achievable in reach stacker applications.

Another expense that Katoen Natie focused on was tyres. To help monitor and reduce the number of tyres used, the Hyster equipment is fitted with a tyre-pressure monitoring system to ensure that the tyres are always fully inflated, helping to reduce wear and optimise performance.

Additional features like a fixed speed limiter, a camera and radar system to help prevent damage, LED lights, an auto-greasing system to lower maintenance costs and an empty seat switch-off also help to contribute to a low total cost of operation.

Katoen Natie forklift drivers were involved in the decision-making process, and two of them visited the Hyster factory in Nijmegen to test the trucks.

The value of the contract is confidential.

Katoen Natie was formed in 1854 and employs over 9,000 people worldwide.