CCT Alpherium has received its second Konecranes Flow Drive reachstacker

CCT Alpherium, an inland waterway container terminal located in Alphen aan den Rijn, a mid-size town in the western Netherlands, has received its second Konecranes Flow Drive reachstacker in as many years, and placed an order for a third one. All three units will be used for container handling around the site.

Located almost halfway between Amsterdam and Rotterdam, the inland terminal has a capacity of more than 200,000 TEUs per year. Keen to manage environmental issues more effectively, Alpherium invested in its first two Konecranes Flow Drive reachstackers in 2018, aiming to reduce fuel consumption and costs, as well as carbon emissions and noise within the terminal.

After that order, truck drivers gave direct feedback to terminal manager Ivo Hilhorst, telling him that the Flow Drive trucks gave them a smooth ride, with no issues affecting the transmission. Braking and reversing were simpler and manoeuvrability was excellent. In addition, the truck ran at a lower noise level that made operating the vehicle at any time more pleasant, and a better choice during night shifts. They also noticed that fuel consumption was down by around 25%.

"We were very happy with our first Flow Drive machines," says Hilhorst. "It performed so well, we decided to get another one less than a year later. We plan to replace all of our old reachstackers with Konecranes Flow Drive vehicles, and that's why we have one additional order in the pipeline."

The Flow Drive system uses a combination of hydrodynamic and hydrostatic technology to improve efficiency at high speed and precision at low speed.

Peinemann Mobilift Group was responsible for brokering the deal. As one of Rotterdam's premier providers of heavy-lift solutions, the company offered Alpherium its "total terminal maintenance concept" - a complete service and maintenance package.