The first Kalmar automatic stacking cranes for HHLA's CTB which have been unloaded and placed on the rail track in Hamburg.

Kalmar is helping integrate its intelligent applications with customers' container handling equipment and terminal operating systems at its newly built test facility in Tampere, Finland.

Completed this year, the facility located at Kalmar's Tampere factory is conducting its first test on the automation and control systems developed for stevedore Hamburger Hafen & Lagerhaus AG (HHLA). HHLA is converting its facilities at Container Terminal Burchardkai (CTB) from straddle carriers to automatic stacking cranes (ASC).

In phase one of the conversion, Kalmar is equipping the yard stacking blocks with five ASCs and is also supplying the automation control systems. This will be completed by 2008.

According to a Kalmar statement, the container terminal operator aims to increase its handling capacity from 2.7 million TEUs in 2005 to 5.2 million TEUs by 2015.

Kalmar is using a computer simulation of a block stacking area with three ASC cranes to represent the terminal layout to test the CTB project's automatic applications. Kalmar uses the simulator to test machine controls and the supervisory control system, which is responsible for controlling the cranes.

Kalmar says using a supervisory control system to manage CTB's crane blocks is a first for the container handling industry. The system, however, is commonly used in processing industries.

The control system will distribute and implement job orders from the terminal operating system "safely, effectively and economically". It also sends back real-time information about the cranes, container stacks and ongoing events, according to Kalmar.

Kalmar's range of onboard products and automated systems includes Fleetview, Smartrail, Smartpath, Remote Monitoring Interface and Automatic stacking cranes.