FORKLIFTACTION.COM
MATERIALS HANDLING ONLINE #28 August 2, 2001
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The fortnightly newsletter for industry professionals.
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IN THIS ISSUE:
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1. FANTUZZI MAY DOUBLE ITS CHINA STAKE
2. CHINA GANTRY COLLAPSE KILLS 36 PEOPLE
3. MANILA PORT BUYS LIEBHERR CRANES, GANTRIES
4. SEARCH ONLINE FOR STOLEN FORKLIFTS
5. INSIDE FORKLIFTACTION.COM
6. FORKLIFT SAFETY COMPANY SEEKS GLOBAL PRESENCE
7. USD5.9 MILLION FOR CRUSHED FOOT
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1. FANTUZZI MAY DOUBLE ITS CHINA STAKE
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XIAMEN, People's Republic of China -- Italian container-handling giant Fantuzzi Reggiane SPA may double its Chinese operation in the wake of booming sales in the Asian market.
Fantuzzi last year entered the Chinese market through a 70/30 per cent joint venture with investment group China Merchants, buying into Noell Crane Systems' China operation at Zangzhou, near Xiamen. Noell China is a separate entity to the German company, Noell Crane Systems, which Fantuzzi acquired early in 2000.
Fantuzzi's Australasia general manager Terry Mulqueen would not detail specific contracts Noell China had filled, but said it currently had orders for ship-to-shore and rubber-tyred gantry cranes at two major Chinese ports.
"Business has been booming in China. We are very happy with the progress being made in the Asian market and we are considering a 100 per cent expansion of the current facility," he said.
Business is increasing across all the Fantuzzi Group's international operations, with more than 100 orders currently on the books.
Expansion of Fantuzzi's Lentigione lift truck and reach stacker factory, in Italy, announced last year, is well advanced, and Mr Mulqueen said the factory would be increased by 60 per cent by the end of 2001.
The company is also building a new facility at Ravenna, Italy, for exclusive production of mobile harbour cranes. Both the Lentigione and Ravenna plants are expected to be at full capacity by 2002.
In Australia, Mr Mulqueen said 16 machines for two major orders were nearing delivery.
Brambles Industrial Services, which made headlines in 2000 when it sold its forklift rental pool, the largest in Australia, to Nacco Materials Handling Group, is awaiting delivery of nine new Fantuzzi machines for its shipping company.
Five are 36-tonne capacity tyne/gantry machines and the other four are 45-tonne capacity gantries, equipped with 20-40ft spreaders. Mr Mulqueen said the machines shared common componentry, which meant cost savings for Brambles in servicing and spare parts. Australian stevedore P&O had ordered seven three-high Noell straddle carriers for its Melbourne port operation.
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2. CHINA GANTRY COLLAPSE KILLS 36 PEOPLE
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SHANGHAI, China - A city-wide machinery audit is in progress in Shanghai as officials go on red alert after a gantry crane collapsed, killing 36 people.
Officials want to be sure no further mishaps occur before the Beijing Olympic Games in 2008.
News agencies said the 4900-tonne gantry, one of the largest to be built and designed in China, collapsed while being installed at the Hudong Shipbuilding Group plant in Shanghai's Pudong district, killing 36 people and injuring three others. The July 17 collapse occurred a day after the crane's inauguration ceremony. The crane's brand name has not been released.
There has been no official explanation of the cause of the accident. Xinhua news agency said an investigation was being organised by the industrial safety committee of China's State Council.
More than 30 shipyard workers, mechanics and engineers had raised the crane's 3000-tonne crossbeam to a height of 47 metres when a steel rope came loose. The rope snapped as workers tried to tighten it, causing the whole structure to collapse. Reuters said workers had loosened two steel cables because they were hindering the raising of the crossbeam.
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3. MANILA PORT BUYS LIEBHERR CRANES, GANTRIES
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MANILA, Philippines -- International Container Terminal Services Inc (ICTSI), which operates the Manila International Container Terminal (MICT) has bought two quay cranes and three rubber-tyred gantries (RTG) from Ireland-based Liebherr Container Cranes Ltd.
The MICT now has the largest container handling fleet in the Philippines, with 10 quay cranes and 28 RTGs. The Liebherr purchase has lifted the company's annual expenses by 45 per cent to 1.46 billion Philippine pesos (USD 29.2 million). The new equipment is expected to increase terminal efficiency from 15 to 25 container lifts per hour.
The quay cranes, P118L super cranes, have a lifting capacity of 40 tonnes under telescopic spreader and 60 tonnes under hook beam. They have a seaside outreach of 36 metres, and a landside outreach of 13.5 metres. The three 6/4/2/GS RTGs have a 40.6-tonne capacity under spreader and a lifting height under spreader of 15.24 metres. The new equipment will be installed by October 2002.
MICT's volume increased to 218,656 TEUs in the first quarter, while revenues increased by 12 per cent to 1.01 billion Philippine pesos (USD 20 million), due to a 15 per cent increase in vessel and stevedoring charges and other sundry increases.
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BRIEFLY...
4. SEARCH ONLINE FOR STOLEN FORKLIFTS
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BRUSSELS, Belgium -- The European Confederation of Equipment Distributors (ECED) is building a searchable online database of stolen machinery. The website, www.eced-association.org, will be launched in October.
ECED general secretary Philippe Decrock said machinery theft was a major problem. "We are still collecting data (but) it seems Scandinavian countries are less hit (by theft) than central Europe or even the United Kingdom," he said.
A UK-based National Plant & Equipment Register already registers ownership and theft of equipment, but the ECED wants to list only stolen machines, Mr Decrock said. Members will use passwords to register or search for stolen equipment.
The UK register was established in 1995 and has four investigators who help police track stolen equipment.
The ECED monitors legislation and lobbies on behalf of 2000 equipment dealers and renters across Europe.
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5. INSIDE FORKLIFTACTION.COM
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6. FORKLIFT SAFETY COMPANY SEEKS GLOBAL PRESENCE
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SYDNEY, Australia -- After establishing itself in the Australian forklift fleet management market, a Sydney company now wants to move into the global marketplace.
Fleet Assist Australia's (FFA) product, Fleet Assist, a product which logs forklift activities unit by unit, is being used by forklift fleet renters and operators across Australia.
The system requires drivers to enter a personal identification number before start-up, and then stores forklift activities, such as impacts or lifts, on an in-built computer. Management can access each forklift's logs by sending a request via a radio link to each truck. Reports are correlated on-screen, and reported on spreadsheets and graphs.
Mitsubishi Motors Australia, which manufactures the USA Diamante, known in Australia as the Verada, uses Fleet Assist in its 87 Mitsubishi and Hyster forklifts. Forklifts operating at Mitsubishi's assembly plant, and a foundry where engine blocks are made, are all monitored on a single computer.
FAA spokesman Robert Lore said forklift management systems were not new, but no others covered forklift safety as extensively as Fleet Assist. He said FAA, after success in Australia, planned to expand the business by securing distributors in the USA and Europe.
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7. USD5.9 MILLION FOR CRUSHED FOOT
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MIAMI, USA -- Miami man Rudy Smith has been awarded USD5.9 million by a Broward County Court jury after a 1993 forklift accident cost him his left foot.
The Miami Herald reported that Mr Smith, who was working at Ramco Trading Company in Hollywood, had his foot severely crushed after stepping onto a forklift to start work.
The machine moved backward, crushing his foot against a pole. Surgeons inserted steel rods and pins in an effort to save the foot, but it was amputated 10 days later after a gangrene infection. Mr Smith sued Nationwide Lift Trucks, the company that serviced the machine.
The Herald said it was likely that the July 20 judgement would be appealed. Nationwide Lift Trucks could not be reached for comment.
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