Konecranes Breakthrough to Intermodal Terminals in Australia | Construction News

In June 2013 Konecranes received an order for four Rail Mounted Gantry (RMG) cranes from Pacific National (PN), Australia’s largest private rail freight operator. The investment in these cranes is part of larger modernization projects in PN’s terminals in Sydney and Melbourne. The cranes will be delivered during 2014 and 2015, two of them to Sydney Freight Terminal (SFT) and two to Melbourne Freight Terminal (MFT). The parties have agreed not to disclose the value of the order.

Pacific National is fully owned by the Australian Stock Exchange listed entity Asciano and operates a rail freight network between key cities in Australia. During the last three years Konecranes has handled repair and maintenance of PN’s current cranes at MFT and SFT, the efficiency and reliability of which have significantly increased during this time.

“In addition to advanced equipment, mutual trust and a well-working relationship were core issues in this breakthrough deal in Australia” says Ville Hoppu, Konecranes’ sales manager, Port Cranes. “Intermodal business is growing globally and this order will further strengthen our position on the market.”

“With the new cranes and other upgrades in systems and infrastructure, we will significantly improve the productivity of our largest freight terminals. These cranes will be crucial for the future success of our company” says Rodney Burfoot, Pacific National’s crane project manager.

The ordered RMG cranes will lift containers off trains and onto trucks and vice versa. The cranes will include advanced features that further improve the ground personnel and truck driver safety as well as the productivity in the freight terminals.