New Straddle Carriers Aim to Plug Gap in Market

Konecranes' new Boxrunner straddle carrier is marketed as the flexible link between ship-to-shore cranes and automated yard cranes, offering container handling performance to two distinct container handling operations.

The first is represented by large container terminal operators that are adopting automation technology for greater efficiency. The second is represented by a potentially diverse range of companies that do not have container handling as a core competence, and yet handle incoming and outgoing materials in containers—often using trucks and trailers or custom-engineered, stationary gantry cranes. The Boxrunner can be a much more effective solution for their container handling needs, said Konecranes.



The design process started by asking a number of key customers the question: "What are the characteristics of the perfect straddle carrier?" Their answers inspired the Boxrunner’s principle performance and ownership characteristics, for example, speed, outstanding handling, durability, operator friendliness, low maintenance with long service intervals, and a low total cost of ownership. 



"We listened to our container handling customers and incorporated their feedback resulting in the launch of this special machine, the Boxrunner, a uniquely advanced straddle carrier," said Jens Andreas, general manager, Konecranes straddle carriers. "It provides the industry’s highest lifecycle value in the role it was designed for."



The Boxrunner gives large container terminal operators a flexible and efficient means of moving containers from ship-to-shore (STS) cranes to the automated stacking cranes (ASCs). Konecranes said the Boxrunner can deal with almost any requirement during this phase of the operation, for example, boosting STS unloading speed to maximum or handling containers of different ISO sizes. The Boxrunner is adapted to handle all ISO container sizes, stacking two-high at high speed. 



"We have a very simple formula for delivering customer value," said Andreas. "We maximize the productivity of uptime and minimize the cost of downtime with the Boxrunner, thus, boosting the productivity of our customers’ operations."



"Boxrunner is a technologically advanced machine that is truly driver-friendly and aintenance-friendly," said Jost Dämmgen, sales manager of port cranes. "We want to deliver high-performance, high-quality vehicles to our customers. The Boxrunner exceeds expectations for drive feel and performance, and meets expectations for reliability, safety and maintenance."