Delivery is expected to be completed next month of Konecranes' biggest-ever reachstacker order in Germany.

Part of Konecranes' record reachstacker order

BwFuhrparkService, the fleet service company for the German Federal Armed Forces, ordered 39 Konecranes reachstackers in March last year. Specially adapted for harsh conditions, they will be used to handle containers in military locations around the country.

Established in 1955, the Bundeswehr unites the German army, navy and air force under one command. Apart from its role in defending German and EU territory, it also works in cooperation with global bodies like the UN. To maximise their efficiency when conducting these operations, they use containers to move equipment and supplies, and they need a fleet of high-performing reachstackers to handle it.

Since the beginning of September 2020, Konecranes has been modernising the fleet with a weekly delivery of two Konecranes SMV 2216 TC3 reachstackers to BwFuhrparkService at various military locations across Germany.

"The incremental shipment is helping us to smoothly integrate such a large number of reachstackers into operations around the country, and abroad as well," says Michael Antschischkin, chief of back office sales management at Richter Fördertechnik GmbH & Co. KG, the local dealer that has worked closely with Konecranes on this order. "From the moment the trucks arrive, the military operators and technicians receive full driver and service training on-site."

"Konecranes was asked to provide a compact container handling machine, easy to transport, with the flexibility to work efficiently in many different kinds of locations," says Ralf Gowin, sales manager -Germany for Konecranes Lift Trucks. "We studied the customer's strict requirements carefully and adapted one of our existing models to suit all their needs."

The 39 tailor-made Konecranes reachstackers are painted in military green, have a 5,500 mm wheelbase and are able to stack 22 T containers up to three high on the first row, as well as 16 T and 6 T on the second and third rows respectively. Other customised modifications include a special coupling to recover the vehicle or assist other trucks if one gets stuck on uneven ground, and tyre pressure monitoring to help reduce wear, fuel consumption and improve safety in harsh environments.