In March 2011 Konecranes received its first container handling crane order from South Africa. Transnet Capital Projects, a specialist unit of South African rail, port and pipeline company Transnet Limited, ordered three RMG (rail mounted gantry) cranes to be used for intermodal operation in Johannesburg. The RMG cranes will be delivered to the City Deep Container Terminal in Johannesburg in 2012.

“We are extremely proud of this first RMG order to South Africa and to Transnet,” says Antoine Bosquet, Sales Director, WEMEA, Port cranes at Konecranes. “Konecranes’ presence in South Africa, which originates from the acquisition of Dynamic Crane Systems in 2009, confirms Konecranes’ commitment to the country’s economic growth.”

City Deep Container Terminal is a key link in South Africa’s complex logistic network. It is the largest of the six major inland terminals, strategically located to connect with the ports in South Africa. The containers unloaded at various regional ports are transported to City Deep Container Terminal by rail before being dispatched by truck to their final destination. The new RMG cranes will be loading and unloading containers between train and truck. They will reduce the operation time on each train and increase the productivity of the terminal.

Konecranes’ local branch in Johannesburg will take care of the local support and the preventive maintenance of the cranes during the first year of operation as well as a RailQ inspection on the crane tracks. RailQ is a new Konecranes product that gives 3 dimensional measurements of the rails, ensuring that the track is according to tolerances.

“We are pleased to announce that we have awarded the contract to Konecranes for the purchase of the three RMG cranes for City Deep Container Terminal”, says Vernon Kretzschmar, Procurement Lead Gauteng, Transnet Capital Projects. “We look forward to the operational improvement and efficiency offered through Konecranes’ advanced product offering.”

The RMG cranes are equipped with Active Load Control, already in operation in over 500 RTGs and 120 RMGs. Active Load Control provides advanced anti-sway features and horizontal fine positioning, without hydraulics. They have a lifting capacity of 41 tons, lifting height of 11.5 meters and a span of 22.5 meters. They are equipped with a rotating trolley. These features improve product performance, which increases operational performance.

Konecranes is a world-leading group of Lifting Businesses™, serving a broad range of customers, including manufacturing and process industries, shipyards, ports and terminals. Konecranes provides productivity-enhancing lifting solutions as well as services for lifting equipment and machine tools of all makes. In 2010, Group sales totaled EUR 1,546 million. The Group has 10,000 employees, at 578 locations in 46 countries. Konecranes is listed on NASDAQ OMX Helsinki (symbol: KCR1V).