Moving forward with automation


The ABB Group's cranes and harbour business is entering the delivery phase for the remote control crane order boom it received back in 2012.
In 2014 it will deliver remote controlled STS cranes to Maasvlakte 2 in Rotterdam, London Gateway, Long Beach and Dubai, all aimed at servicing the next generation of post-panamax vessels safely and efficiently.
Fred van den Hoonaard, group vice president, cranes and harbour business, ABB, told Port Strategy at the TOC Europe exhibition this week that the need to service larger vessels quickly and efficiently is driving innovation and development forward quickly.
“Automation is beginning to take ground because the industry is pushing technology forward step by step because of the need for better servicing and productivity,” Mr Hoonaard told PS.



Mr Hoonaard explained that the remote control side of the business is booming – customers are recognising that automation can not only increase productivity, but also improve safety by removing the human error factor and removing workers from the yard. Crane operators work away from the yard in a control room in the terminal building where the cranes can be overseen and monitored using onboard cameras.
Part of ABB’s crane and harbour division’s strategy is to help standardise the automation process at terminals and ports which it said will allow the new technology to be more readily accepted.
“Our vision is a controlled processed environment with standardised cranes, gate systems and remote control to take the automation concept even higher and produce a benchmark for productivity and efficiency at terminals," Mr Hoonaard said.



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