* Automated port technology takes the limelight

As the number of products transported by ship continues to grow, and companies seek to optimize the flow of goods and transportation inland, innovative port handling technology is becoming an increasingly important selling factor for port operators.

CeMAT 2008 has seized on this emerging trend and is expanding its portfolio to include port handling technology and the broad spread of intralogistics solutions that make up this key sector.

Studies show that global container throughput is set to grow over the medium term by some nine percent every year (source: Drewry Shipping Consultants). This rapid growth poses a major challenge for port operators, who need to rapidly boost the productivity of existing terminals and look towards expanding terminal infrastructures and building new facilities.

Little wonder then, that automation technologies designed for port logistics systems are attracting ever greater interest. The benefits of these technologies include greater productivity, lower wage and operating costs, increased levels of safety, and operational capacity that is far easier to predict and is largely unaffected by weather conditions.

At the end of the day, only ports that offer innovative handling technology and are efficiently integrated into inland transport infrastructures will be able to make it as the intralogistical hubs of the global economy.

Another major trend is emerging in the rapid growth in services associated with cranes and lifting devices. A growing number of customers are also outsourcing services such as spare parts management, repair work and modernization to manufacturers. The following examples provide a taster of the extremely broad range of products and services that exhibitors will be showcasing in Hannover.

Demag Cranes AG (Hall 012/Stand A30) is making its debut appearance at CeMAT this year with its "Demag" (Konzerngesellschaft Demag Cranes & Components GmbH) and "Gottwald" (Konzerngesellschaft Gottwald Port Technology GmbH) brands. Visitors to CeMAT can also get up close and personal with the company's technology on the open-air site, where Demag Cranes subsidiary Gottwald Port Technology (open-air site/Stand L04) will be exhibiting a fully automatic container transport vehicle (AGV).

With concerns for the environment being pushed to the top of the agenda around the world, the eco-credentials of this type of equipment are fast becoming every bit as important as technical performance - particularly given the stringent conditions that apply to the permits a port needs to have.

The materials handling sector is facing an increased demand for ever tighter intermeshing of customer processes through solutions that incorporate industry-optimized crane systems. This also includes the increasing levels of automation in cranes used to handle bulk goods, paper and steel and waste incineration. Demag Cranes also offers all-in-one packages from a single source in the form of the "Demag" brand.

Alongside hardware, the packages also include warehouse management computers with customized software solutions and optimized warehousing strategies. In terms of the regional breakdown of the sector, it is the emerging markets - in particular the BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India and China) countries - that are of increasing importance to industrial crane suppliers. Infrastructure investment in these countries alone runs into hundreds of billions - which offers massive potential for intralogistics solutions.

With more than 650,000 cranes and electrical lifting devices, Demag Cranes has the world's largest installed base. However, customers also benefit from the company's extensive experience and end-to-end concepts, which deliver outstanding reliability and full cost control.

In the current industrial climate, crane suppliers need to be able to offer a complete life-cycle management portfolio that consists of comprehensive services ranging from operator seminars and regular maintenance to the modernization and efficiency improvement of existing facilities.

Efficient simulation software can also be used to help boost efficiency in the advance planning and implementation of processes in ports. A new module for multiple-crane control will be on show at CeMAT courtesy of the Wiesbaden-based firm Incontrol Enterprise Dynamics GmbH (Hall 027/Stand E53/1). As an add-on to the standard library for material flow and logistics - which itself comprises around 100 simulation components and forms part of Enterprise Dynamics simulation software - multiple-crane control allows users to simulate the complex control of several cranes that can be individually configured on a portal or rail system.

"This not only enables turnaround times to be cut dramatically, it also allows users to put in place structured order sequencing for transporting containers within the port," explains Dr. Holger Pitsch, General Manager at Incontrol Enterprise Dynamics.

"The aim is to drive crane throughput as high as possible in the port area by ensuring that crane control systems are optimally configured." As well as being ideal for use in port logistics, the multiple crane control simulation component is also suitable for use in sectors such as the steel industry.

Electronic anti-sway systems from Magdeburg-based CePLuS Steuerungstechnik GmbH (Hall 012/Stand A59) eliminate the sway generated during accelerating and braking operations on cranes, thereby enabling bulk goods, containers and other loads to be transported quickly and safely without risk of damage.

The key benefits of electronic anti-sway systems include faster handling times, less damage and the avoidance of accidents thanks to positioning and obstacle recognition. What's more, these systems also help crane manufacturers to simplify crane design, automate transport systems and extend the lifespan of their crane systems.

Anti-sway systems are used to eliminate swinging in loads carried on cables and can identify where the crane is going to come to a stop once this swaying has been eliminated.

This information can then be used internally or externally for the positioning and monitoring of travel operations, making this innovative technology ideally suited for use with ship unloaders and container bridges. The main objective behind the system is to free up the crane operator to focus on boosting performance and safety in handling processes.

As the process of globalization accelerates and machines become ever more complex and heavy, demands on logistics and transport capacities are growing rapidly. As a result, the transport rings usually used in the handling of tools, machinery and heavy components also need to cope with ever tougher demands.

Thiele GmbH & Co. KG (Hall 012/Stand D76) is showcasing an innovative solution to this issue in Hannover - the new 50t TWN 0119, NG 40-8 transport ring designed for extreme loads in logistical environments.

Transport rings such as these become even more important as the systems to be transported become larger and more expensive. Nowadays, it is not unusual for a machine or component to cost several million euros, which is why a transport ring must offer one-hundred percent safety and reliability in all directions - even extreme ones. Extreme directions are defined as the directions of pull that place the greatest stress on the relevant properties of a transport ring.

In the case of welded transport rings, the extreme direction is 90 degrees to the vertical tension load. Approval test results clearly illustrate the enormous load that such a component can withstand.

The Thiele component does not exhibit distortion even at 2.5 times the working load limit and delivers a breaking force of at least 2,000 kN (200 metric tons). The company has incorporated this new 50t TWN 0119 welded transport ring into its product range, thereby providing a solution for the ever greater demands associated with the growth of XXL industrialization.

- Deutsche Messe, Hannover -