Associated Terminals LLC orders Terex® Gottwald Model 8 crane. The 30th floating crane supplied by TPS (Terex Port Solutions) will be operating in the largest port in the USA.
TPS has sold its 30th floating crane since this harbour crane type, based on mobile harbour crane technology, was launched in 2004. The Model 8 crane was ordered by Associated Terminals LLC (AT), based in Reserve, Louisiana, USA, for its bulk handling operations in the Port of South Louisiana and will be configured as a G HPK 8400 B four-rope grab variant. The Port of South Louisiana stretches upriver along the Mississippi for more than 87 km (54 miles) from New Orleans, making it the largest port in the USA.
Rapid handling to deal with increased freight volumes
By purchasing the 30th floating crane made by TPS, AT is expanding its own fleet of Terex® Gottwald floating cranes to eight. The new crane will enable the company to increase its handling capacities significantly, as Gary Poirrier, Director at Associated Terminals LLC, explains: “Our customers are faced with constantly increasing freight volumes coupled with rising cost pressure and this is why they expect us to handle their freight without delay. Since TPS transferred its high-performance mobile harbour crane technology to floating cranes, AT has been able to keep abreast of requirements,” continues Gary Poirrier, who is additionally pleased that his company is the recipient of the 30th Terex Gottwald floating crane: “We would like to congratulate TPS on this milestone and are proud to be part of this remarkable development.”
Floating cranes based on mobile harbour crane technology – a resounding success
Once the new crane is delivered to AT this summer, there will be a total of 19 Terex Gottwald floating cranes on the Mississippi River – home of the first floating crane in 2004. This development shows very clearly how quickly these flexible cargo handling cranes have become established, as Giuseppe Di Lisa, Vice President Sales & Service at Terex Port Solutions, emphasizes: “The Mississippi River has contributed its own special chapter to this success story, but we have also been able to demonstrate very successfully the benefits of our floating cranes to operators in other parts of the world.” A further contributing factor in this success, according to Di Lisa, is the fact that TPS is continuing to develop alongside its customers, “The first crane to go into operation on the Mississippi River was a Generation 4, HMK 330 EG, then followed several Generation 5, Model 6 cranes, variant G HPK 6400 B, and today we are offering our customers the particularly powerful Model 8 floating cranes.”
Proximity to the customer as a success factor
The principle of continued joint development and proximity to the customer also plays a key role in TPS’ customer service activities. Due to the large number of floating cranes on the Mississippi River, Terex Port Solutions will be inaugurating a new service center in La Place, Louisiana, in August 2013. Managed by Jason Dupont, this will be the central location in the Port of Louisiana to service customers quickly and efficiently.
