SPRC Colombia and Kalmar extend their 10-year+ partnership with an order for more green and reliable equipment

Kalmar Industries, part of Cargotec Corporation, has been awarded a contract to supply Colombia’s Sociedad Portuaria Regional de Cartagena (SPRC) with a variety of container handling equipment for its new Contecar terminal in Cartagena, on the Caribbean coast. The order includes 30 terminal tractors, seven E-One+ rubber-tyred gantry (RTG) cranes and five reachstackers. The smaller equipment is scheduled to be on-site by November, and the RTGs will be operational by May of 2009.

As one of Kalmar’s best South American customers, the agreement further demonstrates the importance of long-term partnerships where continuous support remains paramount in maintaining efficient terminal operations.

Dan House, Kalmar Managing Director, sub region Latin America, says SPRC expects sizable increases in cargo traffic at the Port of Cartagena. To accommodate such growth, the terminal operator looked to Kalmar yet again as a reliable partner in equipping its new container terminal with innovative and productive equipment. He comments:

“Kalmar’s long partnership with SPRC dates back to 1997. Because they have a sizeable fleet of Kalmar machines at their existing terminal, Kalmar was the preferred supplier of equipment to the new Contecar container handling operation. Due to continued growth in container traffic, SPRC’s terminal will reach its 1.2 million TEU limit in the next few years. Contecar will be able to provide a further 3 million TEU capacity in a clean, modern and efficient facility.

“By sticking with Kalmar, SPRC gets the benefit of having a consistent fleet of equipment across both terminals. This commonality simplifies operation and maintenance. SPRC trusts Kalmar’s quality and support.”

The order for seven eco-friendly E-One+ cranes featuring real benefits in quality and reliability, as well as easier maintenance and faster on-site assembly, will bring the total number of Kalmar RTGs ordered by SPRC to 27. The latest units will be 6 + 1 wide and 1-over-6 high. All will be supplied with Kalmar’s Smartrail®, an autosteering and container positioning verification system, and Remote Monitoring Interface (RMI), a tool for remote machine monitoring, maintenance tasking and reporting. SPRC was the very first terminal in the world to use Kalmar’s Smartrail® when their first four Kalmar RTGs were supplied in 1997.

SPRC chose Kalmar terminal tractors capable of moving 60 tonne payloads to shunt trailers around its 32-hectare terminal. The purpose-built units, renowned for their excellent manoeuvrability and superior reliability, will give SPRC an edge in maintaining quick container moves in the terminal yard as fast vessel turnaround times are evermore critical.

The five Kalmar DRF450-65S5 reachstackers, designed to tackle the heaviest and most demanding applications, will offer SPRC further advantages in operational flexibility with the capability to lift 45 tonnes in first row of container stacks, 31 tonnes in the second row and 15 tonnes in the third row. The units’ environmentally friendly engines feature low emissions, smoother automatic gear shift and driver controls. Kalmar’s DRF-series sets new standards for reliability, performance and easy maintenance.

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Notes to editor:

Press information can be found on Kalmar's website: www.kalmarind.com. Simply click on News Room to be taken to a list of recent press releases. A photograph to accompany this release is also available on the Kalmar website, by clicking on Press Pictures. The caption for the photograph reads:

"One of Colombia's busiest terminal operators, Sociedad Portuaria Regional de Cartagena, has ordered from Kalmar 30 terminal tractors, seven E-One+ RTGs, and five reachstackers for its new Contecar terminal in Cartegena, further strengthening the two parties' longstanding partnership"

Kalmar is a global provider of container and heavy duty materials handling equipment, automation applications and related services. It is the world's leading supplier of cargo handling equipment to ports, terminals and intermodal facilities.

Every fourth container or trailer transfer at terminals around the world is handled by a Kalmar machine. The company also supplies a wide range of machines to demanding industrial customers for applications as diverse as handling steel and paper to shunting road trailers at distribution hubs.

Kalmar is also leading the way in port automation applications with its application of unmanned container handling technology, on-board smart features and remote maintenance products developed in co-operation with customers and partners.

Kalmar's product range is complemented by a large range of value added services such as maintenance contracts and fleet management. Production plants are situated in Sweden, Finland, the Netherlands, Malaysia, China and the USA. Kalmar's net sales were EUR 1.343 billion in 2007.

Kalmar is part of Cargotec Corporation, the world's leading provider of cargo handling solutions, which are used in local transportation, terminals, ports, distribution centres, and ships. In 2007, Cargotec's net sales were EUR 3.018 billion. Cargotec's class B shares are listed on the Helsinki Stock Exchange.