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3.CONTAINE HANDLING EQUIPMEN
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by David Lowe, M I nstTA
Emphasis on loading
THE advent of containerization was the cue for manufacturers of mechanical handling equipment to display their expertise in producing suitable machinery for the rapid and precise movements of freight containers between ships, road and rail vehicles and stacking areas.
Some of the new-style machinery used for these purposes is so large as to have considerably altered the skyline at many port and rail terminals and the sight of straddle carriers rushing about with great boxes suspended within their towering frames is new but increasingly common.
It was a surprise then to discover that at Earls Court the few manufacturers of this equipment to have taken stands have resorted to the use of small models to display their wares, while many of the well-known names in this field are not present.
FROM a handling point of view the emphasis at the International Freight Container and Container Handling Exhibition is on equipment for the ease and speed of container loading and unloading. Several ranges of small forklift trucks capable of working within standard containers are displayed.
Only two manufacturers of gantry-type container-handling-crane are exhibiting. These are Liebherr Building Machinery Ltd., with a model layout of the Bristol Steam Navigation Company's new Avonmouth container berth which is using two overlapping Liebherr 30-ton gantry cranes on the Fast Random Access Method (FRAM}, and Herbert Morris Ltd., the Loughborough manufacturer of giant gantry-type cranes, mainly rail-mounted, which shows three models of various types of cranes together with pictures and technical details of installations. The company has recently announced an American order for three shipto-shore sliding-boom container-handlingcranes for installation at the Seatrain Lines terminal at New Jersey. A three-year export campaign culminated in this breakthrough into the American market.
The most notable absentee from this exhibition is the straddle carrier. However, the Owen Organisation shows a four-wheel version of the Karricon in working model form. An eight-wheel version is also available and both are capable of handling standard containers up to 40ft in length. Twoand fourwheel drive is fitted for fast travel and closequarter manoeuvring in confined spaces. Also manufactured but not displayed is the Owen Travelift which is designed to handle heavy industrial loads in addition to containers. This machine can straddle three lines of containers and can traverse loads from one stack to another while moving up the line.
Two other forms of container lifting machines are exhibited. One is the Goldhofer Swinglift displayed in the demonstration area by Alexander Marcar and Co. Ltd. The Swinglift is an interesting machine which can be lorry or rail wagon mounted and is capable of lifting one 40ft or two 20ft containers from vehicle to vehicle, vehicle to ground or ground to vehicle under the control of only one man. Its uses in this country are, however, likely to be somewhat limited because of the additional length and weight which it would add to a vehicle. In fact, if loaded 40ft containers are to be carried it is doubtful whether such an outfit could be retained within the legal requirements of 15 metres length and 32 tons gross weight.
The other lifting machine is the 20-ton capacity Trolley-Gantry exhibited by Rollalong Ltd. Power for lifting is supplied by a 15hp electric motor mounted on a 30gal hydraulic reservoir. Two hydraulic cylinders of 6in. bore with 3in, diameter ram rods provide a lifting velocity of 6ft per minute. The hydraulic rams are self-adjusting to ensure even lifting and therefore elimination of container distortion. Forward movement of the Trolley-Gantry has to be by independent means, fork-lift truck or tractor. Swivel lock castor wheels of 16in. diameter enable easy movement—good stability is a leading feature of the machine.
No fewer than six swop body systems are exhibited. A. C. Penman Ltd., Peterborough Engineering Co. Ltd., W. E. and F. Dobson Ltd. and Abelson hillotors Ltd. exhibit their standard ranges. James Cocker and Sons (Southport) Ltd. is displaying its Kew change demountable interchange body system which is designed for operating on varying heights of vehicles and in particular for changing from high-level trunk vehicles carrying two or more bodies to low-platform local distribution vehicles.
Newcomers to this sector of the market, Davies Magnet Works Ltd. and Adrolic Engineering Co. Ltd.. jointly display for the first time a 7-ton manually operated version and an electrically operated version. The latter can be powered from the vehicle batteries or by a separate self-contained battery unit. The powered unit will demount bodies weighing up to 16 tons gross weight. Both models can be used for demounting containers.
Container loading and unloading equipment is exhibited in two main forms; conveyors and fork-lift trucks. [he tormer is represented by Newland Engineering Ltd., which is exhibiting its Mark 11/A container loader having a cantilever outreach of 20ft entirely supported from the conveyor chassis. Quick and easy height adjustment within the container is controlled by hydraulic arms and for unloading the belt can be reversed. The standard conveying speed is 80ftimin.
AlsG exhibiting conveyors is Fourways (Engineers) Ltd. which has two units on show, one completely new. This is the telescopic belt conveyor capable of extending to 14 metres. Retraction to any length is controlled by press button. The other model is the established T20 unit.
Fork-lift trucks capable of working into containers .are exhibited by Lansing Bagnall Ltd. which has two special container freight loaders—FOER 9 and FOER 5.2S models— included in a comprehensive range on display.
Matbro (Sales) Ltd. shows a number of small models in addition to the only container-lifting fork truck at the exhibition, the Model V180 18,000lb capacity machine. Coventry Climax has a model 40/EC 4,000lb capacity truck on a stand shared with another BLMC exhibitor, Scammell Lorries Ltd.
Conveyancer Fork Trucks Ltd. features a range of powered pallet trucks as support for the E3RC 3,000lb capacity battery-electric truck with which container stowing demonstrations are carried out.
Hestair Sherpa Ltd. has a range of models with particular emphasis on the new lightweight models. A 5,00016 capacity hydraulic lifting platform is also displayed.
Other aids to container loading are exhibited by Joloda Transport Equipment Ltd. with units capable of handling stillages up to 2 tons capacity and by P. C. and C. K. Chase Ltd., which exhibits a scale model of its loading ramp.
Load-securing devices are to be seen on the stands of B. Dixon-Bate Ltd., showing the latest items in its Shorfast range, and H. K. Porter Co. (Great Britain) Ltd. which has a comprehensive display of cargo control equipment.
Two exhibitors specializing in container tilts are Winterbottom Products Ltd. and J. H. Mudford and Sons (Marlborough) Ltd., the latter showing Big Bags for conveying powders of every description. Container fittings and door gear are exhibited by the Bloxwich Lock and Stamping Co. Ltd., and by J. N. Blair, which has a full-sized test rig subjecting its door gear to a series of static tests to demonstrate the qualities of the cam and keeper designs.
Efficient operation of containerized traffic is dependent as much on the services offered by specialists in certain fields as it is on adequate containers, vehicles and handling equipment. These services tend to be overlooked at normal times but their presence is always to be found at exhibition time.
Hire Purchase, leasing and other credit facilities are the speciality of Bowmaker (Commercial) Ltd., and Mercantile Credit Co. Ltd.—they both have stands and extend a welcome to anybody wishing to discuss such problems.
A long way from home, and the lone representative of port and airport authorities, is the Jacksonville Port Authority, USA, which is exhibiting on an experimental basis to see if it can pick up any trade for its Seaport or Inter national Airport, both of which are represented in model form.
Lloyds Register of Shipping has a stand displaying its activities in the container field with models illustrating some of its activities.
French Railways Ltd. has a stand on which are shown examples of freight movement facilities; it also advertises its joint cross channel services with British Rail and the Kangaroo -piggyback" system.
Shipping lines are represented by OCL and ACT operators of the UK/Australia container services.
Materials used in container construction form a number of interesting exhibits. These are to be found on the stands of Thames Plywood Manufacturers Ltd. which display Glasonit panels, a new product specially manufactured for the container industry.
Alcan Industries Ltd. has a theme for display, "Container Building starts with Alcan". International Nickel Ltd. advertises the long life and durability of stainless steel in the transport industry and the Steel Sheet Information and Development Association acclaims sheet steel as the strongest, most versatile and economical material available for the cladding of containers.
Container leasing facilities are offered by Carl Liedemann Container Service, and by Interpool Ltd. which has a fine model layout with small scale electric trains and elaborate marshalling yards and container parks depicted.
Containers in service are at considerable risk of damage and providing a service in this eventuality is Repcon Ltd. which is showing details of its repair facilities and the position of its workshops in the UK. In addition it is displaying details of Container Aid International, a world-wide container and trailer repair organization of which the company is the British founder-member.
Last but not least in importance in the field of service to operators and manufacturers concerned with containers and associated equipment is the technical Press which was represented by our associated journals Freight Management and Mechanical Handling, the joint sponsors of the exhibition.