SCA calls on Kalmar expertise
The Witzenhausen Paper Factory, north of Kassel in central Germany, has invested in 21 Kalmar DCE 80-6 forklift trucks (FLTs) to handle paper reels and waste materials. The factory, founded in 1975, became part of the Swedish group, Svenska Cellulosa Aktiebolaget (SCA), in 1995 and is one of the biggest factories in the group. In 2004 it processed 318,000 tonnes of waste paper into 300,000 tonnes of cardboard packaging, creating a need for greater handling capacity.
The FLTs have been fitted with special lifting gear, comprising a 6.25m lifting height. They are equipped with inclined cylinders above the air-conditioned driver's cabin, due to the considerable forces of torsion that arise when picking up the paper reels. A protective grid has been inserted between the inclined cylinders effectively protecting the Spirit Delta cab. They are each powered by an 85kw Perkins low-emission engine that have been installed with soot filters. A Bolzoni-Auramo paper-reel clamp has been incorporated in the design of the machines, which automatically regulates the contact pressure between paper and fork.
Peter Booß, Workshop Manager at the factory, comments:
"SCA's top priority is safety in the workplace. Kalmar DCE 80-6 has been designed to meet the requirements of a safe, modern workplace and is also environmentally friendly.
"Running an operation of this size is tough, especially on the machines and so it is essential that the equipment we employ is able to stand up to the tasks at hand. We are confident that Kalmar has the expertise to accommodate our needs."
Each machine, shared by two drivers, operates 24 hours-a-day. Between 6am and 10pm the FLTs have to unload around 120 truck-and-trailer units with the waste paper being stacked in the open air. At least three DCE 80-6s unload the trucks, three are employed in loading and further machines are used for feeding balls into the paper machine, which has to be fed constantly. Another FLT removes the finished paper reels, weighing up to 3.5 tonnes, from the apron conveyor and takes them to the warehouse.
The machines have been fitted with converter transmission and pneumatic tyres, which are the tried-and-tested technical aids for frequent reversing manoeuvres. These are important features considering the machines clock up 4,000 to 5,000 hours per year.
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The captions for the photographs read:
"SCA Kalmar FLTs have been fitted with special lifting gear and offer a 6.25m lifting height. They are equipped with inclined cylinders above the air-conditioned driver's cabin due to the considerable forces of torsion that arise when picking up the paper reels."
"Forklift ballet: At SCA Witzenhausen factory the Kalmar FLTs have to load 120 truck-and-trailer units every day – high-performance technology is the basic prerequisite, thus only heavy Swedish technology is used."
"Outdoor operations at SCA waste-paper storage site are tough. The Kalmar DCE 80-6s can lift up to 6 of the 500kg balls at a time with their clamps and move them to any where in the mill."
Pictures: Kalmar Deutschland GmbH
Kalmar is a global provider of heavy duty materials handling equipment and services to ports, intermodal traffic, terminals and demanding industrial customers. Kalmar focuses on supplying handling solutions that enable customers to operate with a high level of efficiency and reliability. Every fourth container or trailer transfer at terminals around the world is handled by a Kalmar machine.
Kalmar provides 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 net sales were EUR 865.4 million in 2004.
Kalmar is part of Cargotec Corporation, which is the world leading provider of cargo handling solutions for ships, ports, terminals and local distribution. Cargotec net sales were EUR 1.9 billion in 2004. Cargotec shares are listed on the Helsinki Stock Exchange.
For further information: lotta.clausen@kalmarind.com