In the materials handling industry, time truly is money. The faster and more efficiently materials can be loaded or unloaded, the lower the operational costs. As a result, purpose built material handlers are rapidly replacing cable cranes as the vehicle of choice for many materials handling companies.
Purpose built material handlers are diesel- or electric-powered vehicles that combine the benefits of a cable crane with the mobility and versatility of a converted excavator. They combine powerful track motors with steel booms to provide raw power and nimble ability to move materials quickly and effectively, resulting in lowered costs and increased productivity.
Benefit of Faster Cycle Times
Unlike cable cranes or converted excavators, purpose built material handlers have fast cycle times — usually 20 to 30 seconds — as well as lower fuel consumption and lower operating costs. They also allow for better control of attachments and require only basic operator skills. They also can be fitted with various attachments and accessories. Their primary use is for bulk handling and cargo handling.
Sam Jacobs, owner of Columbus Metals, in Kearney, Nebraska, understands the benefits of the purpose built material handler. His company recently ditched its converted excavator in 2005 in favor of a purpose built scrap handling vehicle.
“We need the wheeled machines to run around the yard,” Jacobs said. “With the diversity of the material we process, wheels give us the flexibility to manage the flow and mix of material. If we are running some big tube from the shear into the shredder, for instance, and a piece gets lodged up in the back of the deck, the (purpose build material handler) can ‘up’ its outriggers, ‘down’ the cab and circle around to recover the piece. It can drop the piece into the shredder and return — it’s about 150 to 200 feet of travel — and it’s done in five minutes or less.”
That same operation would take much longer without the purpose built material handler, Jacobs said. Multiply that by several times per day and the efficiency of the vehicle becomes obvious.
Offer More Versatility than Cable Cranes
John Van Ruitenbeek, vice president of sales and marketing for Sennebogen, a German manufacturer of purpose built material handlers, recently told a conference of material handling professionals that the vehicles are becoming the primary piece of equipment as the industry moves into the 21st Century.
Speaking last March at the Inland Rivers, Ports and Terminals Conference in New Orleans, Louisiana, Ruitenbeek traced the development of materials handling from its beginning in ancient Egypt — when barges were loaded by hand — to today, when purpose built material handlers provide out of box standard solutions, are available with various power sources such as diesel or electric, and can be modified with different reach packages and undercarriages.
They also offer safe access to the cab from ground level and have excellent visibility during operation, Ruitenbeek said.