October 29 - Heavy lift company Weldex has introduced Hyster ReachStackers for the handling of wind farm components at the Port of Mostyn in North Wales.
Supplied by Barloworld Handling, the reachstackers (pictured below) provide quicker, more efficient and economical handling of components, compared to traditional lifting methods, claims Weldex.
The Port of Mostyn has become a major base for the offshore wind power generation industry and it has supported several major wind power projects over the last five years in the region. The wind farm
components are manufactured in Denmark and transported by ship to the port where they are unloaded to be stored until they are ready to be erected.
Weldex International provides lifting solutions for Siemens Wind Power at the Port of Mostyn and operates as a heavy lift company with specialist solutions for wind farm component handling all over the world.
"At Mostyn we have pioneered a new method of handling these heavy loads" explains Eddie Campbell, lifting operations and safety manager for Weldex. "Hyster ReachStackers have been introduced to handle the wind farm tower sections and the hubs for the turbines. Previously we used a combination of crawler cranes and multi-axle trailers".
Supplied by Barloworld, two customised Hyster RS 46-41L CH ReachStackers operate in unison, lifting the 100 tonne tower sections from either end. A special attachment is fitted to the reachstacker booms
allowing the wind turbine tower sections to be transported from the quayside to storage faster and more efficiently.
"We have significantly reduced our capital expenditure on lifting equipment at Mostyn and fewer people are required in the lifting process" he explains. "The reachstackers have also helped improve the safety of the operation even further and the handling is now much faster".
Barloworld Handling, UK distribution partner for Hyster, has an experienced team of big truck specialists that worked with Weldex to specify ds for the wind turbines with a special attachment, and Barloworld worked closely with Hyster's Special Engineering Department to ensure the reachstackers provide full flexibility for Weldex.
Hyster ReachStackers are typically used for both container handling and intermodal handling in high density container stacking applications, but new uses are regularly being found for the equipment. The series is available with a clean-running diesel engine, oil-immersed brakes, robust drive-axle, powertrain protection and advanced auto-shift transmission, which all combine to maintain maximum productivity and reliability during operation in demanding applications.
"Reliability is critical in this operation to ensure ships are unloaded and reloaded quickly and safely" Campbell says, explaining that the erection of the wind turbines is a seasonal activity.
