New facility running at optimum efficiency with Konecranes

Caterpillar’s brand new facility in Thailand has exclusively used Konecranes for the design, installation and servicing of over 70 units of overhead and jib cranes. The new facility in Rayong has been operating since February 2013 and is used for assembly of medium-sized D5, D6, D7 and D8 tractors.

Caterpillar (Thailand) Limited is a subsidiary of Caterpillar Inc – a leading manufacturer of construction and mining equipment, diesel and natural gas engines, industrial gas turbines and diesel-electric locomotives – and it employs over 300 people at the Rayong facility.

Konecranes supplied 54 overhead CXT cranes, 7 jib cranes and 9 XM cranes with CLX chain hoists. These are used for in-house fabrication of the tractors and lift parts anywhere between 7kg and 10t.

“Caterpillar has used Konecranes before in Indonesia and Singapore and they have a very good record. They are a well-known global company and their cranes have the highest level of safety, which is important to us,” says Caterpillar’s Manufacturing Engineering Manager, Mr Phongphan Luanmang.

The cranes range from 2t to 10t, with the larger cranes placed towards the end of the production line, where heavier lifting is required. The 5t and 10t cranes are fitted with sway control, which automatically prevents the load from swaying, allowing them to fit into tighter spaces, and operate more safely and efficiently.

Mr Luanmang says that prior to installation of the new facility, Konecranes inspected every beam and gave instructions on how to modify the building to maximise the efficiency and performance of the cranes. “It was really helpful to get their expert input at this early stage, so that once the facility began operation, it was designed for the best levels of performance and efficiency,” Mr Luanmang said.

“With 70 units to be installed overall, we were really impressed that installation was all completed on time. Konecranes were very fast to respond to any of our needs,” says Mr Luanmang.

The facility is the second one to be established in Rayong, and Caterpillar is planning to expand their workforce at the new facility to 3000 by 2018. “For us to meet our targets we need no down-time. Konecranes was able to provide this for us,” says Mr Luanmang.

CXT cranes, with individual hoist capacities up to 80 tons – and complementary CXT wire rope hoists – are designed to be industry benchmarks of safety and ergonomics, with easy and effective load handling and optimum dimensions for space saving solutions.

CXT cranes have excellent hook approaches at both ends of the crane and the headroom requirement is minimal. They are designed to eliminate unused or under-utilised square meters because the crane can operate closer to the walls and lift the load higher.

The latest CXT wire rope hoists are available with smart features including:

? Adaptive Speed Range (ASR) – this allows very slow speeds, which are important in moment of load lift-off and lowering. It also has the ability to lift up to 50% faster than traditional hoisting control. ASR is typically used in light to medium lifting.

Konecranes units help all the way down the Caterpillar production line