Strong market presence despite adversity

Although global economic growth has slowed due to the coronavirus pandemic, PEINER SMAG Lifting Technologies GmbH (PSLT) benefited from a more or less undiminished demand for grabs on the market.

Jürgen Bialek, who is Managing Director of PSLT, said of the past year “This isn’t as catastrophic as we feared back in April,“ adding that in 2020 „very big grabs, in particular, were delivered to customers all over the world. The demand for large-volume rope grabs for handling iron ore, coal, limestone and aggregates was exceptionally high and our factory was working at full capacity.“

One of the biggest challenges were orders for a total of 24 scissor grabs with a volume of up to 35 m². These massive grabs, also known as ‚Lobster‘, were produced in just a few weeks at the main Salzgitter plant and are used for various handling tasks at different destinations. Due to their enormous dimensions, the grabs had to be transported to the loading site at night on special heavy-duty trucks. The vast majority of this grab series are now operating in steel mills in Taiwan and Lybia handling coal and iron ore. Further scissor grabs handling iron ore pellets were shipped to a company in Abu Dhabi who offers quayside services to all vessels that call at the Emirate’s seaports. Others are intended for the handling of coal on barges at their operation site in Sachalin, Russia’s largest island.

PEINER scissor grabs are ideal for fast and efficient ship unloading as they handle high volumes per loading operation. They can be used on all four-rope cranes and are generally suitable for all bulk materials. In contrast to classical dual scoop grabs, they work faster and have a greater trimming effect. The scissor grabs have a significantly lower center of gravity, which reduces the danger of tipping over. Furthermore, the closing forces increase during the course of the closing process.

Key players in bulk handling

Thanks to many years of experience and good client references in the Middle East, numerous large-volume four-rope dual scoop grabs with a volume of 32 m² were shipped to a port operator in the United Arab Emirates. This customer already has over 30 models of this type in use, handling limestone and aggregates. In addition, some larger ones were delivered to a steelworks in Qatar. The grabs are so popular with the customers because its robust features and performance make it ideal for dockside operations.

PEINER four-rope dual scoop grab is the allrounder among the clamshell grabs, made for all four-rope cranes – from mobile harbor cranes, via slewing cranes and articulated jib cranes up to ship unloaders Its shell design enable the handling of various materials.The model is based on the two holding and two closing ropes coming from the crane. The grabs are matched to the rope distances of the crane and fitted with generously dimensioned rope pulleys, so that the rope wear is minimized. Very good material penetration as well as an optimum degree of filling ensure the best possible handling quantities. They also have a small dead weight component. Thanks to the ideal ratio of dead weight to crane capacity, the rope grabs convince through maximum efficiency and low maintenance requirements.

Powerful handling tool for Liebherr’s world-first mobile harbour cranes

Offering solutions for the quick and safe handling of timber is part of PSLT’s routine business. Nevertheless, the giant motor timber grabs developed especially for Liebherr latest innovation are something special even by PEINER standards. There are no comparable timber grabs on the world market that can match this dimension. Six of these impressive timber grabs with a tong cross-section of up to 8.5 m² were recently commissioned at port of Mount Maunganui, New Zealand, more deliveries are scheduled.

The grabs work on Liebherr‘s mobile harbour cranes, a world-first in terms of size and capacity, and are predominantly used for the loading of logs for export. The technology allows to load and unload vessels without the use of ships’ cranes and this enables the operator to handle cargo for a wider range of vessels. Weighing 465 tonnes, the fully mobile Liebherr harbour crane has a 51m maximum lifting height, a 54m maximum outreach, dual outrigger pads that provide improved point loading distribution, 80 steerable wheel sets and has mobility of 360 degrees from any point.

PEINER motor timber grabs are mainly found in ports, sawmills and veneer mills, where there they are used under different operating conditions for handling logs, single logs (also exotics) or bundles of wood. The portfolio includes three model types which are designed for different applications such as for the handling of individual logs and spars as well as for large single logs from hardwood and deciduous wood. These grabs impress with its handling speed – depending on the grab size, unloading a truck is, for example, possible with only one loading cycle.

Jürgen Bialek is proud to complement the successful Liebherr cranes with the largest motorized timber grabs ever built. “This is certainly a showcase project but basically for us, every project is a reference project, which we realize with all our experience and performance in the best possible way. Thus, in over 50 years, we have gained many satisfied customers, which are the best proof of our successful work.” When asked about the outlook for the next years, Bialek remains optimistic: “The material handling numbers are going to be good in the near future. Over the next five years, we expect to overcome the current stagnation in revenue and the growth in the industry should continue. The main reasons for this are, in particular, improved export prospects as well as rising demand from the logistics sector.”