Konecranes has signed a contract with Long Beach Container Terminal (LBCT) for 30 additional Konecranes Gottwald Automated Guided Vehicles (AGVs) which will be delivered in the fourth quarter of 2021.
The order was booked in March 2020 and the new Konecranes equipment will be commissioned by the second quarter of 2022.
“We will now be increasing this fleet as part of the completion of the final phase of the new terminal’s construction currently underway and scheduled to be finished in the first quarter of 2022,” president of LBCT LLC, Anthony Otto, stated.
LBCT currently operates a fleet of 72 lead-acid, battery-driven AGVs. Konecranes says the 30 new vehicles will expand LBCT’s system which includes a battery exchange system (BES), transponder navigation and a fence control safety system.
The Finnish manufacturer will also provide, in a separate order, pre-engineering for a second BES that will be installed for redundancy reasons as part of the final phase of the terminal’s construction.
The Californian terminal manages travel orders, optimises routes and avoids deadlock situations in the operation of the AGV fleet, using the TEAMS Equipment Control System (ECS) from TBA Group, a provider of integrated software solutions aiming that simplify port, terminal and warehouse operations. This system will be updated to reflect the expanded AGV fleet and its expanded operational range.
This contract with LBCT is part of Konecranes’ path to port automation, where container terminals improve productivity and safety in manageable steps.
