RIGA CENTRAL TERMINAL

RIGA CENTRAL TERMINAL

At material handling hubs and ports, a chain of logistics is essentially a chain of trust. Ensuring that cargo flows run in a safe, smooth manner is key to operations. Find out how Riga Central Terminal uses Mantsinen’s material handling machines to guarantee the seamlessness of daily activities at Latvia’s main commercial port –with clear improvements in efficiency.

Tonnes of coal, tonnes of possibilities

In early 2019, Riga Central Terminal ltd. (RCT) started operations at a new additional terminal area designed specifically for handling transit coal deliveries. Coal wagons arrive by train, the cargo is unloaded and then reloaded to ships awaiting their sail towards final destinations.

Operating 24/7, the newly opened Riga Coal Terminal handles 500,000 tonnes of bulk cargo per month. Equivalent to the weight of almost nine thousand fully loaded coal wagons, it is quite an amount. Yet the ambitious short-term objective is to speed up to 650,000 t/month. Investment in Mantsinen material handlers is one part of the strategy to make that happen.

Juris Jirgensons, Member of the Board at RCT, started his career in the Port of Riga in 2002 as Operational Manager. Currently his main duties include overseeing and coordinating the daily operations in the Riga Coal Terminal. When cooperation with Mantsinen began back in 2014, Juris was already well involved in both the practicalities as well as the future vision regarding RCT’s activities.

We expect these machines to function for decades. Low cycle cost of equipment and lack of downtime are definitely key factors to our operations.

Juris Jirgensons – Member of the Board at RCT

Teaming up with Mantsinen

In 2015, RCT acquired the hydraulic Mantsinen 200ES with rails for the main purpose of unloading coal wagons and reloading cargo from one storage line to another. Juris is satisfied with the machine’s performance: “It was perfect for the job. Productivity is up to three times more compared to other cranes.”

After positive experiences with the Mantsinen 200, RCT decided to inquire for a solution that would match –if not exceed- the needs of the new terminal, too. At the turn of the year 2019, three electric Mantsinen 120ER material handling machines on tracks were delivered to serve Riga Coal Terminal. Their task is to unload the arriving coal wagons.

“Expected productivity is 700-800 t/h. Electric motors give us excellent efficiency and resource consumption ratios. Instead of six smaller machines we now use two Mantsinen cranes, which also means that we only need two operators. This saves us time, energy, and staff resources,” Juris explains.
He anticipates full capacity to be reached within the next few months after all the pieces of the operational equation have been solved and glued together –this prospect also enabling the deployment of the third Mantsinen 120 crane into daily action.

”The purchase process was made as simple as possible for us,” describes Juris. ”After successful negotiations and customized production, the cranes arrived from Finland by sea, in full working order. We were literally ready to start with the machines the next day.”

As no logistics chain is stronger than its weakest link, reliability is crucial for RCT’s operations. ”We expect these machines to function for decades. Of course some small fixes will need to be made, but the low life cycle cost of equipment and lack of downtime we have witnessed during our collaboration with Mantsinen are definitely key factors to our operations,” Juris says. “Also the energy savings we have observed are much appreciated.” Both the Mantsinen 200ES and the 120S are equipped with Hybrilift energy saving system that reduces energy consumption by up to 35%.

Beyond the numbers

With roots deep in the soil of Eastern Finland, Mantsinen has been heading to global markets at full speed. Besides mere numerical capacity improvements, also consistent performance and good customer service help the company win business in the Baltics.

And speaking of customer satisfaction, Juris agrees that the service level is right where it should be. Extensive local support network ensures that when called upon, machine maintenance is readily available: “So far we haven’t encountered major any problems at all. When something needs to be fixed, that also happens quickly. Our cooperation with Mantsinen is on solid ground.”

At the moment RCT is sufficed with the four Mantsinen cranes they operate with, but Juris estimates that already next year re-evaluations of potential further purchases will be made: “The best thing about Mantsinen? For us, that brand name is a guarantee of hard work and power in operations.”