Konecranes has mounted its CXT electric overhead travelling crane on a steel frame and two standard ISO shipping containers to create a powerful, adaptable, fully mobile industrial crane.
Olli Kuismanen, general manager of Konecranes Business Factory says, “This is an outstanding opportunity for our customers to improve their lifting operations efficiency and safety on the field. This new product category brings the quality and safety of lifting from the factory building to remote site conditions.”
The CXT Explorer is a standard industrial crane that can be taken almost anywhere. It can be assembled, ready to lift, in just a few hours, with a lifting height of 5m and a span of 5m, there is plenty of room for most field lifting needs. Yet its compact size allows easy travel. On leaving, the crane can be dismantled quickly, and the shipping containers that form its base double as storage for the crane components, service tools, equipment, and spare parts.
Sometimes an industrial crane is needed in a location for only a short period of time. A typical short-term use is vehicle maintenance in a location where a fixed overhead crane would be too expensive, take too long to install, and require a major redesign of the work-space around it. In some cases, such a crane could not be installed at all, as it is needed where there is no power, or even no building. In prolonged use the crane represents a cost efficient investment.
To make an industrial crane mobile, the Konecranes CXT crane was refitted to a new structure. But the CXT Explorer is more compact and flexible: all the user needs is enough space for two ISO shipping containers, room to access them, and a full maintenance workshop, assembly station or logistics hub becomes available. Outside, it easily adapts to different environments, including places with little or no infrastructure, and can run on a generator if there is no source of electricity. It includes thermal and weather protection for use in extreme climates and on difficult terrain. The whole crane area can be covered with a special tent to shield the users from the weather. The units can also be tethered together to provide a longer system.
The strong and wide container base provides full support, and operation is from the ground, so it is very stable. True vertical lifting helps maintain safety during lifting, with less chance of damage or collision. It can be used by anyone permitted to use an industrial crane. All of its components have been made specifically for cranes and require fewer repairs. The idea of the CXT Explorer is all the benefits of a standard industrial crane in a fully mobile unit. Even when the crane is used in a remote area, Konecranes provides on-call maintenance in order to keep the crane running and minimize downtime.
“For the cost of less than two months of mobile crane rental the customers can buy a full-blown crane which can be relocated easily and that can be used by anyone trained to use overhead cranes. By using the CXT we get the reliability and cost level of a mass volume product to a totally new market segment. We have used the CXT crane technology in hundreds of thousands of units during its lifetime and have service and spare parts available globally,” says Kuismanen.