LPS550 Montoir Bulk Terminal France
Founded in 2011, Montoir Bulk Terminal represents the first French terminal for bulk food and peat. It is a joint venture between SEA-invest and IDEA Groupe. SEA-invest is one of the world’s largest terminal operators for dry bulk, fruit and liquid bulk and operates 25 ports spread across three continents. The IDEA Groupe, formerly known as MTTM, is a French transport and logistics company which also specializes in bulk supply chains.
Their new crane, type LPS 550, has a maximum lifting capacity of 75 tons in grab operation. It is the first LPS 550 worldwide. The crane was manufactured and pretested in Rostock before its delivery to the west coast of France.
The structure of this type is based on the construction of the LHM 550, which is Liebherr’s most in demand mobile harbor crane model. An obvious modification is that the undercarriage is replaced by a portal solution which is installed on rails. The tailor-made portal solution allows for usage of the area underneath the slewing cabin, a very useful feature especially on narrow quays. In addition to the LPS 550 a conveyor belt and a hopper are used to guarantee smooth transport of bulk cargo throughout the terminal. Thanks to this space saving portal solution it was possible to install the crane directly above the conveyor.
To achieve even more turnover, crane drivers rely on Liebherr’s Cycoptronic® with Teach-In extension. This valuable tool eliminates load swing through constantly calculating possible sway and automatically initiating dynamic counterbalancing movements. The Teach-In feature represents an optimal extension feature, especially when efficient bulk handling is required. This point to point control for semiautomatic operation pilots the crane to predetermined loading and unloading points. Once these points have been set, the crane moves between them with the highest possible speed. If one of the predefined points is reached the crane automatically stops. Furthermore, automatic steering to target points without any load swing and the possibility to stop crane motion at any time lead to a notable increase in safety and speed.
Moreover, the new LPS 550 is equipped with the unique Pactronic® hybrid drive system. This innovative system boosts performance and reduces emissions at the same time, each by 30%. Paying attention to the environment is very important for MBT. For that reason, going for the Green advantages of Pactronic® was a logical decision. In addition to the hybrid drive system, MBT has equipped its new machine with electric drive, which allows for an even more eco-friendly crane operation.
