Since 2019, Mindener Hafen GmbH (Mindener) has operated a new, modern container terminal in the town of Minden in northwest Germany. Located on the River Weser, Minden is an important junction for inland waterways, with good connections to the Bremen and Hamburg seaports. With just 20 employees, Mindener provides expert container handling services for both shippers and freight forwarders as the volume of cargo coming through the region continues to grow.
Moving containers on tight deadlines
Mindener offers trimodal (ship, train and truck) logistics for both ordinary and refrigerated containers (reefers) and customs clearance on-site. Its services include storage, picking, distribution and unloading. Running on tight schedules, containers must be moved with speed and precision, so Mindener needs fast and reliable equipment with minimal downtime.
The new terminal is handling containers with a crane while the old terminal has had 45-ton Konecranes lift trucks from the very beginning. In 2012, their first was an SMV 4531 TB5 reach stacker, Just one year later, they followed it with a heavier model, the SMV 4535 TB6, equipped with a boom that was one meter longer than usual, so it could lift containers directly from ships to the yard. Mindener was so impressed by its quality and productivity, they soon invested in two more Konecranes reach stackers – the new generation SMV 4531 TC5 and SMV 4532 TC5, for fast and efficient container handling. They also bought two SMV 25-1200 B forklift trucks with a 10-meter mast and front lift spreaders for handling empty containers up to 25 tons.
The company now has a total of six Konecranes lift trucks – four reach stackers and two forklift trucks. All of the vehicles have an ergonomic cabin with easy-to-use controls, a radio, and air conditioning to cool drivers during summer and keep them warm in winter. They also have automatic greasing and other standard features to minimise maintenance and downtime. They monitor the new reach stackers remotely using TRUCONNECT because those vehicles are used more than the other lift trucks. This helps them to keep an eye on performance and plan ahead for maintenance. German distributor Neotechnic, from the nearby city of Bielefeld, took care of the sales and now maintains the trucks.
“These Konecranes machines have improved our workplace safety while significantly reducing our downtime and operational costs,” says Björn Riesner, Terminal Manager. “Konecranes really listened to us and provided exactly the harbor equipment we need. We plan to replace our older lift trucks with new Konecranes models.”
Helping the environment while delivering savings
Following EU guidelines, Germany has strict environmental regulations, and is working hard to improve air quality. So all the Konecranes lift trucks at the Minden terminal fulfill these requirements. In addition, the SMV 4532 TC5 reach stacker is equipped with Flow Drive, a Konecranes innovation that uses a hydromechanical variable transmission (HVT) to limit power at low speed, lowering wear, fuel consumption and emissions on a heavy-duty engine that maintains full performance. With greater intervals between refueling and less maintenance, it can significantly increase productivity.
“Konecranes lift trucks have been a key part of the Minden terminal,” says Mr Heinrich Tissen, Sales Manager for Neotechnic. “High-quality products backed up with our technical support and a local Konecranes presence have helped Mindener build an efficient, successful operation in just a few years.”
