Eco-friendly Sennebogen replaces ship unloaders in Japan

(Posted on 03/07/23)

The port of Tomakomai handles large volumes of animal feed and raw materials such as food from different regions of Japan and the rest of the world. The commissioning of the SENNEBOGEN 860 E at Tomakomai Futo Co., Ltd. made material handling more efficient while reducing CO2 emissions for a more sustainable society.

Tomakomai Futo is a comprehensive logistics company that contributes to the development of the food industry in Hokkaido, relying on the management philosophy of contributing to the community and society as a logistics pioneer. A pioneer means an authority that is indispensable for the development and problem solving in the region. The Company's services include general warehousing, cold storage, commodity silos and oil terminal operations. In addition, the company operates locations in and outside of Hokkaido, forming a logistical network and contributing to the development of the food industry in Hokkaido. Raw materials from Japan and overseas are stored in the shipyard's 190,000-ton silos,

Tomakomai Futo originally used four ship unloaders and one crane to unload feed raw materials . One of these had an outdated pneumatic system and needed to be replaced. With an eye on the environment and the demand for a port material handler with low fuel consumption, low CO2 emissions and the ability to work quickly and efficiently, the choice fell on the SENNEBOGEN 860 E with its intelligent Green Hybrid System . "We currently use three ship unloaders and the SENNEBOGEN 860 E to unload most of our freight. The SENNEBOGEN 860 E replaces a ship unloader and a crane.In addition, since the frequency of operations that require cranes has decreased, we have been able to save costs," said Seiji Hayashi, Executive Officer and General Manager of the Feed Silo Division.

"With the SENNEBOGEN 860 E, it is possible to unload the material with a direct view from the driver's seat into the cargo hold. I feel much safer in my work when I can check the surroundings myself and do not have to rely on someone else's instructions." , says the person responsible for the handling system and the operation of the SENNEBOGEN 860 E.

Thanks to its sensitivity and great depth of reach, the material in the cargo hold can be placed and gripped with particular precision. “This is very useful for safely guiding other machines and personnel in the hold. This saves time and increases work safety for everyone. " The port handling machine is equipped with a mobile undercarriage, with which it can move and work independently on the quay. This has also increased the degree of freedom in assigning the ships in the port. The SENNEBOGEN 860 E is currently operated by three people, two more Employees are currently being trained, and thanks to the easy operation of the machine, new drivers can be trained quickly and easily. In this way, operations can be maintained continuously and the supply of feed to Hokkaido can be kept stable.

"By using the SENNEBOGEN 860 E, we were able to significantly reduce our fuel consumption . In addition, the lower energy consumption also reduces our CO2 emissions, which is a high priority for Tomakomai Futo Co., Ltd. In the beginning, the SENNEBOGEN 860 E was mainly used for unloading used, but now we use it for both loading and unloading, and we have also increased the variety of loading and unloading methods,” said Seiji Hayashi, executive officer and general manager of the feed silo department.