Six of the twelve Liebherr pay loaders ordered last year are already part of the fleet of operating equipment at the Port of Maputo. The new equipment will allow reducing truck unloading time, improving vessel productivity (causing no disruption between the stocks and the ship) as well as improved inventory management.
“The loaders are our bread and butter” explained Gerhard Botha, Operations Manager. “In early 2012 we only had a fleet of 8 loaders and two of them were dismantled, leaving us with only 6 and thus with little availability”. “With the growth in volume, we almost always had to resort to local renting”, he added. The new fleet of loaders guarantees at least minimum availability to service the operational requirements.
This is one of the largest investments in equipment replacement in the entire history of the MPDC. The machines were acquired through Choice Diesel Lda., a Mozambican distributor and agent for Liebherr Africa, to whom the contract was awarded through public tender. This order includes a full maintenance contract, spare parts supply and a warranty extension.
The assessment and training of operators will ensure the competent operation of this new equipment. In addition to this strategic equipment replacement program, MPDC currently counts with 12 new operators who have recently completed their certification and that are now able to operate a variety of operating equipment.
In addition, additional investment is planned in strategic equipment for 2013, such as grabs, conveyor belt systems, RAM loading systems and forklifts.
