PORTS AND HARBOURS
Portal Cranes
A large Commonwealth port operator had been equipped by the Crown Agents in 1954 and 1957 with a set of 15 units of 7 ton portal cranes. Progressively the cranes had deteriorated, and after the bankruptcy of the manufacturer, parts became very difficult to obtain.
The port received a grant from the European Union and the EU invited DIAK to tender for the re-equipping of the best of the cranes to restore a working conventional break-bulk facility, alongside the container port.
DIAK researched and specified a complete set of DC switchgear, resistor banks and motors, which were made to order. The drawings of the centre ring collector column were unavailable and the original factory had closed. DIAK designed an interface, modified a modern design, and replaced the obsolete units with the new columns. Every aspect of the cranes, from hoist brakes to safety load indicators were replaced or restored. After 9 months, the cranes which were previously destined for scrap, resumed active life with a full spare parts back up.
Container Gantry Cranes
In a set of orders valued at $1 million for a major port serving the Indian Ocean, , DIAK supplied parts to refurbish container gantry cranes. In direct competition against the original crane builder, but at prices some 35% less, DIAK equipped 8 cranes with the full range of genuine spare parts to restore these to good working condition.
Traditionally the builders of large cranes enjoy a monopoly of parts supply due to the absence of knowledge in the marketplace of how these machines are built and from what components. DIAK has specialised in this field for 20 years and has unrivalled knowledge of the build of ship-to-shore gantry cranes, rubber-tyred-gantry cranes, and other specialist container moving machinery such as reach stackers and front loaders. It is not generally appreciated that the builders of these machines assemble them in very small quantities, usually as the result of winning a tender, and so it is uneconomic for them to manufacture any components themselves. Usually the crane builder would weld together a chassis steelwork but then buy in every other item from specialist factories. So specialist are some of these components that the same items are often found on all comparable machines of different brands. The tenders to sell new machines to ports are highly competitive, so the builders make little profit on the original sale but instead aim to make significant profits on later parts supply. DIAK can assist all port authorities by performing an identical parts supply service but at highly reduced prices. Every part carries the standard DIAK warranty of one year.
A small African port had suffered a major quayside fire and lost substantial cargo recently "unstuffed" in the nearby sheds. With no fire equipment ever installed, the port had no design or specifications for an economic means of preventing future fires. DIAK designed and supplied an integrated set of sensors, electricity back-up, monitor stations and extinguishing equipment to safeguard the cargo sheds together with the 6000 metres of fireproof cabling to wire up the port quayside.
However not all DIAK work involves innovative engineering, and we have a fair share of routine supply projects in the port world. Past shipments have covered items as diverse as 40 tonnes of heavy ships mooring rope through to floodlight control gear for 50 masts in a container port.
Port Silos
An African port required an urgent overhaul of it's grain silos and ship to shore transport evacuator systems to mobilise for a US Aid famine relief shipment. In partnership with Chicago specialist consultants, DIAK recovered the 30 year old drawings from the original USA factory, devised the specifications for repair and commissioned manufacture to the old patterns, and in 10 days assembled an airfreight shipment direct to the port to effect the refurbishment.