No holds barred for Rix Shipping with new Liebherr material handler

Rix Shipping is the oldest of the JR Rix & Sons group of companies, a fifth generation family-owned business involved in a large range of activities. One of the largest tenants at the port of Montrose at the northern side of the River Esk on Scotland’s east coast, Rix Shipping was established in 1950 and has operations at both Montrose and Hull. The large Montrose facility includes extensive undercover dry storage and can handle a wide range of cargoes including almost any dry goods. It regularly handles fertilisers, grains and cereals, animal feed, steel and a variety of timber products such as pulp, chips and round timber

The operation at Montrose has been home to a variety of material handling machinery over the years but in a recent investment the company purchased its largest crane to date: a Liebherr LH 110 C High Rise Port. ‘We felt we needed to increase our handling capacity in line with our customer’s increased demands,’ explained Mark Cessford, Rix’s General Manager. ‘With an increase in handling capacity, not only can we deal with vessels faster and more safely but we are able to handle larger vessels with larger capacities.’ The arrival of the 115 tonne Liebherr heralds a significant increase in handling capacity compared to its predecessor, a Liebherr A 944. Rix Shipping currently handles in excess of 250,000 tonnes of material on an annual basis and can handle vessels around the 18,000 DWT mark. ‘The new Liebherr has significantly increased our capacity here,’ said Mark. ‘We have increased our capacity by almost 40 per cent in one go. At the same time, we have installed a fuel-efficient, safe and future-proof machine.’

The new Liebherr was installed at the port over the course of a week by Liebherr engineers before being put to work. Running on a pair of 8.1 m long tracks, the crane is extremely stable even when operating at full reach and full capacity. The stability is enhanced by the wide stance of the undercarriage, which is just over 6 m in width. The heavy-duty X-frame carbody hosts the 2 m high pylon that lifts the upper structure almost 4 m into the air. The height increase compared to Rix Shipping’s previous cranes coupled with the Liebherr’s LHC-D hydraulic double link cab offers regular operator Gus Whyte a bird’s-eye view almost 9.2 m off the ground. ‘The view from the cab is excellent!’ said Gus. ‘Liebherr has really excelled on this model and it makes my job so much easier and safer. The way the cab can move up and out means I can see into the hold of most vessels we have in the port. The inclusion of a single piece windscreen has also made a huge difference.’ The view from the cab is not the only improvement according to Gus: ‘The way the crane handles and the responsive nature of the controls makes the crane so much easier and more comfortable to use.’ The LHC-D cab riser system allows the operator to move the cabin from the maximum operating height to almost ground level, giving the operator access to the cab without the need to climb up the ladder system onto the upper structure.

The new machine is powered by a 12 litre Liebherr diesel engine which, with the addition of AdBlue, complies with Tier 4 emission standards and further cements Rix’s commitment to the environment. Despite having a significantly larger engine capacity compared to previous machines, the Liebherr is said to be very good with its fuel consumption and is impressing its owners with its economy.

The Port version of the crane has been supplied with an AG24 configuration that allows a maximum pin height of 26 m, a reach of 25 m and a potential depth below the quayside of almost 9 m plus the working tool. A host of attachments have been supplied with the crane to enable different cargoes to be handled, including an 8 m³ clamshell that offers double the capacity of the previous crane. A dipper-mounted camera adds to the crane’s effectiveness and allows Gus to see into a ship’s hold even if the vessel is on a high tide and he cannot physically see into the hold himself. ‘We are now able to offer the speedy handling of cargoes on wider and deeper vessels, which meets with our clients’ requests,’ explained Mark. ‘Not only is it an investment for Rix Shipping but the arrival of the crane will benefit the port by bringing in more business.’ If the company’s significant financial investment required any justification, the increase in productivity and safety is a good start.

Rix Shipping has been dealing with Liebherr for a number of years and the purchase of the new crane has come on the back of good service, honesty and professionalism from the German manufacturer. ‘When we were looking to increase our capacity, the Liebherr team was honest from the outset as to what we could expect from the new crane,’ said Mark. ‘This has been borne out by the production figures we’ve been getting. We have experienced a few teething problems with the crane when it was installed but the back-up from the manufacturer has been as we have come to expect from them: excellent. They are the market leaders and the developers for the bulk handling market and we believe there is nothing better out there on the market. The sales and after sales team are honest and upfront with everything and as a customer who wants a machine to do a job, we appreciate this.’