Powerful, reliable, and mobile: these are three of the essential characteristics of Konecranes Gottwald Mobile Harbor Cranes. They are particularly valuable in the rental crane business, as the example of Goeyvaerts-R bvba (Goeyvaerts) confirms. For many years, the family-run Belgium based company has been operating a steadily growing number of mobile harbor cranes from Konecranes. The fleet currently includes 30 cranes, four of which are of the new Generation 6.
Goeyvaerts was established in 1953, and specialized in inland barge handling until the turn of the millenium. Due to changing demand, a sustainable strategic turn towards harbor crane rental took place from 2006 on, starting with material handlers and some pre-owned Konecranes Gottwald mobile harbor cranes. These first cranes were taken over from the Port of Antwerp. As a consequence, the used cranes were initially rented at the company’s “home port” Antwerp. In the meantime, customers in the two Belgian ports of Ghent and Zeebrugge in Belgium, as well as in the Dutch ports of Terneuzen, Vlissingen, Rotterdam and Amsterdam were also using Goeyvaerts’ rental cranes. Thanks to this success story, since 2015 Goeyvaerts has been opting for new mobile harbor cranes from Konecranes.
High availability
Against the background of this rapid growth, the fleet of Konecranes Gottwald mobile harbor cranes at Goeyvaerts has grown rapidly. One of the main reasons for this is the particularly high flexibility of use, as CEO and co-owner Rudi Goeyvaerts explains: “Our customers usually have a very urgent need for a handling solution, and our business model is based on our capacity to provide them with the right crane quickly. Mobile harbor cranes are ideal for this purpose. For example, if a crane is required in the port of Antwerp, it can be moved quickly from terminal to terminal. Depending on the distance, it is then moved by its own power or transported to the next place of use by a floating crane.”
The cranes are not just flexible in a single port. They can be moved easily from one port to another, adds COO and co-owner Kevin Goeyvaerts: “Since mobile harbor cranes are not permanently installed, they can be loaded onto a ship and taken to wherever they are needed. Our customers benefit from the fact that our seven locations are all quite close to each other, so that the crane is always available on site quickly and ready for use. Mobile harbor cranes offer a particularly high efficiency and make us a reliable partner for our customers of all kinds and sizes.”
Goeyvaerts’ customer base is extremely diverse: “Users of our services include start-ups that want to keep their financial risk low, companies with a temporary need for harbor cranes, and companies that want to increase their operational flexibility with additional cranes,” says Rudi Goeyvaerts. What they all have in common, he says, is that they are looking for a temporary soliution for their cargo handling needs – they need fast performance and reliability. Konecranes Gottwald Mobile Harbor Cranes offer exactly that, and for all types of goods: “We have both special bulk handling cranes and all-rounders for the handling of containers, general cargo and project goods in our fleet. Medium-sized cranes are there as well as large ones.”
Konecranes Gottwald mobile harbor cranes have earned a lasting reputation among Goeyvaerts’ customers for being particularly efficient, while also offering a high degree of robustness and user-friendliness. These are also particularly important characteristics for rental cranes, as Kevin Goeyvaerts explains: “We rent our cranes with or without an operator. If the latter is the case, it must be ensured that the customer’s operator can quickly adjust to the crane. It goes without saying that a certain robustness is advantageous, especially during the familiarization phase.”
A long-term relationship
All these characteristics combined are what have made Konecranes Gottwald mobile harbor cranes the technology of choice for Goeyvaerts. The customer relationship between Goeyvaerts and Konecranes is in its third crane generation, as Alexandros Stogianidis, Senior Sales Manager, Mobile Harbor Cranes, Konecranes Port Solutions, points out: “Goeyvaerts is a fast-growing business that operates in very dynamic ports environment. These include Rotterdam and Antwerp, the two largest ports in Europe, and various types of goods are handled. We are proud to have contributed to Goeyvaerts’ growth during the last years.”
Goeyvaerts is a perfect example of how customers can grow with Konecranes, Alexandros Stogianidis explains: “At the beginning of our relationship were Generation 4 and Generation 5 cranes previously owned by the Port of Antwerp. These cranes convinced Goeyvaerts and their customers, which led them to invest in new Konecranes Gottwald mobile harbor cranes from 2015 on. Today, Goeyvaerts operates an impressive fleet across its seven sites. We are particularly pleased that Goeyvaerts ordered seven Generation 6 cranes shortly after their launch, four ESP.6 cranes with 49 m working radius and three ESP.8B with 54 m working radius.”
Seven Generation 6 cranes ordered
In addition to the good experience with the existing fleet, confidence in Konecranes’ customer-focused innovation played a major role in this decision for the new generation, says Rudi Goeyvaerts: “We steadily need more cranes to meet growing demand in the crane rental business. Besides, we want to offer our customers state-of-the-art technology. With this in mind, we have taken a close look at the new Generation 6 crane and its advantages.
We have considered the new generation to be a very intelligent development that will raise the benchmark in the rental crane market in terms of reliability and service life. In addition, the new cranes offer a high level of crane intelligence and, with their particularly high eco-efficiency, will help us to reduce fuel and maintenance costs as well as lower emissions.”
