Location: Düren, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany
Challenge: Precise moving of 40-ton paper rolls
Solution: Powerful lifting equipment that can also support accurate paper roll alignment
In response to growing demand for corrugated base paper, Schoellershammer has been expanding its production. The German paper manufacturer specializes in high-quality packaging paper. At its headquarters in Düren, a town in North Rhine-Westphalia, between Aachen and Cologne, approximately 240 employees produce more than 450,000 tons of paper annually. The products made by the family-run company, founded in 1784, are delivered to customers in Europe and overseas. Konecranes recently supplied Schoellershammer with three powerful double-girder bridge cranes, including the CARE Preventive Maintenance Program.
In Düren, a 9,560 square-meter hall was built for a new paper machine, and a new building was erected for stock preparation. The latest production line now yields 70 kilometers of paper web per hour, 24 hours a day.
Wanted: machines that can lift heavy rollers
Powerful cranes were required not only to run the new production line but also to support maintenance. During production, the paper rolls, which are 5.6 meters wide and weigh 45 tons, must be lifted from the paper machine at the end of the production line. During maintenance, a crane must lift the rollers –which weigh up to 48 tons – from the paper machine.
During material preparation, a crane is required for the cleaning and maintenance of the sorting and cleaning machines.
“Our new paper production hall is a truly important investment in the future. This is why we need crane systems that fully meet our requirements,” says Armin Vetter, Managing Director of Schoellershammer.
Konecranes’ solution
For the production hall, Konecranes designed and delivered two CXT double-girder bridge cranes with a 23.8-meter span, two 35-ton hoisting gears for paper transport as well as a five-ton auxiliary hoist for the precise alignment of the paper rolls. One of the cranes is equipped with an additional 60-ton hoist for the replacement of the rolls.
The 35-ton hoists in the paper production hall can be controlled simultaneously in tandem operation. In addition, all the cranes have Extended Speed Range (ESR) inverters, enabling the stepless adjustment of lifting speed. This Smart Feature allows the operator to choose the most efficient way to control the hoist: fast speeds facilitate efficiency and slow speeds help to improve safety and accuracy. They are also equipped with TRUCONNECT Remote Service for remote data diagnosis and can be operated via remote control.
The material processing plant, meanwhile, was equipped with a CXT double-girder bridge crane with a load capacity of 15 tons and a span of 29.1 meters.
Maximum efficiency
Konecranes’ ESR technology and Sway Control ensure both maximum accuracy and maximum efficiency in the transport of the finished paper rolls. Moreover, the TRUCONNECT Remote Service reduces the need for maintenance and provides 24/7 access to a global network of crane experts and specialists, which are both crucial for Schoellershammer’s round-the-clock operations. Therefore, production and transport processes are optimally coordinated.
“From the planning phase through the commissioning of the new production facility, our experts received excellent advice and support from Konecranes in their quest to find the ideal solution for efficient operation. To this end, we can always count on the reliability and experience of Konecranes,” says Vetter.
Photos: Konecranes
