VAHLE konkret 2005 deutsch Satz

• IKEA Salzgitter: Where „Billy races through the hall
Airbus 380: Europe’s „superbird“ has taken off
The „Affiche Galerij“ in The Hague: Bringing art to the people
Crane tuning with VAHLE in Hong Kong
The LTU Arena in Düsseldorf with an electrically powered retractable roof
CPS® at Kaeser
Valencia’s hub port
The world’s largest copper mine
„Kai zen“ with VAHLE: Taking small steps towards success

VAHLE-Service: Close to its customers all around the world
Worldwide Partners
VAHLE China: From
a representative office
to a Trading Company
Xiang Li has been the new general
manager of our subsidiary
in Shanghai since March of
this year. With him in charge,
the already successful work
will be continued with six additional
employees.
In order to live up to the challenges
of the Chinese market,
the previous „Representative
Office“ was turned into an independent
„Trading Company“
starting July 1 st , 2004.
This enables us to react more
quickly and efficiently to the
needs of the market and our
customers.
The activities particularly focus
on automobile, steel and po-
wer plant technology as well
as storage technology.
Additional emphasis is placed
on port technology, because
the largest manufacturer of
container cranes, the company
ZPMC, is based in Shanghai.
Change of management - On August 1, 2005 Michael
Pavlidis (left) was appointed as manager of technology (development,
process planning and quality management). He thus follows
the footsteps of Werner Runte (right), who is retiring after
33 years with the company from Kamen. Managing Director Josef
Hötte (center) bade farewell to the previous Technical Director.
VAHLE on the
Bosporus Strait
After studying mechanical engineering
in Germany, Mehmet
Bebeck returned to Turkey in
1985. He worked at a firm that
built cranes and used many
VAHLE products. Mehmet Bebeck
was so convinced of their
quality that he began to sell
VAHLE products himself. In
1999 he founded his own firm
BM Makina and assumed the
representation of VAHLE in
Turkey.
Along with companies who
build cranes, steel plants, the
automobile industry and the
Turkish railway are among his
clients.
Satisfying these customers is
Mehmet Bebeck’s main priority.
Even if they have questions
about a VAHLE product on a
weekend, Bebeck and his staff
will not hesitate to help them.
Thanks to the extra efforts
made and VAHLE’s good reputation,
they have been able to
increase the turnover from
year to year.
Successful in the Alps
Andreas Bergthaler is the head
of the VAHLE marketing company
in Oberweis, Austria.
From there the 39- year old
and his young staff manage
customer service activities in
Austria and offer the whole array
of products from Kamen.
The main areas of application
for VAHLE products are storage
and conveyor technology, mechanical
and plant engineering
as well as the steel and mining
industry. Special solutions for
building stages, cable railways
as well as rotating cupola
roofs for observatories have
also been successfully implemented.
VAHLE’s regular clientel
in Austria is continually expanding.
Imprint
Editor-in-chief:
Thomas Hagermann,
Paul VAHLE GmbH & CO KG,
D-59172 Kamen (Germany)
Tel.: 0049 2307 704 0,
www.vahle.de
Editorial staff: Klaus Kukuk,
Jan-Uwe Ronneburger,
Frank Niewerth
Photos: Syndikat medienpool,
Dagmar Frigge, Codelco, Airbus,
AFT, Mauritius, HIT, viastore,
Klaus Kukuk, G.P. Müller
Design, Realization:
Syndikat medienpool, Unna
Print: B-W-H, Hannover

Viastore uses VKS10 in Germany’s largest IKEA storehouse
Where „Billy“ races through the hall
The city of Salzgitter, the
third largest industrial
base in Lower Saxony with a
workforce of approximately
54,000 has become a main
hub for the region of South-
East Lower Saxony. The
„Ikea-Lager und Service
GmbH“ (Ikea Storage and
Service Ltd.) is based here.
With almost 11,000 employees,
the Swedish furniture
house generates its largest
country turnover in Germany
and is Germany’s numberone
name in furniture. Even
today, the classic „Billy shelf
system“ is still part of the
basic configuration in many
people’s first own apartment.
Visiting the currently largest
new building in Salzgitter’s industrial
zone: the Swedish furnishing
house has generously
expanded its distribution center
here. Mayor Helmut Knebel
is proud of the large-scale project:
„This investment is taking
on a gigantic dimension. We
are delighted that the cooperation
between IKEA and the
city has again stood the test of
time.“
New Construction
Technology
In the words of the managing
director of IKEA Lager- und
Service GmbH, Dieter Imberger,
The ca. 32 meter tall shelf access machines look like scrawny
yellow giants, when they zoom through the halls of the IKEA
storehouse in Salzgitter. They are fed with electricity from the
VKS 10 from VAHLE.
the new hall comprises a surface
of 92,000 square meters
and is up to 32 meters high.
One of its peculiarities is the
new concrete and steel technology.
150,000 pallet spots
are available in the hall, and
together with the 120,000 in
the already existing building,
there are now a total of
270,000. Imberger: „To visualize
this, you would have to
image a row of such pallet
spots from here to Dortmund.“
With an overall surface of
around 40 hectares, this main
Ikea storage facility is nearly
ten times the size of an Ikea
furnishing store.
Germany’s Largest
Distribution Center
Once completed, the distribution
center in Salzgitter will
become the largest in Germany
and play a main role in IKEA’s
process of expansion. According
to IKEA, which currently
has 33 stores, it is aiming for
up to 60 stores.
The distribution specialist viastore
located in Stuttgart supplied
the IKEA logistics center
in Salzgitter with 14 viapal
shelf access machines, the pallet
conveyor technology, the
shelf steel structures for approximately
85,000 pallets as
well as the material flow operating
devices. Up to 10,000
pallets are supposed to be
transported in and out every
day.
Reliable VKS10
To make certain that everything
runs smoothly in the gigantic
pallet storage facility,
the supplier viastore uses
VAHLE products. The new safety
conductor VKS10 guarantees
a reliable and safe supply
of electrical current to the sor-
ting machines. This is also a
must when the shelf access
machines zoom through the
storage corridors at speeds of
up to 200 meters per minute.
However, not only the reliability
of the products from Kamen
has won over the engineers
from Stuttgart, but also the
price-quality aspect.
Time-tested product
As of now, the cooperation
between VAHLE and viastore
has also stood the test of time
at other installations by the
logistic specialist.
The VKS10 conductor system
can accommodate up to 10
copper conductors in its housing.
Due to the low phase distance
of only 14 mm, a conductor
system has been developed
which is very compact.
With parallel connection of
conductor rails a maximum
continuous current of 280 A
can be transmitted.
A special support sheet metal
profile allows the user support
distances of up to 4.5 meters.
This eliminates complicated
on-site support construction
and reduces installation costs.

The Airbus A380 is moving into new dimensions
Europe’s „superbird“ has taken off
and Great Britain. Six thou- with the control signals are
sand people are working on it, transmitted using a 30-con-
not including the ca. 100 supductor cable on a VAHLE motor
pliers worldwide. The gigantic cable reel. (I hope the previous
parts are brought to Toulouse sentence is correct as I don’t
by ship and truck, where they have the original, also I cannot
are assembled.
make sense of the following
sentence)! The cable tray in an
Engine tests
only 40-millimeter wide cable
carrier is ensured by the appropriate
conduits.
Precision is the main imperative
not only when building the
A380, but also in all of
VAHLE’s solutions.
Europe is celebrating its
most successful industrial
project: the giant jumbo A
380 - a new airplane that
has taken on dimensions
which were hardly imaginable
a few years ago. Yet in
this very year – ten years after
the initial idea – three
specimen of the Airbus A380
became reality: 73 meters
long, 24 meters high, a
wingspan from the tip of the
left to right wing of 79.80
meters with a wing surface
of 845 square meters. Now
for the first time, a jet has
three decks, one for cargo
and baggage, and two for
the nearly 800 passengers
depending on the seating arrangement.
It is as if two
large airplanes were packed
into one. Airports must adjust
to the magnitude of this
airplane.
On April 27th, 2005 the „big
goose“, as the A380 is also
called by engineers, took off
for its first flight in front of
thousands of curious onlookers.
The first impression was disappointing.
The super bird does
not appear to be gigantic.
Maybe Airbus should put a
small A318 next to it, so that
people can understand the dimensions
of it. It is the gigantic
hall painted silver-blue at
the Airbus site that triggers
the illusion. The building – one
of the largest in Europe – is
five-hundred meters long, 250
meters wide, and 46 meters
high. It also offers 34,000
square meters of office space
on six floors.
Only gradually do the onlookers
realize the size of the
A380. From the gallery at the
height of the tail unit it becomes
apparent what a colossus
is standing there in the hall.
The workers and engineers
pottering about 20 meters below
on the ground look like
ants. The airplane requires a
surface of 100 x 100 meters,
while the working platforms to
the left and right of the plane
are elevated five floors.
A product from
all over Europe
The A380 is a product that is
as European as almost no
other. The individual parts for
the superbird are manufactured
at 16 sites between Spain
At the site the airplane manufacturer
tests not only the preliminary
models, but also all
subsequent airplanes of the
series after assembly. A new
test stand has been built at
Toulouse Airport for engine
tests and test runs. This test
stand has a diameter of over
100 meters.
Twenty-meter high walls and
gates protect the outside
world from the sound. The two
giant gates with their own engines
are fed by two VAHLE
cable carrier assemblies. The
reliable W45 cable carriers
were installed for this purpose.
During the test run of the
enormous Rolls Royce engines,
the thrust must be directed
upwards. Six connected, maneuverable
deflectors with frequency
controlled motors are
in charge of this task. The
electrical current supply along
The VAHLE system can be
recognized in the crosssection
profile of the machine.
The W45 FR cable carrier assemblies
have a new kind of
clamping profile for flat and
round cables. With the combination
of the basic clamping
profile and one or more enhanced
profiles - 6 mm index – it is
possible to clamp together
round cables of different diameters
and flat cables of different
sizes.

The „Affiche Galerij“ in The Hague
Bringing Art
to the People
In the past decades cultural
activities have been developed
in public places in The
Hague, which can hardly be
found anywhere else in the
Netherlands.
Music festivals, outdoor cinema,
the famous sculpture
exposition in the city and of
course the world-famous
firework festival on the beach
in the suburb of Scheveningen
attract culture buffs
to the Oranje city every year.
Since October 2004 the center
has a new attraction. In
the long awaited underground
„Deluxe“ station of
the city railway at the Spuiplein
square there is a continuous
poster exposition, the
„Affiche Galerij“ or poster
gallery.
At the gallery, the historic posters
hang behind a two-meter
high glass wall on a surface of
more than 150 meters. Up to
six times a year, the exhibits,
which were compiled according
to topic by the project director
Wendy Lauw from the
Hague City Archive, are rotated:
„Sixty posters in the illuminated
frames then have to
be changed and hung up
again. Together with VAHLE,
the Dutch star architect Rem
Koolhass has developed a
simple and safe system so that
this can be done quickly and
easily. The suspensions of the
frames are threaded in a continuous
guide rail and pushed
into their position by hand. In
order to illuminate the pictures
equally without a glare, the
frames have a built-in indirect
lighting system. Thus, the
electrical current logically has
to be mobile and carried along
with the exhibit.“
Who could have developed a
better solution for this than
VAHLE. It’s not for nothing
that the firm’s slogan is:
„VAHLE makes electricity mobile“.
While 156 meters of the
S2 carrier were used as guide
rails, the the KSL enclosed
conductors were used to supply
electricity to the illuminated
frames. The collector cables
had to be adjusted to the curves
and bulges of the walls according
to the artists’ preferences.
Flexible to
customers’ wishes
But not only that. The classic
VAHLE-green of the conductors
was out of the question
for Koolhaas. Flexibility and
customer service is one of the
great strengths of the firm
from Kamen. This is how VAH-
LE satisfied the needs of the
architect. An eye-catching
orange powder coating was
applied to the carrier rail and
the conductor system was tinted
to match the brown color
of the steel construction. At
any rate Wendy Lauw is highly
Thanks to the bright floors, the openings in the ceiling for daylight and of course the „Affiche
Galerij“ with its 60 illuminated posters, no one will feel trapped in the station at the Spuiplein.
satisfied with the installation:
„It is easy to handle and works
absolutely flawlessly up to
now. I think we will be able to
use it for many more years without
difficulties, not only in
order to relieve the passengers
of that nightmarish feeling
that is often associated with
an underground station, but
also to continue offering them
continually changing art.“
The fact that the people feel
that they are in good hands in
this underground station, certainly
also has to do with the
unusually bright wooden floors
and the daylight slots. However,
the „Affiche Gallerij“ of
the city archive adds an additional
highlight to the highly
successful architecture. The
proof: as soon as the posters
are in their place, the first
photographers are there to
take pictures of them. The
blond archivist director smiles
with satisfaction, when she
points to the picture aficionados
to help her prove her
point: „This is what we experience
every time. You have to
bring art to the people and
then they will take pleasure in
it.“
VAHLE’s KSL PVC enclosed
multiple conductor systems are
insulated safety conductors for
crane trolleys and material
handling equipment, suspension
tracks, hoists, electrical
tools, automated storage and
retrieval installations, as well
as many applications in which
electrical current is supplied to
mobile users. They are suitable
for indoor and outdoor facilities.
They distinguish themselves
by the fact that they require
little space, are corrosion-resistant
and easy to install.

Crane tuning with VAHLE in Hong Kong
Space for more containers
Even in the early 18th
century, Europeans had
come to cherish silk, tea, and
spices from China. Once the
English East India Company
had first advanced as far as
Canton in 1699, a flourishing
system of trade with
China quickly developed. This
gave rise to Hong Kong as a
trans-shipment center.
Even today, the logistics industry
of the Chinese special administration
region is considered
to be one of the main pillars
of the economy. Tea, silk
and spices made room for clothing,
electronics, IT and toys a
long time ago. The „nerve system“
of Hong Kong is Victoria
Harbour (located between the
island Hong Kong and the
Kowloon Peninsula), which is
60 km 2 in size. It is among the
most beautiful natural harbors
and – measured by its turnover
– it is at the very top of the
world rankings; its computeroperated
container terminal
„Kwai Chung“ has the highest
turnover on earth, 20.4 million
TEU.
Help in facing
the competition
Hong Kong still maintains a
clear lead, but stiff competition
for the logistics center has
emerged, in particular, in the
neighboring metropolis Shenzhen
with more than a million
residents. The rapidly increa-
sing turnover capacities for
containers in the Chinese special
economic zone are posing
serious difficulties to the Hong
Kong planners. In light of the
competition between these
two rivals, any good idea is
highly welcome. Thus, it is no
surprise that the port operators
of the Hong Kong International
Terminal HIT have willingly
opened their doors to
the crane converter PBI from
Hürth near Cologne with its
latest technical device. The
idea is simple and practical.

Inhospitable environs are no
bother for VAHLE professional
solutions.
For conventional cranes, the
stacking height of containers
is limited by the cable loop
hanging down. After all, the
electricity and data cables
need to be able to extend.
The small innovator from the
Rhineland conducted experiments
with the VAHLE insulated
conductor U35 with an
aluminum stainless steel de-
sign and the data transmission
system SMG from VAHLE, in
order to replace the cables,
which were subject to wear
and tear, with a more modern
solution. By using the U 35 insulated
conductor rail in conjunction
with SMG mobile data
transmission, Hurth Co. was
able to create additional free
space below a container crane.
What does not seem to be so
groundbreaking at first sight
begins to make more sense
when one takes into consideration
how little space is available
in a container port working
at full capacity. If there is
limited room in terms of width,
the solution has to be found
aloft. By removing the cable
carrier assemblies, up to three
meters and more additional
Removing the cable carrier assemblies creates – among
other things – additional space below the crane for more
stacking height in the container port.
stacking height were gained –
enough for a further layer of
containers.
By combining the VAHLE products,
it was no longer necessary
to replace the worn out
cables, which otherwise must
be done approximately every
three years, and the crane trolleys
can be driven faster, in order
to bring the containers to
the right position. This entails
further significant benefits besides
the additionally gained
storage space.
Because the „tuning“ of the
test crane went so well, PBI is
already planning on converting
two more cranes. These will
certainly not be the last. More
than 40 cranes are still standing
in this area of the terminal
alone.
The SMG data transmission
system is suitable for interference-free
data transfer at
high data rates in automation
technology. It can be adapted
to nearly all conventional
computers or SPS-interfaces.
Its robust structure also allows
for using the system under
more harsh operational and
environmental conditions. In
combination with the VAHLE
U35 power conductors, SMG is
a reliable and cost effective
system’s integration.

VAHLE-Technology closes the giant retractable roof with precision
LTU arena: For any weather
Düsseldorf has a new
stadium of technological
superlatives. The LTU arena
has more than 51,500 seats
and offers space for up to
65,000 spectators including
indoor space at music concerts.
A gigantic home not
only to the American football
team Rheinfire.
The LTU arena has an enormous,
closable roof, which is
235 meters long, 201 meters
wide and 8000 tons when
closed. The roof elements, two
190 meter long steel beams
that weigh 1650 tons each,
are an essential part of the
structure.
With a push of a button, they
open or close the 110 x 70 meter
opening of the roof in just
30 minutes. Thus, rain or snow
cannot disrupt any concert or
football match.
In order to do this, massive
loads must be moved: after all
each of the two halves weighs
630 tons, is 127 meters long,
36 meters wide and nine meters
high. The roof is moved
with the help of electric mo-
tors. The contact surface for
the retractable roof is provided
by the two main carriers of the
roof. As soon as it begins to
move along the toothed wheel
tracks, there is an acoustic
warning signal. The arena can
be completely darkened inside.
The openings below the roof
are then also closed with sunblinds.
Precision demanded
When precision is in demand,
VAHLE is never far. The proved
and tested professionals from
Kamen were entrusted with
the task of setting up the electrical
current and the data
transmission system for the
enormous retractable roof. For
its realization, a joint solution
consisting of the SMG data
transmission system and the
LSV aluminum multiple enclosed
conductor system was
installed. Time-tested and reliable.
Both halves of the giant roof
were assembled beforehand.
Each weighing 550 tons, both
In any weather, the LTU arena offers ideal conditions, as
VAHLE technology assists in dependably closing the roof.
parts of the retractable roof
for the new Rhine arena in
Stockum were securely anchored
at a height of more than
50 meters. For lifting, two giant
special heavy load cranes
were used, which could each
lift a massive load of 275 tons
with a 25 meter cantilever.
Both halves of the roof were
pre-assembled since February
2003 from around 72 pieces of
steel. The largest pieces had to
be transported to the construction
site by ship.
Heated or open air
The LTU arena possesses a
highly modern and unique heating
system. With a closed
roof, visitors can sit in the
stands in at least 60 F degrees
temperature, even in winter.
Air heating, gas radiators and
floor heating provide for this.
In doing so, 100 ventilators
move 900,000 cubic meters of
air per hour. Overall, the climate
control and ventilation
technology of the LTU arena ca
move 3 million cubic meters of
air per hour. Thus, large events
can be held in the LTU arena
throughout the entire year, independent
of the weather. No
other stadium in Germany can
match that. The 8000 square
meter grass surface for the LTU
arena was delivered from Holland
in „jumbo rolls“ measuring
20 meters long, 1.20 meters
wide and 30 millimeters
thick in a total of 20 truck
loads. Under the grass 42 cm
thick mixture of sand, lava and
peat is found.
The compact LSV aluminum
enclosed multiple conductor
system is suitable for indoor
and outdoor installations. It is
used as a current feed for cranes,
monorails, hoists, electrical
tools, machine tools, automated
storage and retrieval
systems and other mobile consumers
of electrical current,
even at higher temperatures.

Contractless power supply line CPS® in compressor production
Kaeser is on the road to
success with VAHLE quality
In road construction, even
laymen are quick to recognize
mobile compressors
from Kaeser. Still, that is
only one application area
where compressed air is used.
Wherever compressed air
must be generated, produced
or distributed, one can encounter
the bright yellow
power plants of the Franconian
manufacturer.
Today, Kaeser is a world-wide
leading manufacturer of compressors
and products for compressed
air technology, employing
more than 3000 people
and is represented in over 70
countries and on all continents
through a competent marketing
and service organization.
The company operates one of
the largest fully automated
plants for the production of
compressors of all types at its
German headquarters in Coburg.
In order to satisfy the high demand
which the Franconian
company places on internal
transport, AFT, an automizati-
on and materials handling
technology company based in
Schopfheim uses components
from VAHLE.
More effective
production
To make production at the
main facility in Coburg even
more effective, a section for
driverless floor transportation
vehicles was installed, which is
distributed over two floors.
On a stretch of 510 meters in
length (310 m in the ground
floor, 200 m in the upper level),
ten vehicles transported
the compressors after completion
to stations such as weight
and contour control and to the
transfer stations for the storage
and retrieval facility,
which is located in a separate
building.
The track system consists of
two parallel tracks on which
the vehicles travel fully automatically,
both forwards and
backwards. Four elevators
(hoists from the ground floor
to the upper floor) and 15
track switches connect the
track sections.
High flexibility
The tracks can be changed at
any time to achieve higher flexibility.
The electrical current
for the vehicles is transmitted
inductively via the contactless
power supply CPS® manufactured
by VAHLE.
The entire installation is supplied
by a VAHLE primary inverter
P145 with 45 kW, which
is located on the ground floor.
Each vehicle carries one pallet,
which is loaded and unloaded
from the side. It is equipped
with steerable axles as well as
with two VAHLE track guidance
sensors for each direction
of travel and two Ultra Caps
(24V) with a 500 farad load
volume (a type of quick loading
battery or „large“ capacitor).
These are supplied with electrical
current (up to 125A/
24V0 by a VAHLE flat pickup
PU09 (3 kW) with control electronic,
mounted on the carria-
As if driven by a ghost, the floor transport carriers precisely deliver components to the next
assembly station – the contactless current supply CPS® VAHLE makes it possible.
ge. Each vehicle has its own
„intelligence“ on board and receives
the destination instructions
via RF transmission;
transponders in the floor assure
local accuracy
This VAHLE CPS installation
was designed and developed to
meet specific design criteria
postulated by Kaeser. The system
has operated trouble free
for over a year with the VAHLE
products. Therefore, Kaeser is
contemplating an expansion to
achieve even faster transport
of goods because of increased
volumes.
CPS® is the VAHLE system for
contractles power supply. In
contrast to customary methods
of supplying electrical current
to moveable equipment CPS®-
Technology offers the following
advantages: low maintenance
due to a lack of wear parts,
clean and noiseless operation,
unlimited travel speed, utilization
is also possible with complex
track layouts and under
adverse environmental conditions,
high track guidance tolerance,
the possibility of integrated
battery charging function,
integrated inductive track
guidance and data communication,
high degree of efficiency.

The trench conductor systems installed in the wharf have proven themselves for years.
Valencia claims its place at the top with VAHLE quality
Higher output for the „City of the Sea“
Valencia lies on the Spanish
Mediterranean
coast, approximately 350 km
south of Barcelona at the
mouth of the Turia river. As
an old port city on the Mediterranean,
Valencia is full of
maritime stories. It is therefore
often called „the City of
the Sea“. In 2007, the legendary
American’s Cup of sailing
is slated to start here.
With 746,000 residents, the
provincial capital of Valencia is
the third largest city in Spain
after Madrid and Barcelona. In
addition to the traditional consumer
goods industries such as
textiles, wood, ceramics and
footwear, large multinational
companies have settled in the
economic region of Valencia
that are specialized in the ma-
nufacture of automobiles, automobile
accessories, engineering,
iron and steel extraction,
glass, plastic and petrochemicals.
In addition, the region
also has a large number of
technology based companies,
which provide the multinational
companies with supplies
and services.
Top place in Spain
In addition, Valencia companies
also export a wide array
of agricultural products and
the traditional local goods like
ceramic tiles, footwear and
textiles.
Valencia is the second largest
exporter in Spain. For that purpose,
a high-capacity port is a
logical requirement. The port
of Valencia transacts 20% of
Spanish exports and is the largest
container port in Spain
overall with 28 million tons of
freight per year.
The port never sleeps
In order to achieve this accomplishment,
the container
cranes are utilized around the
clock. The port never sleeps.
The requirements on technology
are continuously subjected
to a difficult test in this raw
environment. Salt water and
dirt afflict the cranes and their
power train components. It is
therefore not surprising that
only proven products can survive
here in the long run.
Such products include the
trench conductor system from
VAHLE. Since 1997, a 1.5 kilo-
The VAHLE slotless trench
conductor system has been
manufactured since 1925. It is
used for dock side cranes, loading
bridges, locomotive transversers,
etc., where an above
ground conductor system
would be obstructive. The
trench conductor system is installed
below ground parallel
to the dockside and can
follow all incidental curves of
the crane rail.
The conductor trench is normally
laid in concrete. The
trench conductor system is
covered over the entire length
with steel plates supported on
both sides by edge steel
profiles.The plates are hinged
with an above or below ground
hinges.
meter long trench is in use
with the proven U30 conductors.
Eleven giant container
cranes are supplied with electrical
current from under the
ground.
Due to the reliability of the
system, another 500 meters
were installed in the past year,
in order to expand the reach of
the cranes to an additional
loading wharf.
An additional 720 meters of
below-ground trenches will be
constructed this year. Due to
the higher capacity requirements,
the larger type U40 U
conductors are being used.
Moreover, high voltage of
11,000 Volts will be utilized.
Thus, Valencia will also be able
to claim its top position in
Spain in the future.

The world’s
largest copper
mine
Back to
its origins
At first sight, the mind re
fuses to understand what
the eyes see in the thin air of
the high mountains of Chuquicamata:
the largest open
pit copper mine in the world
located nearly 3000 meters
high in the north of Chile
can be identified even dozens
of kilometers away.
„Pies“ are what the natives call
the giant mining dumps, which
push up like lower mountain
ranges from the pre-Andes
into the withered landscape.
Not until houses and cars enter
the scene can the sheer
magnitude of this mine of superlatives
be fathomed, which
evidently can be recognized
from space with the naked eye.
The pride of Chile produces
600,000 tons of copper per
year and belongs to the stateowned
copper company Codelco,
which generates eight percent
of the state budget alone.
Since 1915 1.6 trillion tons of
stone have been blasted out of
the mountains in Chuquicamata
approximately 1600 kilometers
to the north of the capital
of Santiago and dumped
into the mining dumps after
removing the copper.
Like an excessively large football
stadium, the mine today is
4.3 kilometers long, 3 kilometers
wide, and 835 meters
deep. At the bottom of the
mine, mechanical diggers,
which are hardly recognizable
with the naked eye, load the
blasted stone onto giant
trucks, which then transport it
to the surface on serpentines.
The giant trucks in the enormous strip mine of Chuquicamata look like toy cars.
Raw materials
for VAHLE
For many years, the state copper
manufacturer has relied on
VAHLE products for mining activities.
These products then
return as finished products to
where their copper core has its
origins. Even today, insulated
U40 solid copper conductor
rails provide for the reliable
supply of electricity to the
processing facilities. They are
especially equipped for the difficult
conditions in the melting
plants and have a good reputation
among Chileans due to
their robustness and because
they are easy to handle. This
reliability is also in demand for
the coming years.
2.5 billion tons of reserves are
still stuck in the earth, which
are enough for thirty more years.
And then? The Escondida
mine is already in the process
of surpassing the Chuquicamata
mine, because „Chuqui“,
as it is affectionately called is
only a part of the state copper
company Codelco. It supplies
twenty percent of the copper
produced worldwide and – like
saltpeter once was – it is the
lifeline of the Chilean state
budget: in the sixties and seventies
the Frei and Allende
governments put the copper
industry under state control
and the military government
under General Pinochet kept it
that way.
No longer normal
All numbers and figures concerning
this mine are almost
surreal. Every shovel for the gigantic
mechanical diggers –
priced at 10 million Euros a piece
– grabs 110 tons of boulders.
The trucks have a load
capacity of 400 tons. At 3300
horse-power, the 110 vehicles
hum around the clock with
their precious cargo up to the
rock grinders and furnaces at
the surface. Every one of the
four tires costs as much as a
mid-sized car and the diesel
consumption of 400 liters per
100 kilometers is also somewhat
higher than normal.
From ore to metal
First the stone is grinded
down. Then the grinded stone
is chemically treated in a basin:
this is where the iridescent
green broth with black air
bubbles simmers. Coppery mud
settles at the bottom and
flows into the foundry. There
the mud is heated in a giant
furnace. The fire glows in a
turquoise color. The glowing
metal is poured into molds and
cooled off with running water.
The product is called „Blister“
and consists of 99 percent
copper. The still steaming bullions
are piled onto containers
and then driven from here to
the port.
Codelco is already drawing up
plans for an even much more
gigantic mine, next to which
the existing excavation would
look like a mid-sized dent. In
the next 20 years Chuquicamata
is supposed to be expanded
to a length of 20 kilometers.
Until then, as much rock
is supposed to be moved as in
the past 90 years together.
Insulated U40 conductor rails
provide electricity for many
TECHNIKDETAILS
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„Kai zen“ with VAHLE:
Taking small steps
towards success
There are many ways for
small and mid-sized businesses
to increase their competitiveness,
for example by
creating their own company
profile and by designing their
products attractively.
Special attention in this regard
should be given to the
employees’ creative potentials
and diverse ideas. Many
small and mid-sized companies
can find „hidden reserves“
here.
Through its workshops, VAHLE
has begun a „kai zen“ process
this year. The driving force behind
this form of management
is Michael Pavlidis, VAHLE
Technical Director.
? Mr. Pavlidis, what does kai
zen mean in German?
! The Japanese word kai zen
consists of the two terms KAI
= change and ZEN = for the
better. This thus describes the
aim of the process – the
endeavor to constantly scrutinize
and improve products, activities,
business processes and
customer relations. According
to the kai zen philosophy it is
not so much about „great
ideas“, rather the multitude of
small and simple suggestions.
? Where are these ideas supposed
to come from?
! These suggestions for improvement
are expected from all
the employees of the firm, so
that the products and working
processes are continually further
developed within the framework
of a so-called
„Continual Improvement Process“
(CIP).
One might exaggerate a bit
and describe it as follows: a
one-percent improvement of
one hundred things in the
business is better than a 100
percent improvement of one
thing.
? What is your understanding
of a creative employee?
! A creative employee is someone
who continually thinks
while he or she is doing what
he or she does. Someone who
doesn’t let the things just run,
but also feels responsible for
the quality that he or she manufacturers,
someone who becomes
active and doesn’t just
say: „I know that that is bad,
but we have a quality assurance
system. They will figure it
out“.
? How can VAHLE use the creativity
of its employees?
Michael Pavlidis discusses the concrete implementation of the
results on site with two participants of the workshop.
! We have already set our
sights on several areas this
year and brought the employees
together in small groups
in order to bundle together
ideas and put them into
practice directly.
? Why small groups?
! Better suggestions are frequently
made in small groups.
More sensible and practicable
suggestions can be reached
when they are drawn up by
working groups and discussed
within them.
? What do you pay particular
attention to with regard to the
improvements?
! The primary goal is the reduction
of muda (waste).
Muda refers to everything that
is unnecessary. Unused storage
space, unnecessary trips, friction
loss when working together
and much more.
The main goal is not correcting
errors, rather avoiding errors
and striving for zero-defect-
solutions. The motto here is:
quality is when the customer
comes back, and not the product.
? What do you hope to achieve
with the „running process“?
! The benefits are obvious: lower
costs, reducing allowable
defects, reducing stock, saving
space, improved quality and
maintenance during production.
For the employees I expect
an improved business climate,
better communication,
self reliant colleagues and improved
work ethic.
? Are there any first results?
! Yes, as a result of the workshop,
we were able to avoid
moving into a new hall by
using space more optimally. I
have to clearly emphasize one
thing here: these successes
would not have been possible
if our employees had not cooperated
excellently and adapted
to the new approach so
well.
Representatives from all over the world met at the VAHLE international conference to gain insights on current developments
in the firm. The main focus was placed on the intensive training of the sales force as well as the presentation of innovations and
further developed products. While exchanging professional information with one another, the German and international guests also visited
several cultural sites in the Ruhr region, where they had extra time to enjoy each others’ company.