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FOREST PRODUCTS
Intermodal replaces tipper trucks
A seamless intermodal transport system
based on open top containers is providing
a mill to mill transport link for Austrian
companies.The system involves the
transport of wood chips from saw mills
to pulp and paper mills in Austria using
special, open top containers and 20ft swap
bodies with fork pockets.
The containers are loaded at the saw
mill and transported by road to the nearest
rail terminal, where they are loaded
onto wagons. If the pulp and paper mill
is not rail-connected, the containers are
transferred to road chassis at the nearest
suitable railhead.At the mills the containers
are emptied using a heavy FLT
equipped with a rotator.
The complete handling operation at
the receival mill is handled by the FLT
equipped with the rotator. Conventional
FLTs equipped with standard fork tines
are employed at the rail terminals and also
at the saw mills.The system has been devised
by Austrian logistics consultancy
group Innofreight, which also operates its
own specialised trucking division based
on open top 20ft containers for bulk commodities
unaffected by moisture and 20ft
and 30ft specialised containers for moisture-sensitive
cargoes that are suitable for
silo loading and tipping.
Sum of the parts
None of the elements in the wood chip
transport system are new or specifically
designed for the project, with the exception
of the “WoodTainer” open top containers
developed by Innofreight. However,
by putting together the different
pieces, Innofreight considers it has arrived
at the most viable way to transport and
handle relatively low value bulk products.
The application of rotating fork carriages
to heavy FLTs to turn and empty
20ft open top containers of bulk loads
is not new. Sweden-based FLT builder
Svetruck first built such a machine in
1991 and has, for example, supplied a
total of six machines to Uppsala Energies
under its woodchips-to-energy
programmes - four 32120-46 FLTs,
one 37120-57 and a 42120-57.
Svetruck also supplied a 30120-46 to
(the then) Svelast AB in 1995 and subsequently
a second similar machine was
delivered to that company.
The Innofreight system is operative at
five different saw mills and paper mills in
Austria. It is thought the system could be
developed to handle other containerised
commodities, such as plastic waste, recycling
materials and even fresh fruits and
vegetables destined for processing. Essentially,
the aim of the system is to replace
long distance tipper truck operations with
short haul road and long haul rail transport
using conventional trucks and wagons
but dedicated containers.
ISO based
The 20ft, open top, high-cube Wood-
Tainers have ISO corner castings to ease
securement on rail wagons and chassis,
although they have an overall width of
2.5m.The units are designed for cargoes
with a mass of up to 500 kg/m3 although
the mass of the wood chip load can vary
between 17t and 25t depending on the
type of wood used and its moisture content.The
containers are coated internally
to prevent wood chips with a high moisture
content freezing to the sides during
winter conditions in Austria.
Initial trials found that a 37t rating was
about the minimum requirement for the
FLT due to the maximum payload and 5t
tare of the Woodtainer, together with the
mass and lost load centre of the Kaup rotator.
This has a depth of 532mm from
the front face of the mast to the inner
edge of the container and weighs 5.4t.
Open choice
The system is based around a fleet of six
37t DCD 370-12 Kalmar FLTs, to be
joined soon by a DCF 370-12 machine
currently in build in Sweden. However,
as the FLTs are standard machines fitted
with a relatively standard type heavy duty
industrial rotator, the choice of machinery
is open to normal market conditions.
It is thought that Innofreight is also
looking at a stationary container tipping
An innovative intermodal rail system for
woodchips using a special, open top
container has been developed in Austria
system incorporating lift, side shift and
rotate, but this is due primarily to space
constraints at a pulp mill.
This design would possibly lift the
WoodTainer unit from underneath and
swing it through approximately 110deg
into a fixed discharge hopper parallel to
The FLTs are fitted with a 360 deg rotating
fork carriage from Kaup
the rail tracks to store the wood chips in
an underground silo.
The 37t FLTs, however, offer a more
flexible solution in that they can also be
employed with forks or a fixed spreader
when the rotator attachment is removed,
to handle containers loaded with paper
products as well as perform general lifting
duties around the mill.
The trucks also have the ability to discharge
directly to an open pile or to an
underground silo or if the door openings
to a flat silo warehouse are sufficiently
wide, direct to undercover storage.
The Kaup rotator attachment is capable
of 360deg rotation in both clockwise
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Woodtainer on standard rail intermodal car
Damage Reduction
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Throughout the supply chain.
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and anti-clockwise directions. In wet or
cold conditions the wood chips can stick
to the sides of the Woodtainer, even with
the special coating.To dislodge the residue
once the main bulk has been discharged,
the driver may have to turn the
inverted container both left and right. ❏
At Cascade, our commitment to efficient, reliable materials handling is reflected
in the innovations and unique damage reduction solutions we offer.
Perfect pad placement and optimal clamp force are available for every link in
your supply chain. Show your customer that you can move their product
without damage.
For innovative products, sales and local support all over the world,
Cascade is the company to call.
United States
Tel: 800 CASCADE
(227.2233)
April 2006 31