BTJ 3/2008 - Baltic Transport Journal

Report
Machinery for severe climate
conditions
An interview with Oleg F. Yermolayev, General Director of Baltkran
History of the Russian crane manufacturer Baltkran from Kaliningrad
spreads over 60 years but it’s only in the last 13 that you have
worked under free-market conditions. Is it not difficult to compete
with the West European companies that have well established their
reputation in the world’s harbour crane market?
Baltkran has developed dynamically over the period of 63 years. During this
time, it has produced more than 13,500 cranes of various types. And we have
come quite a long way since our first rivet crane – with its lifting capacity of 6.3
tons, its simple mechanisms and steering system, and its primitive cabin for a
crane operator. There’s no comparison to the modern, complicated and mighty
container cranes we produce now. Baltkran not only survived the transformation
from the socialist planned economy to a market economy but, having consolidated,
we have carried out a thorough reorganization of the enterprise on a
daily basis. Presently, we hold good positions in the niche areas chosen by the
company’s directorship. The period of time referred to in your question is not
that short at all. Everyone has begun from scratch at one time or another. When
our main shareholder – the Noell concern from Germany – obtained our company’s
shares from the government and then realized orders for modern and
complex equipment, it took upon itself the responsibility to share with Baltkran
its long-standing experience in deliveries to large ports.
Which countries prevail among the clients who purchase your products?
Delivery of equipment and complex crane parts is carried out both to
domestic and to foreign markets like: France, Holland, Finland, Germany,
USA, China, India and also Lithuania, Belarus, Kazakhstan and
many more.
Some of your equipment is to be used in severe climate conditions.
How can you assure the safety of its usage?
Ensuring safety is our credo. We are one of the few companies with many
years of experience in delivering lifting equipment to areas with critically low
temperatures (down to 60°C) in Eastern and Western Siberia, Iakutia, and beyond
the Arctic Circle. What is more, we have had a large number of positive
replies from our clients. And we have no less experience in delivering products
to regions with sumptuous and long-lasting annual atmospheric fall, in
particular snowfall, strong storm winds and others. The crate-like construction
of cranes ensures stability when hurricane winds set in and it also prevents
the snow from accumulating. For this purpose, a specially constructed
spreader was designed, whose gripping devices are placed on top thereby allowing
to grip the container without fail and in a reliable manner even with
a huge snow-drift on it. In seismic sensitive areas, special technological solutions
have been implemented which ensure the stability of equipment also in
case of an earthquake of 7 degrees on the Richter scale.
How do your products meet present ecological standards?
First of all, we produce equipment which does not require the use of diesel
oil. Our cranes and even the separate crane parts are operated with
the use of electrical power. This is why, we only use electrical spreaders
instead of the hydraulic ones for reloading containers. The use of noiseless
operating systems is yet another important factor, which enables
our cranes to be operated in terminals located in inhabited areas.
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It seems like Baltkran benefited a lot from the Russian extractive
industry boom. Is your development strategy focused more on cooperation
with existing clients from that branch or are you searching
for new customers?
In the wake of the dynamic growth in the Russian economy within
the last decades, such branches as the oil and gas industries, black and
colour metallurgy, transport and others have much developed. Currently,
one can observe a real increase in the number of new production
plants in Russia and in the modernization of the already existing
ones, which naturally entails additional investments in equipment and
technology. The majority of our clients are big players on the global
markets like Lukoil, Surgutneftegas, Gazprom, RŽD, Atomstroiexport.
They have established stable and partner relations with us over
the period of many years. At the same time, the circle of our clients
has steadily been growing with new companies both from Russia and
abroad – Stal, NCC, Alrosa (based at the river port of Ust-Kut), companies
from Kazakhstan, Germany… We believe others will follow.
Taking into account further seaports’ dynamic development, in
what direction should the equipment and services offered on the
market evolve?
One can characterize all the tendencies related to the development of
the lifting equipment market by saying that it is ‘maximum efficiency
and minimum loss’ in the area of exploitation that is being sought
after. This also means that technology should be reliable, repairable,
economical, and that it should have a high working capacity. In the
countries where the level of technical culture is high – the USA, Germany,
Holland and others – the working force is costly and hence a
fully automated operating system will be preferred there. Naturally,
there will be more pressure for keeping up with ecological and safety
standards as far as materials and equipment are concerned.
Aleksandra Wiśniewska