multifunctional powerhouse - Mercedes Benz

4 NEWS • UNIMOG 2 • 2010
Meals on two axles
At Stockholm Airport, caterer Gate Gourmet delivers its meals to the aircraft using the Econic. For good reasons.
Luggage loading and unloading, refuelling, cleaning, catering
– with so much going on, it’s important to keep a clear view.
The panorama window of the Econic is a big help.
Undemanding yet tough
International caterer Gate Gourmet supplies leading airlines such
as SAS and Delta with between 8,000 and 12,000 meals a day at
Arlanda Airport in Stockholm. To ensure just-in-time delivery of the
portioned, packed and trolley-stacked meals, plus drinks, duty-free
goods and accessories to the aircraft on the nearby apron, Gate
Gourmet relies on the Econic. The 10 low-floor units which have
been serving the airport in this way since 2008 easily fit beneath all
low passage-ways around the terminals. As a further benefit, the
inward-opening front passenger door and the panorama window
provide the necessary all-round visibility for the drivers when
manoeuvring directly beneath the aircraft.
The Mallaghan lift trucks mounted on the base units are capable
of lifting a load capacity of 4,000 kilograms up to 5.70 metres. The
refrigerated containers are manoeuvred directly to the aircraft doors
for loading and unloading at the press of a button. Another comfort
feature for drivers is the low entry and exit facility, thanks to the
low-level cab floor. All in all, the Econic is a key factor in helping to
ensure that air travellers flying from Arlanda will not be hungry
when they arrive at their destination. r
In exploring for new oil fields in Jordan, all-wheel vehicles from Mercedes-Benz are handling the tough jobs.
They are undemanding, robust and can be deployed (almost)
anywhere – just like the camels which are traditionally kept as
beasts of burden around the region. All-wheel vehicles from
Mercedes-Benz were the first
choice when oil company Josco, a
Jordanian-registered subsidiary
of Shell, set about putting
together a vehicle fleet to assist
in exploring and exploiting new
fields. What is special about this
arrangement is that it represents
the first time ever that Shell has
run such a fleet under its own
management, having previously
relied on subcontractors.
To handle the extreme conditions
encountered in the Jordanian
desert a range of different
models are deployed, in a wide variety of configurations – primarily
from the Zetros and Actros series. While the Zetros trucks are
deployed to supply the various camps with equipment and material,
the mobile drilling rigs are
mounted on four-axled Actros
trucks. The Unimog, which is
scheduled to join the beigeliveried
Josco desert fleet shortly,
will provide specialist equipment
to assist in handling of the pipes
being sunk into the bore holes. r
Actros, Zetros (see photo) and
Unimog units are working under
extreme conditions exploiting
new oil fields in the Jordanian desert.