ONE of the largest steel producers in the Middle East has been relying on Sennebogen mobile cranes to help it transport 6,200 tonnes of steel coils and bundles daily over the past year.

Since the beginning of 2013, two mobile Sennebogen 640 M machines have been working at Al Ezz Dekheila Steel Company (EZDK) in Alexandria, Egypt, to help it load its products safely and efficiently.

Founded in 1982, the company is the leading steel producer in Egypt and one of the largest in the world with an annual production of three million tonnes. An average of 2,800 tonnes of steel coil and 3,400 tonnes of bundles leave the plant daily.

The steel coils are loaded using a magnet system fitted to the two new Sennebogen mobile cranes.

“The machines were factory-equipped with a 25-kW magnet system including a 220-V generator. To satisfy the most rigorous safety criteria of the client, a total of 18 batteries were also installed, in order to maintain the magnetic holding force for up to 15 minutes if the need arises,” says a spokesman for Sennebogen.

“This feature had been built for the first time in a mobile crane worldwide,” he adds.

Thanks to the new machine concept, the firm was able to increase productivity by 20 per cent within a short time. The two 640 mobile cranes load the steel coils, each weighing two tonnes, for nearly 10 hours a day.

“The machines are in operation at 30 cycles per hour – a stress trial for man and machine,” the spokesman says.

“The executives and operators at EZDK have particular praise for the HD mobile undercarriage and the robust design of the crane boom that withstand even the highest stress levels.

The stable design of the duty cycle crane, combined with the high level of mobility on the entire production facility, makes the machines unique and superior to other solutions.”

For the drivers, the comfortable Maxcab and the intuitive and easy operability are among the special advantages.

Sennebogen was able to provide the perfect machine to meet this challenge in close collaboration with the local service and sales partner, the Egyptian Company for Engineering Equipment (3e), the spokesman says.

Additional machines of this type have already been ordered by the company with a modified magnet system that allows the crane to handle the steel bundles in addition to the coil system – creating a new version in the mobile crane application.