World-leading recycler, EMR unveils its first electrically-enabled material handler in the UK at Liverpool Alexandra Docks, paving the way for the site to fully transition to renewable power and providing a significant gain in energy productivity.
Weighing around 400 tonnes, the Sennebogen 895e Hybrid dwarfs its predecessor (weighing around 230 tonnes). It can carry up to 15 tonnes of recycled metal with a single grab.
The material handler’s innovative technology also means it delivers an up-to-55 percent increase in energy efficiency. This comes partly from energy recovery on the down movement of the grab and partly from its higher loading rates.
The material handler uses electric drive motors, linked to a diesel generator. In future, once the Liverpool site can be cabled with a permanent power supply to the quaysides, the material handler can switch to renewable power and operate without the use of fossil fuels.
EMR already operates four Sennebogen 880 hybrid material handlers, weighing 280 tonnes each in the Netherlands and is experimenting with a number of electric machines in other operational roles around the world.
The £3 million investment at Liverpool is part of EMR’s Decade of Action on Sustainability, which will ultimately see EMR become net-zero (scope 1, 2 and 3) by 2040. The 38-acre, Liverpool Alexandra Docks site will see further investment during 2021 as it transitions towards a sustainable future.
The material handler was designed and manufactured by German firm Sennebogen and its installation was completed by expert engineers in late January after a period of delay due to the UK’s COVID-19 lockdown restrictions.
The EMR team will now spend the next few months conducting performance analysis as well as time and motion studies of the new material handler before a potential worldwide rollout across EMR’s biggest capacity sites in the UK, EU and US markets.
Scott Bamborough, Area General Manager said:
“Liverpool Alexandra Docks is one of EMR’s flagship UK sites and I am incredibly proud that we are the first UK site to trial this new innovative and sustainable technology. As EMR looks to achieve net-zero by 2040 as part of ‘Our Decade of Action’ strategy, this investment will help our site transition to using 100 percent green energy over its lifespan. The hard work now begins as we understand how this new crane will operate in practice and our team evaluates how its hybrid capabilities and energy efficiency can help reduce the cost-per-tonne of metal handled in our yard.”
