Press Release

 Ref: PRCSH118 

Date: 2nd March 2017

Major investment reinforces Port of Garston as North West gateway

High resolution image for download

Investment in the world's largest hydraulic crane is set to improve the strategic economic importance of the Port of Garston and reinforce its position as a gateway to the North West of England. 

Associated British Ports (ABP) is committed to driving growth at Garston and the decision to introduce award-winning crane technology, now fully operational on the River Mersey's north bank, will enhance the port's cargo handling capabilities. The new machine is part of a £6million investment in equipment across five of its facilities and underpins ABP's wider £1billion programme of improvements designed to support customers with innovative logistics solutions.

Weighing in at more than 280 tonnes, the Mantsinen 200M is the largest material handler of its type and, in a first for ABP, is the first to go into service in the UK.

Carl Bevan,ABP's Divisional Port Manager at Garston, said: "We are expanding our operation at the Port of Garston and the new crane will play a key part in our development strategy, enabling us to derive key operating efficiencies while simultaneously opening up opportunities in new sectors. Ultimately, our aim is to offer an enhanced service with greater flexibility to customers across the North West."

Supplied by Cooper Specialised Handling, the UK's largest independent provider of equipment and materials handling solutions to port and rail freight terminals, the Mantsinen 200M has been built to meet specific requirements at Garston. Faster turnaround times, along with the crane's ability to handle a wider variety of goods, have brought significant cargo handling improvements to the port, which is now able to load/unload any vessel that can pass through the on-site lock.

Contributing £241million to the regional economy and supporting 3,582 local jobs, the 65-acre Port of Garston handles around 500,000 tonnes of cargo annually, including metals, forest products and agribulks. Along with two steel coil stores totalling 2,500 sq m, the port has a bulk scrap metal export facility for short-sea and deep-sea shipments, 7,000 sq m of conventional covered storage and a dedicated import terminal for cement. For dry bulks the Port of Garston offers 10,000 sq m of common-user flat-stores and 6,000 sq m of segregated storage with duty-free approval from HM Revenue & Customs.

The Mantsinen 200M crane now fully operational at the Port of Garston is the fourth machine supplied by Cooper Specialised Handling to ABP in a series of contracts totalling £6million. Mantsinen equipment is already in service at ABP facilities in Teignmouth, Swansea and King's Lynn, while further equipment is scheduled to arrive at the Port of Ipswich at the end of February.
 
Caption: The world's largest hydraulic crane, a Mantsinen 200M, is now in operation at ABP's Port of Garston. 

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Editor's Notes

Cooper Handling Group operates in all sectors of lifting and materials handling across the UK and Ireland. Cooper Specialised Handling is its heavy handling division and is the exclusive UK distributor for Meclift and Sany equipment, sole importer and distributor for Mantsinen cranes and a specialist in Konecranes lift trucks. The company has a specialist aftersales division, Cooper Handling Solutions, while Cooper Materials Handling specialises in industrial forklift trucks and is the UK distributor for the Maximal brand.  Independently owned, Cooper offers total solutions for forklifts from 6 to 60 metric tonnes and a complete range of hydraulic cranes for solid and bulk handling. It provides high quality, high value products and reliable service to customers who operate in the toughest sectors across freight, ports, inter-modal terminals and other heavy lifting industries, together with a broad range of industrial materials handling applications from manufacturing to distribution.

Media contact:

Martine Layland

CHANGEWORKS Communications Limited
t: + 44 (0) 1785 247588
e: mlayland@changeworkscom.co.uk

Company contact:

Natasha Barnes

Business Development Manager

Cooper SH Limited
Holly Farm Business Park
Honiley
Kenilworth
Warwickshire
CV8 1NP
United Kingdom

Tel: 01926 658900
email:natasha@cooperhandling.com

W:www.cooperhandling.com