Press Release

Ref: PRCSH107
Date: 4^thNov 2016

Teignmouth first to benefit from £6 million investment in port equipment

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An impressive new 90M Hybrilift hydraulic crane is set to boost capacity and improve efficiency at the Associated British Ports (ABP) facility in Teignmouth, Devon.

Designed to enable further growth at the port with minimum impact on the local environment, the crane is currently being installed as part of a series of deals, worth a combined £6 million, between ABP and Cooper Specialised Handling.

It is the first of five Mantsinen hydraulic cranes destined for ABP facilities across the UK over the next few months and all are being supplied and installed by Cooper, arguably the country's largest independent supplier of port equipment.

The investment in the 90M, which provides a larger capacity crane for Teignmouth, coincides with the dredging of the estuary to enable the port to deal with deeper draft vessels. Importantly, in addition to the crane's great capacity, it benefits from a much higher undercarriage to enable the boom to find horizontal with the stick length, providing full reach to the bottom of the deeper vessels. The higher undercarriage also affords for the facility of an intermediate service platform which means the upper carriage can park in any position across its 360 degree rotation with the operator being able to dismount safely.

Tony Rooney, Managing Director at Cooper Specialised Handling, explained: "Despite being the smallest of the new cranes ordered by ABP, the equipment currently on its way to Teignmouth has greater handling scope and is more than capable of handling the wide range of cargo that currently passes through the port, and has the capacity to meet future demands.

"In specifying the equipment, which is wheel mounted for maximum versatility, we worked closely with both management and operators on site to ensure the most effective and efficient solution to their handling needs."

Ball clay is the port's principal traffic, accounting for around half of the 395,000 tonnes of cargo handled in 2015 by the 198 ships that visited Teignmouth. Other dry bulks that pass through on a regular basis include animal feed, grain, stone chippings and timber products, whilst the port's warehouse facilities all have load-bearing walls and are capable of storing virtually any type of cargo.

Andrew Harston, ABP Short Sea Ports Director, said: "This investment in new equipment at Teignmouth is part of our ongoing commitment to offering customers the highest possible standard of services. The crane goes together with our new 600m2 bulk store completed in February and the Teignmouth Harbour Commissioner's investment in channel deepening works to ensure the Port of Teignmouth is fit for the future.

"Throughout the process of specifying the crane, Cooper has worked closely with us to ensure a solution that will improve the efficiency of our loading and unloading operations with minimum impact on the unique local environment."

Caption: New 90M Hybrilift hydraulic crane, which ABP has been delivered to the Port of Teignmouth

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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:

Martin Farrow

CHANGEWORKS Communications Limited
t: + 44 (0) 1785 247588
e: mfarrow@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