Kalmar Signs Pact with Patrick Terminals
Kalmar, the provider of cargo-handling solutions and services to ports and terminals, has concluded a comprehensive software maintenance and support agreement with Australian terminal operator Patrick Terminals.
The agreement, which covers the equipment automation systems at the company’s Brisbane and Sydney AutoStrad terminals, was booked in Cargotec's 2019 Q4 order intake, with the agreement coming into effect from November 2019, said the Cargotec unit.
Patrick Terminals is Australia's leading container terminal operator, handling over three million TEU annually. The company operates some of Australia's most technologically advanced terminals at four strategically located ports: Brisbane AutoStrad Terminal, Sydney AutoStrad Terminal, East Swanson Dock Terminal in Melbourne and Fremantle Container Terminal in Western Australia.
Patrick Terminals' equipment fleet currently includes over 120 manual and automated Kalmar straddle carriers. Kalmar has supplied the software used to operate the 78 automated machines operating at the Brisbane and Sydney terminals, and has been supporting Patrick Terminals with software maintenance and support services since 2012. Since then, the two companies have collaborated closely to continuously improve the technology.
Under the new agreement, Kalmar will provide software maintenance and support including 24/7 on-call service. The agreement also covers all other aspects of the automation solution including platform compatibility, continuous improvement and optimisation, issue corrections and overall lifetime care of the solution. The services will be delivered via the Kalmar APAC customer support team based in Sydney.
Michael Houen, National Automation Manager, Patrick Terminals said: “Partnering with Kalmar gives us continuity of support for our mission-critical automation technology, providing a solid base to continuously improve our operational productivity and reduce operational costs.”
Mika Seppä, Senior Director, Customer and Project Services, Kalmar said: “With this agreement Patrick Terminals will be able to further enhance what is already a world-class automation solution to achieve higher levels of operational efficiency with lower operating costs. We have developed a highly successful partnership over the past seven years and are looking forward to making even bigger strides forward together in the future.”