Schottel Invests in New Crane System for Wismar Manufacturing Facility
SchottelGmbH Wismar has invested neary $615,000 in a new crane system, a system designed to provide faster and more efficient production process, replacing an old system from 1979.
Its two new cranes are double-girder overhead travelling cranes with a load bearing capacity of 50 tonnes each, representing an approximate 10 tonnes more load bearing capacity. “The Wismar subsidiary focuses on the development and assembly of propulsion units for special purpose vessels. Nowadays, these vessels are designed with larger dimensions and more power, which has an impact on the project planning for the propulsion units and their production. There has been an enormous change in this area over the past few decades,” said Dr. Michael Potts. "This acquisition makes us more efficient and is an investment to ensure our site remains competitive in the future. The current order situation confirms just that.”
The new crane system at Schottel features synchronous mode, meaning that the hoist, crab and crane trolleys can be controlled individually or synchronously by radio transmitter. This special equipment makes it possible to transport very heavy, long loads safely through the production hall, to turn them and to position them with precision in machine tools.
At the Wismar site, which has a 15,000-square-meter production area, Schottel GmbH produces large-scale and extendible rudder propellers and controllable pitch propellers. The latter can achieve outputs up to 30,000 kW and propeller diameters up to 8 meters. Wismar has also established itself as an important service location.