"We will never give up the TLX”

It’s only when you sit in the cab of the actual crane, 12 metres above ground, that you begin to understand what kind of forces are at play. Like a hungry dinosaur, the 8-tonne heavy steel jaws grip the wood chips, another 6 tonnes, then move to a truck in order to deposit their prey. This is when the rattling begins, emptying the jaws, making the little cab we are sitting in vibrate from the power. 

At the bulk harbour in Stockholm you will find a CEJN product installed on their large Mantsinen material handler - the TLX. The TLX is attached to the crane clamshell bucket and is exposed to violent shaking on a daily basis. Despite the extremely rough treatment they undergo these products have remained intact and working perfectly ever since being installed for a field test, and that was over two years ago. “We are never giving them back to you,” laughs Lennart Sandström - Operations Manager, Stockholm Bulkhamn AB.

Stockholm Bulk Harbour Ltd brings the world of bulk trade to the Stockholm region, strategically located close to Sweden’s largest industrial area, 60 km south of the Royal Palace. The port handles and transports approximately 200,000 tonnes of solid biomass fuels annually as well as other bulk goods. They also provide indoor and outdoor storage and delivery of bulk goods according to customer needs. Due to the extremely demanding application involving numerous tool changes, wear and tear to machine parts is substantial. 

“We haven’t needed to change or repair our couplings for over two years!”

- Lennart Sandström, Operations Manager, Stockholms Bulkhamn AB

Need for greater capacity

The working process involves switching between timber grab, plane bucket, poly grip and hook in order to perform different tasks and clean the holds. The bulk harbour previously had a smaller crane, a Volvo 650. “We needed better capacity and therefore invested in a Mantsinen 120,” explains Lennart. But then problems started with the quick-connect coupling from a competitor of CEJN. “It broke down immediately,” he says. Lennart was given a tip by a supplier to switch to the CEJN MultiX, a solution he was told was the best option on the market.With the MultiX they saw an improvement, but it was still too weak for the application and could not cope with all the vibrations and shaking when emptying the clamshell bucket. “It lasted at most for 5,000 tonnes or 1.5 boat loads and then needed to be replaced. You can imagine the cost,” explains Lennart.

CEJN TLX 

At the time CEJN was in the process of developing the new TLX with the tagline: “TLX - The coupling that stands when others will fall”. The bulk harbour was chosen to serve as the ultimate field test for the product. Two years later we find the same couplings still in use on site and working perfectly. CEJN take this as a huge acknowledgment that our TLX is as strong and durable as we were aiming for. And undoubtedly the best confirmation of all and a reminder why we are in this business is a smiling customer refusing to return the products.