Kalmar announced in February 2016 plans to reorganise its operations in Tampere, Finland, and deepen cooperation with the joint venture Rainbow Cargotec Industries (RCI) in China.
The plan is to utilise the successful cooperation model that is already in place in the rubber-tyred gantry (RTG) cranes and extend it to automatic stacking cranes (ASC). According to the plan, Kalmar continues to hold the responsibility for automation and software development, sales, marketing and customer interface, as well as project deliveries of mega projects, while RCI would be responsible for the automatic stacking cranes.
To implement the plans, Kalmar begins cooperation procedure with its personnel in the Automation and Projects division in Tampere, Finland. Based on the company’s initial estimations, the possible personnel implications might lead to the reduction of maximum 35 employees, as well as to temporary layoffs. Automation and software development are not included in the scope of the negotiations. Additionally, this plan does not have an impact on the shuttle and straddle carrier business operations.
“Port automation is in the core of our strategy, and we expect strong growth in this area in the future. That is why we are currently recruiting more software developers here in Tampere. At the same time, we must make sure that we are competitive in the global market. Together with RCI, we have been very successful in delivering Kalmar RTG projects within the set time, budget and Kalmar quality standards as well as to the full satisfaction of the customers. This gives us confidence that a similar cooperation model in ASC business would help us in executing our automation strategy,” says Antti Kaunonen, Senior Vice President, Automation and Projects, Kalmar.
Kalmar employs approximately 300 people in Tampere. Kalmar’s Technology and Competence centre in Tampere includes the industry’s largest port automation test field and world-class facilities and laboratories for prototyping, simulation, testing, monitoring and optimisation.
Kalmar offers the widest range of cargo handling solutions and services to ports, terminals, distribution centres and to heavy industry. Kalmar is the industry forerunner in terminal automation and in energy efficient container handling, with one in four container movements around the globe being handled by a Kalmar solution.
