Hyster and Port of Everett Celebrate Delivery of Tier 4 Final Reachstackers

Hyster Company along with the Port of Everett, Washington, recently celebrated the delivery of three Tier 4 Final Hyster RS46-36 Reachstackers. The new Reachstackers will be used to help increase capacity, throughput and uptime, as well as to support the port’s forward-thinking environmental goals. The Port of Everett is one of the first ports in the U.S. to employ Tier 4 Final equipment in its operations.

Representatives from the Port of Everett, International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) local 32, Hyster Company and Hyster dealer, Papé Material Handling, were present for the event, which was also attended by Port of Everett partners and key customers.

A deep-water port located 25 miles north of Seattle, the Port of Everett specializes in over-dimensional break-bulk cargo and serves a critical function in support of the manufacturing and construction base.

The Port of Everett is served by the Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) railroad and plays a vital role in support of the local aerospace industry, handling 100% of the oversized oceangoing parts for the 747, 767, K46 Tanker and 777(X) airplane programs. As a result, Everett’s custom district was ranked first in the state of Washington, with more than $22.7 billion in exports in 2013, according to the U.S. Customs and Foreign Trade Division.

“Hyster big trucks play a critical role in moving cargo through ports across the country and the world,” said Brett Schemerhorn, president, Big Truck Americas, Hyster Company. “We not only understand the needs of port operations, but work very closely with our customers and prospects to understand their unique preferences and requirements to create and deliver the optimum products for their needs.”

Hyster reachstackers were selected through a competitive request for proposal (RFP) process led by port officials and an outside consultant. Once selected, Seattle-based Hyster dealer, Papé Material Handling, worked closely with the port and Hyster’s engineering and testing groups to facilitate the sale, and ensure the cargo handling capabilities met the port’s specifications.

Because the Port of Everett handles a significant amount of break-bulk, including odd-sized/shaped containers and extremely valuable and sensitive cargo, they required high duty, high capacity equipment proven to accommodate non-standard cargo and customizable to meet their specific needs. The Hyster team tested the reachstackers to ensure that they could maintain capacity with varying positions, attachments and centers of gravity.

“In 2015, the Port of Everett will handle more than 500,000 tons of break-bulk cargo and more than 20,000 TEUs (20-foot equivalent units) in containers, so our ability to use these trucks to handle high, heavy, break-bulk and containerized cargo is critical to our ability to support the aerospace, mining, energy, agriculture and forest product industries,” said Carl Wollebek, chief operating officer, Port of Everett.

“We requested several special engineering features, including additional lifting eyes on the spreader to efficiently handle break-bulk cargo,” Wollebek added. “We also added cameras to allow operators to visualize locking points on specialized oversized aerospace containers, an additional back up monitor and LED lights to improve safety. Hyster and Papé were able to meet our schedule, delivering the equipment quickly and cost-effectively. We now have three more environmentally-friendly and efficient ReachStackers perfectly suited to our facility.”

The Hyster RS46-36 reachstacker offers more flexibility, and is available in both container handling (CH) and intermodal handling (IH) versions for high density container stacking applications, up to five-high and three-rows deep. The truck is designed to achieve maximum space utilization on container terminals, thanks to outstanding maneuverability, superior handling speeds and unrestricted stacking capabilities.

Other features include class leading lifting speeds for maximum productivity, sliding ComfortCab II cab for excellent comfort and all-round visibility, and high-performance powertrain with a built-in engine protection system. The reachstacker is capable of stacking five-high containers in the first row and has a first-row capacity of 101,000 pounds at four high.

The Hyster team tested the reachstackers to ensure that they could maintain capacity with varying positions, attachments and centers of gravity.

“While the quality of the Hyster brand carried a lot of weight with the Port of Everett, they were also very concerned with parts availability, service and support,” said John Parisi, big truck specialist, Papé Material Handling. “Papé’s technicians and mechanics worked closely with port mechanics and Hyster service and test engineers to suggest and supply excellent stock inventory for their dealership and consignment inventory for the dock. Our ability to offer a tough and reliable product paired with unsurpassed support after the sale put Hyster and Papé on top.”