Having a chat with…Interporto Padova
Today we are going to tell you the story of Interporto Padova, an Italian freight village who chose our Rock Grip Port Industrial (IND4) for their reach stackers.
We are continuing our world tour in search of user recounts and actual stories for our readers. We’ve visited quarries, construction sites, fields and farms, and we’re not stopping now! Today, we are on our way to Padua, Italy, to meet with a very special company: Interporto Padova Spa. “Interporto” means freight village. Over the last 40 years - just as its name implies - the company has been managing activities in connection with the freight village of Padua, Italy.
Let’s carry on…what exactly is a freight village?
It is a set of infrastructure links between different means of transport, connecting industrial areas and seaports, facilitating the distribution of goods. A freight village provides integrated logistical services to companies like haulage contractors and couriers that ship goods around the world. Freight villages provide numerous facilities including storage and logistics warehouses, cargo handling services, storage, picking, sorting of goods, packaging, international consulting and customs assistance.
"Our business is nothing short of frenetic,” according to Sergio Giordani, president of Interporto of Padua. “To give you an idea of what we do: our facility stretches over two million square meters where there are warehouses (standard and temperature controlled), offices, railway terminals as well as goods sorting and handling terminals. We handle approximately 250,000 TEUs a year, or in other words, more than 4 million tons of goods."
Let’s analyze the practical side: how are these goods handled?
"Basically, we are talking about rail containers that are loaded/unloaded by means of our 15 reach stackers, which, for each job, run on average 1.2 kilometers at a peak speed of 25 km/h, with a full container raised to about 5 m in height, totaling in weight from 115 to 130 tons.” Not bad, right?
What features do your vehicles absolutely have to have?
Without a doubt, the mechanics and hydraulics of the vehicles are important in terms of performance and reliability. But these are fixed components - lifting capacity, pressure of hydraulic systems and lifting height - that depend on the vehicle features.
Instead, the varying elements that make a real difference are the tires. For this job, they must be reliable and durable.
Well, Interport Padova has chosen the BKT Rock Grip Port Industrial (IND4) tire in size 18.00-33 for their reach stackers.
The Rock Grip Port Industrial is a cross-ply tire, specially developed for container handling. It is actually able to withstand the constant stress of transporting heavy loads over short and frequent trips. Let's have a look its features:
- The special tread compound is designed to resist heat, stress, tears and abrasions;
- The ultra-deep tread lengthens the life of the tire, increasing productivity for your company;
- Its cross-ply casing structure allows for excellent stability and resistance - essential features when transporting heavy loads, as in the case of container handling.
How are BKT tires working out for you?
Fortunato Lai, the Interporto maintenance and workshop manager, explains that in order to equip their stackers handling full containers, they had to look for a cross-ply tire. "For now, the Rock Grip tires have lived up to the task. They are stable and long lasting, fundamental requirements for us!"
As for performance, what do the equipment operators say? "They are just as satisfied,” says Lai – “vehicles are extra stable and driving comfort is a real bonus for our guys who are on the job every day. To sum it up in a few words, a real success!”
