Barbados Port Inc

Barbados Port Inc and Kalmar - building an eco-efficient future togetherk

Barbados Port Inc (BPI) and Kalmar have enjoyed a long and extremely fruitful collaboration. For most of his career at Barbados Port Inc, Divisional Manager, Operations, Ian Stewart, has worked with Kalmar equipment. BPI most recently welcomed a suite of new machines to its fleet, including two latest-generation hybrid-straddle carriers.

The Port of Bridgetown, managed by Barbados Port Inc (BPI), is a full-service seaport and its marine terminal handles all major categories of cargo including containers; liquid, dry and break bulk; and vehicles. About 95% of the goods consumed on the island pass through the port.

“Passion is at the heart of everything we do; it drives the team forward and inspires us to provide top-notch service to our customers,” Stewart says. “Our strategic location, coupled with our focus on efficiency, reliability and exemplary customer service positions allow us to be the focal point in the region, and we have won numerous Port of the Year awards from the Caribbean Shipping Association, to prove it. He adds: “Of course, our state-of-the-art equipment plays a vital role in our continuing success. I have known Kalmar since my time as an apprentice mechanic, so I’ve been working with their machines for more than three decades.”

Rising to the challenge

Although the Covid-19 pandemic has had a huge impact on the maritime industry, Stewart is keen to emphasize that he and his team saw a lot of positives too. “Timescales were thrown up in the air, and most of our medium-to-long-term plans quickly became critical issues that needed more immediate attention,” he highlights.

“We’ve implemented several new digital systems to enable us to provide excellent service to customers even when they can’t physically come to the port. Regardless of Covid, our drivers remain the same: we are customer-focused first and foremost. Our vision is to be the most innovative, green maritime hub in the world by 2030. In order to reach this ambitious target, we need to reduce our carbon footprint, which means using hybrid or fully electric equipment, adopting innovative processes and automation and looking closely at our efficiencies and how to optimize our operations in different areas.” Stewart sums up in simple terms why his organization has relied on Kalmar equipment and services for such a long time: “It’s about value for money. We look to procure equipment that is cutting edge, has synergy with our brand and strategic direction, and which is backed up by solid support from the manufacturer.”

Kalmar – the heart of the fleet

The first Kalmar straddle carrier arrived at the Port of Bridgetown in 1985, and the fleet now has nine of them. “That first machine is still in great working order after 36 years,” Stewart says. At the close of 2020, the Port’s equipment fleet was expanded to include two Kalmar hybrid straddle carriers and four fully electric forklifts as part of a capital investment program to modernize and enhance competitiveness and enable more eco-efficient operations.

“Whenever we make new investments, we are looking to add value to our business. With Kalmar we look beyond the price tag – we have chosen to continue with them based on the excellent quality of their solutions,” highlights Stewart. “We need a supplier who is easy to communicate with and who has invested in services, particularly parts and the associated logistics services given where we are in the world.”

To future-proof their operations, all the new Kalmar straddle carriers purchased by BPI are automation ready and the organization is investigating how best to take advantage of Kalmar's digital service offering – for example as part of its terminal operating system – to help optimize equipment usage.

Electrifying performance

“The Kalmar electric forklifts have helped our drivers immensely. The cab is a comfortable, quiet working environment, the machines have excellent speed and agility, and their reliability is much higher than comparable diesel hydraulic machines,” explains Stewart. “And of course, they reduce our operating costs by eliminating fuel costs.”The forklifts will be used in break-bulk operations to handle cargo such as steel, cement and lumber.

As for the new Kalmar hybrid straddle carriers, many of the same advantages apply, according to Stewart: “The straddles are comfortable, agile, and far friendlier to the environment. I hear plenty of positive feedback particularly about how quiet the machines are.”

Johnny Medrandra, Sales Manager, Central America & Caribbean, concurs: “Switching to hybrid straddles slashes fuel costs, a key factor in a market like Barbados where fuel is expensive to import from overseas. It can also transform a terminal’s sustainability performance, saving up to 50 tonnes of CO2 emissions per machine per year.”

He adds: “Our electric forklifts provide the same level of performance as powerful diesel machines but without the emissions, noise or vibration.

”They include a time-saving diagnostic system and our fully adjustable, ergonomic EGO cabin. We’re proud to be able to say that they are the first electrically powered forklift trucks we have delivered to a container terminal in the Caribbean or Latin America. We’ve built an excellent relationship with Ian Stewart and his team, and our service experts are always available to support the port with any issues that may arise.”

A bright future lies ahead

Digital innovations and innovative add-ons for systems and equipment will have an important role to play in the future of Barbados Port – a future in which Kalmar is set to feature heavily.

“We are very interested in seeing how the latest cutting-edge digital innovations from Kalmar can help us to fine-tune and optimize our operations moving forward, in terms of both our Kalmar and non-Kalmar equipment. The next big steps will be beginning our automation journey with Kalmar’s help and integrating all our equipment into our terminal operating system. This integration will give us a real-time overview of key parameters like fuel consumption, equipment status, driver performance, and so on. This is the future for our terminal, and we are ready to take our first steps into that future with Kalmar,” Stewart concludes.