First Sennebogen 880 in North America in Service at Charleston Midstream Transfer Facility
April 2008
CHARLESTON, SC - The first SENNEBOGEN 880 sold in North America has been named "Big Jack" in honor of the late Jack Maybank Sr. (1942-2007), the Charleston trade and shipping entrepreneur who played an instrumental role in bringing the 880 to his company's Charleston Bulk Transfer Pier. The massive 310,000 lb. SENNEBOGEN 880 with its unique elevating cab is thought to be one the largest hydraulically-operated material handling machines of its kind in North America and has been in service at the Charleston operations since October 2007.
"Taking on the Charleston Bulk Transfer (CBT) project that necessitated the purchase of the 880 was a big leap for Maybank Industries," according to Turner Fabian, Vice President of Operation. Jack Maybank Jr., and Fabian, son-in-law of Jack Maybank Sr, along with Maybank Sr. brought the project to fruition. Maybank Sr. was given some SENNEBOGEN literature in the early planning stages of the project and the partnership between the two companies took shape.
SENNEBOGEN 880 is "scary fast"
"Everything SENNEBOGEN promised the 880 could do, it does - and more!" exclaims Fabian. "Its productivity is limitless. It's fast, it's smooth. It's scary fast." So fast in fact that the facility had to have the 880 dialed back a bit since it was running faster than they were used to with their SENNEBOGEN 870.
After high-grade coal from Columbia and Venezuela is discharged from the ocean ships, it is moved by barge 10 miles upriver to the Charleston Bulk Transfer Pier. Once there, it is discharged onto a conveyor system using the SENNEBOGEN 880.
"'Big Jack' is equipped with a 12-yard bucket to discharge the coal from the barges to a 22.5 ft. high hopper with a diameter of 21 ft., a pretty small target for a bucket that opens to 15 ft.," says Fabian. The 880 completes a cycle every 23 seconds. "We could go much faster if we were just going into a pile, but there is no allowance for spillage," according to Fabian.
The pier and 880 were designed and built to work together for maximum efficiency and productivity. The roomy hydraulic elevating cab with its excellent all-round visibility, unique to SENNEBOGEN machines of this size, is key and an important part of safety on the site.
"Having a bird's eye view with the elevating cab lets us get our bearings on the hopper. The SENNEBOGEN 880 and pier are a perfect fit," says Fabian
Development of the Charleston Bulk Transfer Project
With their wealth of experience in shipping and operations, the CBT brain trust knew they would have to purchase reliable heavy-duty high-capacity material handling machinery to transfer an estimated average of 10,000 tons of coal a day when a ship came into port. After a trial run using a converted excavator proved to be unsatisfactory, Maybank Sr. turned to SENNEBOGEN for suggestions. He was already aware of the company, having literally watched the machines moving by his office window on their way up river to delivery to future homes. Enter Briggs Construction Equipment, a SENNEBOGEN dealer with offices in Charleston.
Stuart Kay, the local Briggs Sales Representative in Charleston recognized Maybank's needs. "A digging machine was not what they needed. SENNEBOGEN machines are made for lifting, not digging," says Kay "This is what these machines do," he recalls telling the Maybank people.
The project's needs dictated what size of machine would be required. and since the project would be wholly dependent on the one machine, accessible parts and reliable service were major requirements. Briggs showed Maybank some smaller SENNEBOGEN 850 and 870 machines at work, but after reviewing the project description, both dealer and purchaser realized that a bigger machine was needed. Although it was still on the drawing board at the time, Briggs convinced the Maybank people that an 880 would fit the bill.
"We know this is what you need," Kay recalls telling the Maybank people. "That and a promise of reliable service and availability of parts made the 880 an attractive proposal."
In depth meetings between Jack Maybank Jr. and Helen Maybank, and Erich Sennebogen, Managing Director of SENNEBOGEN GmbH and Constantino Lannes, President of SENNEBOGEN America, took place in Germany, and the deal began to take shape.
Discussions revolved around both diesel-powered and an electrically powered machine. Because Jack Maybank Sr. was an innovator and someone who liked to do things differently, he was initially intrigued by the idea of an electrically-driven 880, a unique SENNEBOGEN feature, but settled on a diesel-driven machine. Confident that the 880 would be of the same quality as the smaller machines they had seen in action, CBT placed its order in September 2006 and delivery followed in October 2007.
Turner Fabian jokes about the massive size of the 880. "It is not just a notch bigger than the 870; it is more than twice its size," he exclaims.
Setup of the 880 took 2 ½ days and another 3 ½ days were needed for fine-tuning. Once setup was complete, the 880 went into service immediately, replacing the 870 they had been using since June 2007. The folks at CBT couldn't be happier.
"I like the work the Briggs technicians do - they work 24/7. Staying productive with the machine simplifies my life. SENNEBOGEN has trusted Briggs and so do we - the SENNEBOGEN 880 is unstoppable!" says an appreciative Fabian.
"Having the SENNEBOGEN lets me sleep. I'm an operations guy; it's my job to worry. It makes me feel good when a ship comes in. This is something the SENNEBOGEN family can be proud of too," says Turner.
Sidebar:
Jack Maybank Sr. - Entrepreneur and Innovator
And what of the late Jack Maybank Sr, the man who spearheaded the Charleston Bulk Transfer project and after whom the CBT 880 is named?
"'Big Jack' was a true entrepreneur. He loved life, loved work and he was an innovator in the industry. Of the unproven 880, he said if the 850s and 870s work, this will work. This project was all his - we just helped him put it together in the background," say Jack Jr. and Fabian.
Indeed, just like SENNEBOGEN, the career of Jack Maybank Sr. was one of "Leading Through Innovation."
About the Charleston Midstream Transfer Facility
The Charleston Midstream Transfer Facility is a cutting edge midstream terminal located on the Cooper River in Charleston, South Carolina. The terminal specializes in the movement of dry bulk and breakbulk cargoes for those shippers and receivers that have special needs for the shipping and delivery of their commodities.
Inquiries: turner.fabian@maybankindustries.com
About SENNEBOGEN
SENNEBOGEN has been a leading name in the global material handling industry for more than 50 years. Based in Charlotte, North Carolina, SENNEBOGEN America offers a complete range of purpose-built machines to suit virtually any heavy lift or "pick & carry" application. A growing network of distributors supports SENNEBOGEN sales and service across the Americas, ensuring the highest standard of professional machine support and parts availability.
For more information on the full line of SENNEBOGEN green line material handlers, contact:
Constantino Lannes, President SENNEBOGEN LLC 2835 Jeff Adams Dr., Charlotte, NC 28206 Call toll free: 1-877-309-0099 or fax (704) 347-8894 E-mail - sales@sennebogenllc.com Visit the web site at www.sennebogen-na.com
Company Information: Name: Sennebogen North America Address: 2830 North I-85 Service Road, Suite H City: Charlotte State: NC ZIP: 28206 Country: USA Phone: 877-309-0099 FAX: 704-347-8894 http://www.sennebogen-na.com
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