Kazakhstan Aluminium Smelter (“KAS”), part of Eurasian Resources Group (“ERG”), has purchased new specialised equipment for moving its aluminium storage containers, which has made the process of transporting products both faster and safer.
Before purchasing the new container loader, the company used a crane to move storage containers that held up to 25 tonnes of aluminium. 90% of aluminium produced at the plant is transported using these containers. Whilst the crane coped with previous volumes, it has become necessary to move heavier cargo of up to 30 tonnes at the site. The new reach-stacker equipment at KAS is able to cope with loads of up to 45 tonnes.
One of the primary advantages of the new equipment is its manoeuvrability, as it is fitted with wheels that can rotate by up to 90 degrees and the operator’s cab can be adjusted forwards or backwards to maintain a safe distance from the cargo. It has a reach of over 15 metres, making it easy to stack up to three containers on top of one another, and is fitted with a variety of sensors to help carry out loading and deloading operations.
Serik Donbekbaev, President of Kazakhstan Aluminium Smelter, noted: “The purchase of this equipment is very timely, as KAS has almost entirely switched to using storage containers. Last year, we increased aluminium exports to Europe to 218 thousand tonnes of aluminium. Customer focus is one of the main components of success, and the new equipment will be indispensable in speeding up the process of loading and transporting containers to our customers.”
Adilbek Isabaev, master mechanic at KAS’ transport department, commented: “The container loader has a system against tipping, that is, it has full control over the load. In the event that it becomes overloaded, or detects small irregularities in the roughness of the surface or similar, the machine will automatically lock and go into emergency mode.”
Kazakhstan Aluminium Smelter is updated every year with new special equipment models. This year, the enterprise will also be modernised with an anode mass transporter and modern forklifts.