Steel haulage company IJmond relies on Kögel STEELFIX
Six flatbed semitrailers with a variable stanchion system delivered /
First ever securing method for concrete steel mats, pipes and steel plates to conform to standards
Hansjürgen Beck, Kögel sales manager for Western Europe (left), hands over six new trailers with the STEELFIX stanchion system to Ijmond fleet manager Rinus Bekkernens.
The IJmond Transport Groep, with its headquarters in Beverwijk near Amsterdam in the Netherlands, has recently taken delivery of six new Kögel Cargo-MAXX flatbed semitrailers which are fully equipped with the new STEELFIX load securing system. The haulage firm specialises in transporting steel products and raw materials for steel production and regularly transports goods from German steel producers to the Netherlands. Fleet manager Rinus Bekkernens cites the improvement in safety and the time saved when securing the load as the key arguments in favour of purchasing the STEELFIX-equipped vehicles. "We are thus one of the first steel transporters in Europe in a position to secure concrete steel mats, steel plates and pipes quickly and reliably in compliance with the VDI 2700 load securing standard. And for the first time with a TÜV certificate as well". Furthermore, the vehicles are supplied ex-works with a general certificate of exemption in accordance with §70 of the road traffic approval regulations, which is required for transporting extra-wide loads in Germany. Kögel is currently the only manufacturer that offering semitrailers with a certified securing system for concrete steel mats and other long materials ex-works.
The IJmond Transport Groep was founded in 1984 as an amalgamation of two transport cooperatives and today is one of the largest steel haulage companies in Europe. In addition to standard and coil trailers, the extensive IJmond fleet includes around 100 flatbed trailers for transporting concrete steel mats, steel plates, pipes and machine components. In addition to a high degree of flexibility and transport quality, the IJmond Transport Groep focuses above all on safety, reliability and innovation in the interests of its customers.
The company is also among the leaders in its sector when it comes to the technology of its vehicles. It is therefore no surprise that IJmond is the first transport company in the Netherlands to use the innovative Kögel STEELFIX load securing system for its steel transportation services.
The Kögel STEELFIX system is specifically mentioned in a new loading guideline from the German Haulage, Logistics and Waste Disposal Federation (BGL) as one of three possible systems for securing concrete steel mats in accordance with the standard. The Kögel variable stanchion system is also the only method to utilise positive locking. The advantage: Only a few manual operations are required to correctly secure the cargo – a process which is completed in compliance with the standard in around 30 minutes, more than twice as fast as conventional securing with lashing straps. But that's not all: The stanchion technology used enables the transportation of loads that are not only 30 centimetres wider, but also up to 30 centimetres higher than those in the other securing solutions recommended in the guideline – and with an extra tonne of payload.
STEELFIX consists of four to six bearing supports that are transversely mounted across the trailer platform and bolted to the standard VARIOFIX outer frame. At the outer end of each there is a stanchion pocket and also four lashing rings, each rated at four tonnes tensile load. The bearing supports can be pulled out to the side, so that the stanchion pockets for all the insert stakes can be adjusted to unobstructed widths between 2.00 metres and 3.30 metres. In addition to the movable stanchions, the securing system also has stanchion pockets in the neck section and in the centre of the vehicle for securing to the front, as well as lateral wire rope winches, suitable wire ropes and the corresponding heavy duty straps. To secure in accordance with the standard, all that's required apart from the front and side stanchions are two 16 mm wire ropes braced diagonally at the rear and three tie-down lashings for each steel mat package using wire ropes or straps.
Source: Press report Kögel 20-02-2009 |
