The Bristol Port Company invest in Sennebogen technology.

The Bristol Port Company was formed in 1991 when entrepreneurs Terence Mordaunt and Sir David Ord purchased the Port of Bristol from Bristol City Council. Since 1991 more than £600 million of private funds have been invested to create a modern, thriving business offering the full range of shipping, distribution, and logistics services.

Royal Portbury Dock
The City of Bristol was built on shipping and the roots of the modern business go back to the 1870s. A constant theme in the development of shipping is that vessels increase in size. Ports need to keep pace with this development and the Port of Bristol is no exception, continual investment has been key to maintain their position as a critical link in the supply chain. With more than 600 people employed directly, there are over 12,000 employed within the dock estate.

Bristol Port offers one of the most cost-effective logistics solutions to its customer base through its ability to manage vessels of up to 130,000 dwt and its proximity to the major population area of the UK with 43 million people within a 250km radius.  The Port has direct access to the strategic road network with junction 18 and 19 on the M5 and rail connections to both Avonmouth and Royal Portbury Dock. 

Bristol Port is a key national asset and a major economic driver for the Southwest region; the company and businesses on the Port Estate contribute more than £1 billion to UK GDP.

With over 3 million tonnes of dry bulk goods and 25% of all UK animal feed imports it is important the port has the handling technology to efficiently cope with this.

Investment in handling capability:
Over the past 10 years there has been significant investment in Sennebogen port handling machinery with two Sennebogen 830E material handlers being supplied 8 months ago and the recent installation and commissioning of a Sennebogen 870E Hybrid with a second 870E to follow immediately.

All these Sennebogen port handling machines have been delivered by the Molson Group, the UK’s largest independent new and used equipment dealer. With a customer focused approach, Molson Group are able to provide clients of all sizes a single source supply option of market leading products.

From 16 locations strategically positioned throughout the UK, their team of over 95 fully trained service engineers and millions of pounds worth of parts, keep the business running.

Dedicated team:
The impressive Sennebogen 870E machines are delivered to the site in separate parts by 6 different trucks and then a specialist “big build” team of Molson engineers assisted by cranes and various equipment assemble the machine which is completed in three weeks. This build is completed by a team led by Matt Green who complete around 10-14 big builds/year including two 895 machines recently commissioned in Liverpool which are the largest machines of their type in the world.

The Sennebogen 870E Hybrid at Bristol Port is supplied with a crawler undercarriage allowing the machine to work in parallel with the vessel and incorporates a 4 metre/cu clamshell grapple which is perfect for handling dry bulk materials. Molson also ensure that the operator understands how to get the absolute best out of the machine when unloading a vessel. The Sennebogen 870E Hybrid has been sold with a Molson service agreement to ensure the machine is kept in perfect condition.

Lucy Ellis CEng, Project Engineer (Procurement), commented, “We have invested in Sennebogen for over 10 years, the German build quality is of a very high-standard and we have had years of reliable service from our fleet of Sennebogen port handlers. It has also been underpinned by our relationship with the Molson Group and their engineering team support which has always been first-class which has been a boom for our machine availability and performance.”

The Sennebogen 870E Hybrid:
Back in 2016 Sennebogen introduced the new 870 material handler for demanding material handling tasks at ports. Since then, numerous machines have proven their worth in applications all over the world. With convenient load capacities of 8t and a maximum reach of up to 25 m, the Sennebogen 870E Hybrid is precisely what many port operators are looking for. In particular, the Green Hybrid energy recovery system reduces fuel consumption by up to 30%.

Reliable technology, minimal operating costs, and innovative, custom solutions for any challenge the Sennebogen 870E Hybrid comes with a powerful 261kW diesel engine complying with Tier 4f emission standards, including automatic idle stop and EcoMode. A 250kW electric motor is also available.

The proven Sennebogen modular concept offers extensive superstructure variants to meet customer requirements. From mobile undercarriage to crawler and rail undercarriage, extending to sophisticated gantry and pylon solutions for special application areas, all can be individually implemented. For port handling, particularly with gantry and pylon superstructures, the Sennebogen 870E Hybrid reaches an outstanding viewing height and offers ideal prerequisites for fast work cycles - this is a valuable contribution in the areas of shorter berthing times and greater occupational health and safety, especially when unloading ships.

In daily operation the Sennebogen 870E Hybrid at Bristol Port is characterized by its high level of serviceability and ease of maintenance. The walk-on upper carriage with continuous gallery ensures uncomplicated access to maintenance and service points. Typical for Sennebogen in this regard is also the clear arrangement of all components, and the proven longitudinal installation of the engine offers service advantages. Moreover, the all-round railing, an additional access ladder to the cab, as well as powerful LED headlights and peripheral cameras that support the operator in his work, ensure safety.