Kalmar to deliver last diesel-powered Classic Straddle Carrier
16 March 2023Kalmar has now discontinued the diesel-powered Classic Straddle Carrier, with the final machine of this type heading to a terminal in East Asia later this year. Subsequently, Kalmar will focus exclusively on hybrid and diesel-electric straddle and shuttle carriers, as well as its line of FastCharge electric machines.
The history of the Kalmar Classic Straddle Carrier begins with the advent of global freight containerisation in the 1960s, and multiple product generations have been developed in the subsequent decades.
More than 2,500 units have been delivered since the late 1970s, and many are still in operation around the globe.
"The Kalmar Classic Straddle Carrier is a true workhorse that has served us and our customers extremely well, and we are proud of its performance over the years," said Mikko Mononen, vice president, sales management, horizontal transportation, Kalmar. "However, the time has now come to discontinue the model in line with Kalmar's and our customers' sustainability targets, and in favour of more modern solutions.
"The market demand for diesel-powered machines has declined steadily in recent years. This means that as production runs become smaller, certain components will become harder and more expensive to source," continued Mononen. "So even the expectation of the diesel machine being the lowest-cost option no longer holds true when compared to newer diesel-electric models. And when taking into account lifetime cost of ownership, true hybrid models will be even more competitive in the long run."
Kalmar's straddle carrier product line now consists of the Kalmar Hybrid Straddle Carrier, the diesel-electric Kalmar Straddle Carrier and the FastCharge™ Straddle Carrier, with further electrically powered solutions under development. Currently, hybrid machines account for almost two-thirds of the order intake of new Kalmar straddle carrier models.
"Our goal is to make the next generation of Kalmar straddle carriers the defining products of their own era, so we are proud to retire the Classic Straddle Carrier after decades of great service,” said Mononen. “Whatever model of machine our customers opt for, we will be there to help them reduce their emissions without compromising performance."
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