Kalmar reaches a major milestone with 200th Eco Reachstackers sale

Kalmar said it has sold its 200th Eco Reachstacker, underlining growing customer interest in machines that are not only cheaper to run and more environmentally friendly, but also improve the driver experience while enhancing productivity.

The 200th machine was sold to ALFRED TALKE GmbH & Co. KG, one of the world’s leading logistics service providers for the chemical and petrochemical industries.

The decision to purchase an Eco Reachstacker was made ambiguously for environmental reasons - both the lower fuel consumption and thus reduced CO2 emissions, and the reduction of noise levels by 4dB, explains Joram Rosenthal, Head of Strategic Procurement at Talke.

“The wellbeing of our employees is very important to us and this reduction in noise makes work more comfortable for both the driver and their colleagues,” he says.

Joram Rosenthal says Talke had no previous experience with the Eco version of the reachstacker and that it chose a Kalmar machine again because of the importance of service quality – the company has only one reachstacker at each location and no spare machines.

“If a machine failed, our process would come to a standstill and our service to our customers would be limited,” he adds. “We have had very good experiences with Kalmar equipment to date. For us the reduction of downtime, fast service and rapid availability of spare parts - as well as the consideration of full costs - are essential.”  

Save on fuel consumption
The Eco Reachstacker product range was launched in 2015. “It has taken us less than three years to reach the landmark of 200 machines sold, which is very much in line with our expectations,” explains Seppo Heino, VP, Counterbalanced Container Handlers, Kalmar.

In comparison to older machines, this eco-efficient solution can reduce fuel consumption by up to 40%. However, Heino observes that the appeal of the Eco Reachstacker from an environmental perspective goes beyond reduced fuel consumption.

“Many customers have referred to the quiet operation of the machine, particularly those operating in locations close to residential areas where noise limits are strictly enforced,” he says. “This enables customers to use reachstackers in areas where they might not previously have been able to.”

Quieter operation has also positively impacted the driver's experience. In addition, the drivetrain is much smoother, which reduces vibration and thus minimises driver fatigue.

Due to the advanced andexclusive development of the machine, Talke is achieving higher levels of productivity. The customer is also using Kalmar Insight, our performance management tool for cargo handling operations that give customers an easy to use overview of their fleet operations by aggregating data from multiple sources.

“We see a great deal of further potential in this technology,” concludes Heino. “The Kalmar Eco Reachstacker is also an important step in our progress towards fully-electric reachstackers, which we have committed to launching in 2021.”