Volvo helps Ukrainian port set new productivity

A fleet of Volvo L180 and L220 wheel loaders is helping TIS Group, Ukraine’s largest stevedore and port operator, set new standards for productivity.

For Ukraine’s TIS Group, business is booming. Since its foundation in 1994, the company has grown to become the country’s largest stevedore and port operator, running five terminals close to the Yuzhny port area, 27km from Odessa. These terminals specialize in the re- handling of grain, mineral fertilizers, coal, iron ore and containers for both import and export.

In 2015,TIS terminals handled 26 million tonnes, representing 18% of all cargoes passing through Ukrainian ports. By the first half of 2017, this share grew to 21%. Meanwhile, in March 2017, the TIS coal terminal set a new productivity record, loading 115,000 tonnes of coal in just 24 hours.

“The key performance indicator for the port operator is the speed of rehandling the cargoes – and here the special handling equipment makes all the difference,” says Oleg Sologub, chief engineer at TIS Group.

TIS employs a fleet of Volvo L180 and L220 wheel loaders, spanning the E, F, G and H machine generations. Recently,TIS took delivery of a further four L220H models.

“The majority of loaders on the market are designed for quarry applications, while our crucial needs are high productivity, fast speeds, superior manoeuvrability, small overall size and highest possible bucket capacity. It seemed to us that Volvo loaders have a design that is suited best to our tasks. Not every machine can meet these requirements,” Sologub says.

SUPERIOR BUCKET FILL

Volvo Construction Equipment (Volvo CE) offers customers a range of factory-fit options to best suit the needs of their application. For rehandling jobs, such as at the TIS terminals, Volvo CE offers a dedicated rehandling bucket, as well as a flat floor rehandling bucket, on the L110-L350 wheel loader models. The shape, balanced floor back ratio and countersunk holes on these application- specific buckets make them easier to fill in rehandling jobs, while the curved side plates minimize any spillage, allowing operators to move more material at a faster rate. The reduction in cycle times also helps customers improve fuel efficiency by up to 20%, compared to when using standard wheel loader buckets.

COMFORTABLE CAB

Volvo wheel loaders also promote a productive work shift by providing a comfortable and spacious cab fitted with an ergonomic seat and controls. Attention to detail in the operator environment helps to significantly decrease fatigue.

“It’s the best cab for the operator — very comfortable. You feel good after the shift is over,” says Alexander Vykhvatnyuk, a former operator, now shift mechanic at TIS.

Lead operator Igor Kolyuzhnyi adds:“All the controls are very conveniently located and easy to access.”

ULTIMATE UPTIME

The Volvo wheel loaders’ high uptime has also proved crucial in the success of the TIS terminals’ round-the-clock operations. These durable and reliable machines are designed to work hard for long hours with minimal wear and tear.

“The machines we purchased initially have been running for more than 40,000 hours and they are still working. For sure, we use them without mercy!” Sologub says.