900 tonnes of steel from a scenery of ice and snow to Brazil

In early March, 29 trailer lorries, ten of which were wide loads, over weight or super tall, hit the roads in Finland. That is the number of vehicles needed to transport four Mantsinen 160 machines, of a total weight of ca. 900 tonnes, from the production plant to their destination. This time, the machines travelled from the scenery of snow and ice to their destination in Brazil.

The planning of massive logistics solutions is done much before the actual delivery. The machines were ordered to Brazil in the summer of 2016, and transport planning started four months before delivery, i.e. in December.

Full as possible

"That is when we start asking for preliminary offers and examining potential partners. After deciding on the partner, we start planning the delivery in more detail: loads are designed per each lorry, and the loads must be as full as possible. Meanwhile, we also make the shipping plan. Both operations require specific dimensions, weights and centres of gravity of each piece. The transport must be safe and economical," says project logistics coordinator Elena Mantsinen.

In delivery, investigating the circumstances at the destination is the most challenging element. Characteristics of the port, the unloading possibilities of the ship and possible further transport largely determine how the machine is dismantled for delivery.

Exotic destinations

In logistics solutions, the most important factor is the partners with the required knowhow. The forwarding agent is also in a a major role in transporting the machine safely from door to door. Exotic destinations add their own challenge. Brazil as destination had its own legislation, customs and documentation requirements which are different from Europe, for example.

Currently, four Mantsinen 160 machines are sailing the seas. They will travel from Finland to Brazil in about 4-5 weeks. Elena Mantsinen monitors their progress daily on her computer. In mid-April, the material handling machines should have arrived; two of them remain in the port and two will continue their journey to their final destination.

Once the machines have arrived, two technicians from the plant in Ylämylly travel to Brazil to mount and install the machinery. They make sure that everything works as agreed and the customer is satisfied with the delivery. That is when the Mantsinen team can sigh in relief.

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