Grupo CICE (Corporación Integral de Comercio Exterior S.A. de C.V.), one of Mexico's leading logistics groups operating at the Veracruz and Tampico terminals on Mexico's Atlantic coast, acquired a new sixth-generation ESP.9 Konecranes Gottwald crane, ordered in August 2022. The choice of equipment is based on the 22-year long relationship between the Mexican group and the German cranes, the operator's preferred choice for reliable, high-performance equipment. 

With the most recent acquisition, Grupo CICE adds up to a dozen Konecranes units, and is about to add a second mobile harbor crane of the same model, which stands out for its higher load capacity and longer service life. With an outreach 7 meters greater than the largest crane they had to date, it allows them to handle containers arranged in up to 20 rows efficiently and safely, representing a decisive competitive advantage for Grupo CICE as the equipment allows them to service the large vessels that call at their Veracruz terminal.

Generation 6

Konecranes Gottwald's ESP.9 is one of the largest port crane models of the new Generation 6, which was introduced in 2021. It provides a working radius of up to 61 meters and a maximum lifting capacity of 125 t. It offers a robust load capacity curve for excellent handling performance and boasts an A7 rating in container handling, representing a long service life. A 5-meter tower extension provides even greater reach and superior visibility of the vessels and working environment when containers are stacked on deck.

The tower and cab design makes work easier for the crane operator, who benefits from a wide panoramic view that makes everything visible, including a window in the floor, which facilitates a downward view. 

"Of the approximately 60 Generation 6 cranes we sold in the first 14 months after its market launch, about a quarter were delivered in the Americas. The Generation 6 continues the success of a long tradition. Our first crane for port installations crossed the Atlantic to the Americas in 1971, and since then almost 300 of our sample cranes have been put into service from Canada to Chile," says Andreas Moeller, Senior Sales Manager, Mobile Harbour Cranes, Konecranes Port Solutions.

Veracruz

"The port of Veracruz is of vital importance to the entire region and has become increasingly important since the turn of the millennium. Since then, we have been here to offer our advice. Our more than 20 years of collaboration with the CICE Group is a good example of how dynamic terminals can grow successfully with our mobile harbor crane technology. With the new ESP.9 crane, our relationship is expanding to the third generation of harbor cranes, and this, of course, fills us with pride," adds the Konecranes executive. 

Grupo CICE's flagship operation is the Veracruz terminal, which provides infrastructure and handling equipment for all types of cargo, although it is very focused on container operations. Precisely, its container movement operations are supported by the use of Konecranes equipment, which proves to be a provider of integral handling solutions throughout the port, driving the evolution of the Veracruz terminal over the last decades.