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component parts can be moved to a position where they The customer was more than pleased. “We had two of
can be worked on safely.” Konecranes’ technicians here, and if I could give them
medals I would,” said Potopsingh. “They worked hard, they
WELL-tRAVELEd Cxt ARRIVES In JAmAICA worked accurately and they did everything right the first
If the quick turnaround on Statia saved face for event time. A third-world country with first-world products is more
organizers, Konecranes familiarity with shipping, logistics than a third-world country – another reason we work with
and customs saved the day for a Jamaica customer. West Konecranes.”
Kingston Power Partners operates a power station on
Jamaica that sells electricity back to the grid run by Jamaica A noRdIC ALLIAnCE In thE CARIbbEAn
Public Service. When Naresh Potopsingh, mechanical Wärtsilä provides generators for most of the power
engineer for the West Kingston Power Station was given industry in the Caribbean, doing business on 25 different
the task of installing an overhead crane in their workshop, at islands throughout the region. Through its operation and
the top of his equipment list was a Konecranes 5-ton CXT maintenance contracts, Wärtsilä is responsible for the
crane. The power station had already purchased two other entire plant at many locations, which includes both the
CXTs, used to overhaul the station engines. This newest power generation equipment and the cranes needed to
crane would be used to maintain heavy items coming in for maintain it. Increasingly, Wärtsilä has relied on Konecranes
repairs, lifting pumps, heads, turbochargers and also lifting to supply and service these cranes, developing a strong
charge air coolers into an ultrasonic wash fixture. relationship with Konecranes Miami office.

It should have been a simple purchase, but operating “We are 100 percent committed to supporting Wärtsilä
within the paradigm of an island nation can be a challenge. in the Caribbean market,” says Rafael Ojeda. “Most of
Peter Luciano, representative for Konecranes industrial the cranes that Wärtsilä has installed in their customer’s
crane products, fielded the order. facilities are supplied by Konecranes, typically in the 2- to
5-ton range. Virtually all of the jobs we are asked to quote
“The crane was a standard compact Konecranes CXT. But are small projects in remote locations, often with significant
Jamaican voltage is different from the U.S. and required logistical challenges. Typically, our competitors won’t touch
modifications. Also, the power station had no tools for the jobs like these, but we try to look at the bigger picture and
install. Everything we needed for a safe install had to be take care of these customers, no matter where they are.”
purchased and shipped with the crane, along with 240
feet of crane rail and 120 feet of power rail and all of the Ojeda says Konecranes is able to utilize its global reach to
hardware. The crane, rails and equipment were inventoried handle jobs that local providers find daunting. Operating
and verified, crated and sent by ship,” Luciano related. worldwide in the crane manufacturing and service
business, Konecranes is a resource customers can count
When the crane arrived, the Jamaican customs department, on for the long haul.
who had recently switched to using a new computerized
system, had no specific computerized category for an oVERhAUL on CURACAo mAKES thE CASE FoR
overhead crane. They assumed it was a mobile crane and pREVEntIVE mAIntEnAnCE
called it a vehicle, for which they did not have the correct
paperwork. After Naresh Potopsingh was questioned Aqualectra, the power provider on the island of Curacao
about how many seats it had, he asked Luciano for help. recently worked with Konecranes on a multi-phased
After less than a week at sea but a month in customs, the crane renovation project. It grew out of a single call
CXT finally arrived at the site, where construction crews from Wärtsilä requesting an inspection on two cranes, a
had already put the roof on the workshop building. But 1-ton Konecranes XL and a 2-ton Konecranes CXT. The
Konecranes managed to install and commission the unit equipment had been installed in 1997 when the plant was
in just four days. built.

According to Rafael Ojeda, repairs were scheduled in
“This was not a big order, but logistically it was a challenge
to get the crane there undamaged, and of course to three phases as parts arrived, with technicians traveling
successfully install it on schedule with the roof in place,” back and forth from Miami. Meanwhile, Wärtsilä’s customer
said Luciano. “However, it’s a nice endorsement for the Aqualectra added a fourth crane to the project. They wanted
two previous CXT cranes that West Kingston purchased to upgrade another 1997 two-ton CXT to radio controls,
from Konecranes that they were willing to invest this much along with repairs to brake disks and friction plate, a limit
effort into getting another one.” switch and cover, and replacement of the motor coupling,
upper sheaves, wire rope and bottom block assembly.
Wärtsilä’s Account Manager, Service Sales Fernando