Groeneveld proves durability at C3 Limited New Zealand

Automatic Greasing pump reaches 40,000 hours of problem free operation

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Operating out of New Zealand’s largest and most efficient port, at Port of Tauranga, C3 Limited offers a wide range of product handling and storage solutions for all import and export requirements. As efficiency and productivity are key in C3’s round-the-clock operation, for many years the company uses Groeneveld automatic lubrication systems, avoiding time-consuming manual greasing, avoiding excessive wear and tear while guaranteeing machine availability. Recently a 10 year old Wagner log stacker was taken to the workshop for a major overhaul, where the Twin automatic greasing pump was demounted and sent to Groeneveld for inspection. After more than 10 years and 40,000 hours of problem free operation, the Twin pump was still in top-condition.

C3 Ltd started back in the 1950’s, when a portside and logistics business was founded at Mount Maunganui. Currently the company employees over 800 staff around New Zealand and Australia and handles over 14.5 million tonnes of cargo per annum, including 23 million logs, 3.5 million tonnes of forest products and 300,000 tonnes of steel. The company’s operation includes consolidation, devanning and packing containers, storage, warehousing, distribution, marshalling, inter-wharf-cargo transfers, stevedoring, bulk import transportation and inventory management of containerised, bulk and bulk cargoes. To ensure that C3 Ltd can track every log each step of its way from wharf to halfway around the world and to ensure accuracy, the company uses information technology like JADE and SLM and have teams of log scalers with checks at each stage and can report on where things are at with every consignment. With other export log operations located throughout 15 ports in New Zealand and Australia, including Marusumi Whangarei Co’s woodchip operation at Marsden point in Northpoint, C3’s expertise have also recently been deployed internationally providing services and information technology to log export operations in Australia and two operations exporting logs out of the Pacific North West of the USA.

Modern equipment for demanding operation

Running such a large business with many tonnes of products to account for, C3 Ltd uses only the safest, and most productive and economical equipment to get the job done. Currently the company has fleets of Volvo Loaders, Komatsu Wheel Loaders and Wagner Log Stackers, equipped with Groeneveld automatic greasing systems. The Wagner Log Stackers are purpose built for log handling with a wide track tricycle design, high lift, high capacity and an operators cab placed elevated towards the rear of the machine. The design of this piece of unique equipment provides the stability, visibility and capacity to safely and efficiently handle logs.

Back in 2003, C3 Ltd purchased a Wagner Log Stacker which was fitted with the unique dual-line Groeneveld Twin automatic greasing system at the Port Tauranga site. Being equipped with the greasing system which has been specifically designed for maintenance of construction, material handling, port and mining equipment, grease is pumped at a consistent pressure over long distances - no matter the temperature - to all of the 31 grease points on the machine. Twin also has a monitoring system which informs its operator about the level of grease and the overall system performance. Once a week, usually a Friday, C3 run what they call a “turn around” and go over all of the equipment and top up grease and check the quantity of grease each machine is using. C3 is open 24hrs 7 days a week so these machines are working extremely hard around the clock.

Proven durability

Fast forward to 2014 and the Wagner Log Stacker (Fleet machine number 400) has now completed 40,000 hrs of machine work with the original Twin automatic greasing system still fitted and going along strong without any real maintenance issues to report. Darren Andersen, C3 Ltd’s Workshop manager, says “the only maintenance or repairs we have had to do on the Log Stackers are very occasionally, a log may fall from the machine and break one of the lines. Our experience with Groeneveld staff is second to none, and only the other day we had someone out within half an hour of my call for assistance. The services we have received from Groeneveld and their products do their part in helping our company to keep downtime to a minimum which is very important to us.”