AUTOMOTIVE | APPLICATION REPORT


“localisation through partnership” blueprint that encouraged global OEMs to invest in local production, source components locally, and form partnerships that support the modernisation of domestic OEMs. Konecranes has been helping Toyota


Motors increase production efficiency at its factory in St. Petersburg since 2007, supplying overhead cranes of 40 tons hoisting capacity to handle dies and molds. “Our company is scrupulous about selection of suppliers. In this case we took into account the fact that our facility in St. Petersburg is close to Konecranes head office in Finland. Another strong argument when choosing a supplier was the well- developed Konecranes service able to ensure arrival of specialists within four hours if necessary,” says Leonid Kalinin, senior engineer, Toyota Motors. Its factory is designed to produce 100,000 passenger cars per year, based on the popular model of Toyota sedans, Camry. In 2016, the second model Toyota RAV4 entered the production line, and in 2018, the factory launched a new Toyota Camry model based on TNGA. The motor company has been steadily


increasing its production capacity and that is why work load for the cranes is getting significantly higher. The number of stamps in the stamping shop has increased from 50 to 129 over the past six years. One crane makes 11 changeovers with 44 stamps per shift, the other one handles 17 stamps on average. The number of changeovers, which was 18 per shift in 2015, increased to 32 on two molding machines in 2019. In 2014, four Konecranes overhead


cranes were installed at the factory. One crane of 30/15 tons lifting capacity (with 30t main hoist and 15t auxiliary hoist) is used in the plastic products painting shop. The other crane of 20/10 tons lifting capacity works in the Toyota Boshoku department which produces car seats and interior parts.


The sheet metal stamping shop has two


overhead 40/20 ton cranes operating on parallel runway rails. One crane changes over the line of presses and feeds dies to the working area. The second crane moves dies to the zone where they are disassembled and repaired. The first crane is loaded to the greatest extent with up to 50 working cycles per shift. In 2018, two auxiliary bridge cranes of 2


tons lifting capacity were installed in the welding shop for industrial robots servicing and operation in the section of body geometry measurements. This is when the number of units of Konecranes hoisting equipment increased to six. The cranes were initially purchased with basic outfitting and Sway Control feature which was the only option included. Gradually, due to the active use of the machines, other functions were added to improve productivity and safety of operation. For example, the crane in the body panel stamping shop got new bridge stop sensors and new features like load display showing the weight of load under hook, the Hook Centering function to eliminate side pull and Protected Areas function to prevent the crane entering into specific zones. Another example of a company working


successfully in the Russian automotive market is Kito, which has partnered with truck manufacturer Kamza, to install its Kito EQ and Kito ER2 electric chain hoists for lifting and lowering heavy truck parts. Kamaz is continuing to grow in the heavy truck sector and ensures every single process in its quality management runs smoothly, safely and efficiently. Heavy weights are handled at every


stage of the truck production process: from pressing the side parts, to screwing the elements, composing the driver’s cab, assembling the axles, and final inspection. Some of these heavy weights are the flat metals which are used to form the driver’s cab. They can only be transported with the help of lifting equipment. At Kamaz, this is handled by the Kito


EQ electric chain hoist, an efficient and powerful hoist for every production hall, and a Kito Erikkila Prosystem Jib crane. The Kito EQ moves the load extremely smooth and positions the metal sheets precisely in the production machine due to its high- quality frequency converter (integrated as standard). The working efficiency is significantly improved by the 1.3 higher lifting speed up to 30% of the working load limit. Other high-standard safety features are also included. Due to its efficiency, Kamaz has decided


to use the Japanese hoists for other production steps, ordering its Kito ER2 electric chain hoists via Kito partners LLC LCS and OOO Gruzopodyemnye Sistemy. After testing the various types, the truck manufacture decided to implement the Kito ER2 for the precise positioning of the driver’s cab onto the truck frame. The Kito ER2 is equipped with a carbon friction clutch and an electromagnetic brake for safe and user-friendly load handling. Load capacities from 125kg up to 20,000kg are possible and ensure the machine is suitable for a range of applications. Kito electric chain hoists secure the lifting and lowering of heavy truck parts which means these production steps become more efficient. A smooth, reliable speed control and a trouble-free operation is achieved in combination with Kito Erikkila Prosystem cranes. Maximum safety is ensured through the hoist design, but also because of the Kito load chain with outstanding strength, which is installed in all chain hoists.


Q Konecranes overhead cranes, Toyota 34 | February 2021 | www.hoistmagazine.com


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