Energy-efficient Winch System for Tower

Branche: Crane solutions

DROMEC supplies energy-efficient Winch System for Tower Crane at Kooiman Marine Group

At the quay of the Swinhaven in Zwijndrecht lies the shipyard of Kooiman Brothers– a strong family-owned company specializing in both inland and maritime shipping. For the 40-meter-high tower crane on this strategically located port site, DROMEC has delivered a unique and energy-efficient winch system. While lowering a load, the hoisting winch, positioned on top of the crane, generates energy that is fed back into the power grid.

Cable Capacity

Daan Boezeman, engineer at DROMEC, explains: “The tower crane is used to hoist heavy loads, such as tools for maintenance work, in and out of ships. For this purpose, we developed an electric winch that can be easily operated with a joystick.”

The winch system has a horizontal layout, with the control cabinet on the left side and the rotating components on the right. “A special aspect of this project was the amount of cable required. The cable had to be reeved eight times, and with a lifting height of 40 meters, this resulted in a total cable capacity of no less than 320 meters. To achieve this, we chose a wide, horizontal drum.”

Ultra-Fast Cable Handling

What makes this winch system unique is the exceptionally high speed of the cable handling: 125 meters per minute, increasing to 180 meters per minute during unloaded movements – all fully controlled. This allows the crane operator to work efficiently and saves valuable time.

Control System

Daan continues: “While developing the new control system, we also integrated the existing power supply for the trolley and slewing mechanisms that were part of the old winch control system. The collaboration with the client was very constructive. We installed the electrical components in a short period of time and worked intensively together on the mechanical part of the installation.”