First use of R. STAHL's EXpressure^(R) enclosure technology in Liebherr offshore cranes

• RL 4200 ram luffing cranes now available with significantly lighter and more compact control systems
• New development takes into account current offshore trends and enables more compact designs
• Crane operators also benefit from greater user-friendliness during maintenance

Waldenburg/Rostock, 16 April 2020 - R. STAHL, the leading supplier of products and systems for explosion protection, and Liebherr-MCCtec Rostock GmbH have announced their successful joint development of crane control systems based on R. STAHL's new EXpressure^(R) enclosure technology. Liebherr has thus extended its range of services for hazardous areas to include cranes with considerably lighter and more compact machine control systems. Crane operators will benefit from an extended range of application areas. EXpressure^(R) technology can also be used in very compact cranes without their own machine house.

Size and weight play a vital role in the development and operation of cranes for maritime applications: large and heavy components have to be borne by correspondingly complex designs. For cranes operating in Ex areas, such as tankers and oil rigs, the technical measures required for explosion protection add to the complexity and weight. A collaboration between R. STAHL and Liebherr has succeeded in quickly developing significantly lighter and more compact explosion-protected machine control systems, based on the Liebherr crane type RL 4200, for Liebherr's range of offshore cranes. Compared to previous solutions, the size of the new control system has been reduced and its weight cut in half. This was made possible by using an EXpressure(R) switch cabinet by R. STAHL, which features intelligent pressure reduction with considerably thinner enclosure walls.

"The development of EXpressure^(R) represents a new chapter in the history of important innovations in explosion protection. Its rapid and successful implementation in the development of maritime cranes is proof of EXpressure^(R)'s technical and economic superiority and reflects the market-leading technological positions of Liebherr and R. STAHL," states Dr. Andreas Kaufmann, Senior Vice President Marketing & Innovation at R. STAHL. "The new machine control systems offer both us and our customers decisive advantages. By using this technology, our Ex-protected cranes are moving closer to the standard offshore crane design. This benefits our production and assembly processes and makes maintenance more user-friendly and transparent. In addition, we can now build even more compact cranes with Ex protection," adds Dr. Reinhard Vilbrandt, Department Manager Product Development Electric at Liebherr-MCCtec Rostock GmbH.

Liebherr's RL 4200 crane has been specially developed for use on maritime structures and fixed platforms. Due to its light and compact design, it is ideal for use on offshore installations where space is limited. In order to withstand the harsh conditions at sea and meet the high corrosion resistance demands placed on the entire crane construction, the EXpressure^(R) enclosures used for the new machine control systems are made of stainless steel.

Note
Photos included in this press release are available for download in the folder COMPANY under: https://r-stahl.com/en/global/corporate/news/press-material/

 

About R. STAHL - www.r-stahl.com
R. STAHL is the world's leading supplier of electrical and electronic products and systems for explosion protection. These products and systems prevent explosions in hazardous areas and contribute to the safety of people, machines and the environment. The portfolio ranges from products used in switching/distributing, installing, operating/monitoring, lighting and signalling/alarming up to automation. Typical customers are the oil & gas industry, the chemical and pharmaceutical industry and the food industry. In 2019, global sales amounting to about €275 million were generated by 1,669 employees. The shares of R. STAHL AG are traded on the Regulated Market/Prime Standard of Deutsche Boerse (ISIN DE000A1PHBB5).

Forward-looking statements
This release contains forward-looking statements based on assumptions and estimates of R. STAHL's management. Although we assume that the expectations of these forward-looking statements are realistic, we cannot guarantee that these expectations will prove to be correct. The assumptions may involve risks and uncertainties that could cause the actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking statements. Factors that may cause such discrepancies include: changes in the macroeconomic and business environment, exchange rate and interest rate fluctuations, the roll-out of competing products, a lack of acceptance of new products or services, and changes in business strategy. R. STAHL does not plan to update these forward-looking statements nor does it accept any obligation to do so

About Liebherr - www.liebherr.com
The Liebherr Group comprises more than 130 companies on all continents and currently employs more than 46,000 people. In 2018, Liebherr achieved a consolidated total turnover of €10.551 billion. The parent company is Liebherr-International AG in Bulle (Switzerland), whose shareholders are exclusively members of the Liebherr family. Liebherr is now jointly managed by the second and third generations. This continuity characterizes the group of companies and is a solid basis for its success. Liebherr-MCCtec Rostock GmbH is one of Europe's leading manufacturers of maritime handling equipment. Its product portfolio includes ship cranes, mobile harbour cranes and offshore cranes. The range also includes reachstackers and components for container cranes.

Contact:
R. STAHL AG
Dr. Thomas Kornek
Senior Vice President Investor Relations & Corporate Communications
Am Bahnhof 30
74638 Waldenburg (Württ.)
Germany
Tel. +49 7942 943-1395
[email protected]
 

Liebherr-MCCtec Rostock GmbH
Liebherrstraße 1, 18147 Rostock / Germany
Stefan Fröbe
Marketing Manager Offshore Cranes
F: +49 381 6006 5025
E: [email protected]

The contents of this press release are intended to address all genders. For the sake of readability and without any intent to discriminate, only the male form is used.