The CXT Explorer from Konecranes is a hoist and lift system designed for remote locations. Transportable in two standard shipping containers, the containers themselves form part of the assembled rig. Its independence from outside infrastructure, combined with its compact nature, has driven its main customer base: the CXT sells primarily to mining and petroleum industries, which use it among other things for assembly of heavy kit in confined spaces underground or in areas far from normal facilities.
In December 2017, however, Konecranes has received a CXT order from Johnson Arabia LLC, the mobile crane hire company based in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The order, a first, will be delivered in early 2018.
Johnson Arabia offers lift solutions to engineering, construction, aviation and other industries. Founded in 1999, from its initial location in Dubai it has expanded its operations throughout the Gulf region. It currently operates its own fleet of approximately 250 mobile cranes, including all-terrain hydraulic mobiles, articulated mobiles, truck-mounted, boom crawler cranes and self-erecting tower cranes, up to 800t capacity.
It will deploy the CXT Explorer as a mobile workshop on major sites where it deploys large numbers of cranes and aerial work platforms. The idea is to use it to assist in quick turnaround repairs that in the past would have meant the equipment being removed from site and being returned to main yards—a time-consuming and costly procedure.
Johnson Arabia was looking for a temporary but reliable lifting solution. They also considered the option to install an overhead travelling crane or a jib crane for these maintenance purposes, but they chose the CXT Explorer as it is strong yet movable.
The core of the CXT Explorer is its patented design: it can be assembled, ready to lift, in just a few hours. With a lifting height of 5m and a span of 5m, there is plenty of room for most field lifting needs, including those of crane assembly, maintenance and repairs. Management at Johnson Arabia have said that they believe this option will give them advantages to optimise uptime of the equipment, which in turn will give greater customer satisfaction.
