Container handling machinery specialists, Mobicon Systems, is using high quality hydraulic hoses from Hydraulink to drive new equipment designs for increased lifting efficiency and reliability for its customers.

Mobicon's straddle carriers are primarily used co handle shipping containers in low to medium volumes and are used anywhere from large seaports, to wineries, to manufacturers of steel reinforcing, and navy applications. Gates' hydraulic hoses, supplied by leading hydraulic hose and fittings organisation, Hydraulink, are providing the quality and uptime demanded from the diverse industries that Mobicon serves. 

Adam Lucas, operations manager of Mobicon Systems Pty Led says, "We serve a range of clients, from family-owned transport companies, through to the US Navy, which cannot have a failure at sea during operations. The machines we supply to the US Navy are considered mission critical, and a hose failure during operation could jeopardise a mission. To avoid any failures, the US Navy specifies Gates hoses. "In other industries, where the equipment may not be deemed mission critical, customers can see the value in using high quality hydraulic hoses to maximise uptime and performance. The price tag may be higher upfront, but they make it all back, and then some, by avoiding costly delays when something goes wrong," says Lucas.

"That's why we've been specifying Gates hoses, through Hydraulink, for more than a decade. The product quality, value for money and outstanding service have been first class," he says. As a leading hydraulic hose, fittings, and service provider - and official supplier of Gates products - Hydraulink operates through more than 400 service points in Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific Islands, all dedicated to maximising uptime and providing efficient hose replacement services that ensure high quality products and reliable services.

Unique Straddle Carrier designs 

Mobicon has embraced hydraulics in the design of its machines, including its flagship model, which utilises 16 hydraulic cylinders and four hydraulic wheel motors driven by two seperate pumps.

"This unique design combines eight load balanced wheels with a telescopic lift, which gives us the ability to lift containers without the means of wire ropes, and ensures we have the lowest axle loads in the world for any container handler," says Lucas. "However, the design requires hose runs to be consistently routed over moving joints with multiple degrees of freedom. For example, the hydraulic path for the steering system requires oil to pass over a total of 22 flexible joints from pump to tank, which would be impossible without high quality, low bending radius hydraulic Gates hoses from Hydraulink."

Customer Service

In addition to Mobicon's strong technical knowledge and skill in the design and manufacture of container handling machines, Lucas says the company focuses on its customers. "If a client has trouble on site, our stand are prepared to drop everything and ensure their Mobicon equipment is back up and running. Hydraulink assists with this on two fronts - by providing a quality product that reduces instances of downtime, and by ensuring orders are acted upon swiftly and delivered on time," he says.

"As operations manager, l've personally had little day-to-day involvement with Hydraulink, which is one of the strongest compliments I can give a supplier. It means my team has had no problems or issues with Hydraulink that have needed to be escalated to me. That means no late orders, no lost parts, no incorrect invoices and no warranty issues. This is a great example of no news is good news." ''As Mobicon's market sectors continue to grow, we have confidence in our continued partnership with Hydraulink and the value it brings to our business, and to our customers."