Stack-X Enables Stacking of Trailers and Containers

Terminals for Combined Transport (KV) are increasingly facing space issues. Empty containers are piling up, and open spaces for flexible use are a rare exception. This reduces handling capacity and complicates the shift to climate-friendly modes of transport. Specifically for trailers, which take up a lot of space and whose share in KV hubs like the Port of Duisburg has steadily grown, duisport, TX Logistik AG, and SGKV e.V. have now developed an innovative solution.

(Duisburg) The result is “Stack-X”, a market-ready stacking structure developed and constructed in collaboration with Wecon. Stack-X is – simply put – designed in the form of a drivable rectangular metal frame and allows for the transport and stacking of trailers using reach stackers or portal cranes. The trailers to be stacked can be lifted or driven in with a tractor or terminal tractor. The first prototypes have been successfully tested in field trials under real conditions to ensure intelligent integration into various operational processes. Three stacking solutions have proven to be particularly efficient:

• Variant 1 provides for a pure stacking of up to three trailers on top of each other, which can be placed under the crane or on adjacent areas (See title image)

• Variant 2 allows for mixed stacking as a block of trailers and containers (empty and full). This solution can also be stacked optionally under the crane or on adjacent areas.

• In the third variant, the Stack-X modules form a kind of garage. This requires certain maneuvering needs and sufficient space, as well as coordination with the Terminal Operating System (TOS). The option is suitable for adjacent areas and requires a reach stacker.

Efficient Trailer Handling Helps Achieve Climate Goals

“The three recommended variants include both pure stacking of trailers and mixed stacking with containers, highlighting the uniqueness of the construction,” says Jan-Christoph Maaß (Project Manager, Duisburger Hafen AG). “The evaluation of the field trials also shows that Stack-X can serve as a depot or interim storage solution. This alleviates the down or peak times in the terminals and increases flexibility.”

According to the Federal Statistical Office, the number of trailers transported by rail in Germany has increased from around 150,000 loading units in 2005 to over one million in 2020, more than eightfold. According to the Federal Ministry for Digital and Transport (BMDV), the share of Combined Transport is expected to increase by 79 percent by 2030. The shift to climate-friendly transport modes such as waterways and rail is an important component in achieving the ambitious climate goals of the federal government and the EU.

Bringing more traffic to the rail is also the goal of TX Logistik. “For all Combined Transport, the rule is: The more terminals enable efficient handling of trailers, the easier it is to facilitate the transition to the climate-friendly transport mode of rail. Therefore, we support innovations that drive this forward,” says Christoph Dörre (Manager Business Development and NIKRASA, TX Logistik). “Trailer Port facilitates a uniform and efficient handling of trailers in terminals, thereby increasing handling capacity and speed.”

The project, which ends in June 2022, is funded as part of the initiative “Innovative Port Technologies” (IHATEC) by the Federal Ministry for Digital and Transport.

Photos: © TrailerPort