ROBOT STRADDLE CARRIERS IN AUSTRALIA TOP 30 PICKS PER HOUR

ROBOT STRADDLE CARRIERS IN AUSTRALIA TOP 30 PICKS PER HOUR    Patrick Corp., a large Australian container terminal operator, said Friday that automated straddle carriers used for six months at Patrick’s Brisbane Fisherman Islands facility have posted crane lifts per hour peaking in the low 30s.
   “There have been no accidents at the automated terminal, thanks to the fact that the straddle carriers are equipped with laser anti-collision systems,” said Ilkka Annala, vice president of Kalmar Industries, which makes the automated straddle carriers.
   A statement issued by Patrick predicted that it would have large-scale, fully automated straddle carrier terminal in operation by 2004.
   The robot carriers “operate according to a virtual map, and are not restricted to fixed stacks and line markings.