Contrary to what the title suggests, having a service contract like the one E-Crane Texas has with Sherwin Alumina certainly isn't like playing poker as no chances have to be taken.

It all depends on the flexibility of the organization, careful planning and coordination with the client as well as having a good inventory of spare parts and tools to allow for all eventualities.

In a mission critical application like the one at Sherwin Alumina, keeping downtime to a minimum is an absolute must. Handymax and Panamax vessels are unloaded on a regular basis at the port belonging to the aluminum oxide production facility in Gregory, Texas.

As an example: in 2015 alone, a total of 58 large ocean going ships with bauxite were received at the port, all unloaded using E-Cranes. One can imagine the cost associated with vessels which are stuck at the port because they cannot be unloaded due to the unloading cranes being down, also keeping in mind that the next vessel is only days away from arriving...