How do you move 13T engines in Mongolia?

During my time at MasterMover Asia , I've worked with manufacturing companies across Asia - from Japan to Indonesia and everywhere in-between. The coolest location I’ve shipped our electric tugs to? Mongolia. 

We work with engine manufacturing and servicing centres globally. So, when a leading service site in Mongolia reached out to us looking for a solution they had seen at their Australian site, we had an idea of what they would be looking to achieve.

The engineering team contacted us looking for a new way of handling heavy 13,000kg engines around their service centre.

Two overhead cranes were being used to place engines onto trolleys to then be transported from the test cell to the paint room along rails. One of the cranes used to transport the engines from the test cell area wasn’t aligning correctly – creating a 50cm gap, which meant maintenance engineers had to step in and push the trolley into position. Whilst this may only seem like a small distance to move, when was the last time you moved 13,000kg? (That's 13 TON!)

So, how do you move a 13,000kg engine in Mongolia?

The team considered numerous options including installing a turntable, making expensive adjustments to their overhead crane system and using a custom pallet jack but, after lengthy evaluation, each of these proposals didn’t make the cut.

The options - Pros & Cons

Crane modification – Managers explored the option of modifying and adjusting the crane systems but this was ruled out due to safety and feasibility.

Pallet jack – This idea was considered to shunt the engine across the 50cm gap but the weight of the engines far exceeded any pallet jack capacity.

Turntable installation – The team discussed the possibility of installing a turntable to move the engines 90 degrees to line up with the rails. This was rejected due to the disruption it would cause and the heightened risk of slips and trips.

The solution

With clear requirements for precision, easy-integration, efficiency and alignment – the team in Mongolia recalled seeing a MasterMover solution in use at their Australian facility.

After carefully assessing the options available, the team at selected MasterMover Asia to provide an MT2000+ and a custom designed trolley to move engines weighing up to 13,000kg.

MasterMover’s Special Project division worked alongside the customer to design, coordinate and supply a trolley and tug solution to solve the alignment issue. Alignment was paramount for this project, so we provided a height adjustable trolley to work alongside our MT2000+ to allow operators to precisely manoeuvre engines.

Staged project sign-off and ongoing project support meant we ensured the project was delivered to budget, timescale and project specification.

“The fact that this customer has sought us out and ultimately chosen our solution above all others is a sign of real trust and confidence in our machines.”  - Renee Ooi - Regional Manager (APAC)   

Now, the customer can effortlessly align the engines and now benefits from flexibility that fixed equipment cannot provide. Staff at the service centre can now focus on value-adding activities and leaving the handling of engines to their MT2000+

So, there’s the answer: An MT2000+ is how you move a 13,000kg engine in Mongolia. 

Lucy Cresswell - MasterMover Asia - May 2021

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