When Water and Electricity Have a Good Relationship

You just received an email notification that your online order has shipped. Estimated delivery time is 2 weeks because your item’s origin is overseas, and it literally needs to be “shipped”.
Transport by water is usually cheaper than air freight because of heavy loads and the need for storage space. Containers used in marine transport have standard dimensions so they can be stacked and transported efficiently on container ships. “Containerization” means marine shipping can save you money.

Small Parts Play a Powerful Role

Marine shipping costs rose sharply during COVID, and so has the demand for containers. Roughly the size of a rail car, these containers require cranes and special forklift trucks to move them. The heavy equipment may appear to be solely mechanical; however it is the relatively small electrical parts inside them that play a big role in powering cranes and forklifts to move cargo.
Interestingly, Marine Shipping and Electrical Equipment and Parts have been moving together in the rankings among industrial sectors. During a one-month period they recently shared the top spot on the list of industrial sectors on the move.


 

Heavy Equipment, Small Parts: A Good Working Relationship

Electrical replacement parts  in cranes and forklift trucks deliver and regulate electric power to stop, start, lift, and lower even the heaviest containers. As their name suggests, replacement parts are routinely replaced to maintain heavy equipment reliability. A common challenge is that manufacturer lead time for replacement parts can be 4-6 weeks or more. Back-up parts inventories fill an important role, however full-line electrical distributors and OEMs usually don’t stock large amounts of product.
 

This is when a trusted supplier of replacement parts can fill gaps in the industrial supply chain. A supplier that focuses on and maintains a steady inventory of replacement parts as they are needed.
 
“We are desperately looking for more capacity,” explains Nils Haupt, Senior Director of corporate communication for one maritime shipping company. “We are asking our customers to return empty containers earlier. We looked at containers that are currently in repair or ones which are meant to be sold because they have reached a certain age.”
Maritime shippers and electrical distributors need to think outside the box when it comes to maintaining the supply of equipment parts needed for equipment that moves containers. As containers become more available, higher demand for electrical equipment and parts to move goods is underway. COVID has transformed the industry. The pandemic exposed how unprepared the world seems to be.