Teamwork makes the dream work
At Maoming Port, the waters may appear calm, but beneath the surface, powerful undercurrents surge, making it one of the most demanding settings imaginable for the installation of a ship unloader. Taking on this task is like trying to embroider on a swinging pendulum, a feat that demands extraordinary precision and control. And yet, it was on this ever-shifting stage that Bühler’s Project Execution (PE) team delivered a precision performance, completing the installation with millimeter-level accuracy. We sat down with the Bühler PE team to hear the story behind this remarkable achievement. They described the project as running incredibly smoothly, but surely, there must have been at least a few challenges along the way?
Dai Huang, September 2025
As 2024 drew to a close, Bühler’s PE team achieved a standout milestone: the successful assembly and commissioning of a 1,200 ton-per-hour mobile continuous ship unloader at Maoming Port. It was a triumph worth raising banners for, an engineering feat that not only stood tall on its own but also followed in the footsteps of seven iconic ship unloaders previously delivered to Guangzhou Port (three in Xinsha and four in Nansha).
For this story, we spoke with two key figures behind the Maoming Port project: Ricky Liu, who managed day-to-day project coordination and engineering design, and Roy Huang, who led the on-site installation efforts. Through their vivid accounts, we walk through the 360-day journey of the Bühler team on the shores of Maoming Port.
“Were there really no challenges at all?”
“It went incredibly smoothly!”
They answered in unison. Everything was aligned: clear communication from the outset, tight-knit team coordination, and a highly experienced client. After all, Guangzhou Port Group and Bühler had already collaborated on seven ship unloader installations, three at Xinsha Port and four at Nansha General Grain Terminal. With that kind of shared history and mutual understanding, how could things not run smoothly? But just as we were about to take their words at face value, Roy leaned in and added with a smile: “Well, we were working with millimeter-level tolerances. The client required a maximum deviation of ±1 mm, and we were installing on open water, battling powerful swells and fast-moving currents. It was like trying to insert a strand of hair into the eye of a moving needle, using a robotic arm, a hundred meters in the air.” At that moment, our definition of “smooth” shifted entirely.
When the wild rhythm of nature met Bühler’s PE installation team, their first breakthrough followed: conquering the challenge of turbulent swells.
Located in Maoming, Guangdong Province, Maoming Port is one of western Guangdong’s premier integrated ports, capable of accommodating vessels up to 100,000 DWT (Deadweight Tonnage, the measure of total weight a ship can carry). But behind this strategic positioning lies a complex and unforgiving marine environment. The port is shaped by an irregular semi-diurnal tidal pattern, meaning it experiences two high tides and two low tides daily, with an average tidal range of around 2 meters. What truly complicates matters, however, is the dual force of wind waves and ocean swells. Wind waves, driven by local winds, usually rise between 0.5 to 1 meter. Swells, rolling in from the open sea, are far more formidable, often exceeding 2 meters in height, with wave periods ranging from 5 to 10 seconds.
Roy painted a striking image: While the waters of Maoming Port may appear placid on the surface, a powerful, invisible undercurrent churns below. Measurements taken on-site revealed swells up to 4.5 meters and current speeds reaching 2.8 knots. Even during low tide, the team’s chosen window for installation, vertical fluctuations from underwater swells still measured up to 2 meters, with unpredictable directional shifts. For a project requiring millimeter-level precision, such volatility was nothing short of a nightmare. In an environment where every minor deviation is magnified, there was no room for error.
Faced with this natural symphony of unpredictability, Bühler’s PE team responded with adaptive precision, turning every challenge into an opportunity for refinement. From the very beginning of the design phase, the team pursued a custom-engineered approach tailored to the site’s marine conditions. Wind resistance thresholds were significantly elevated and structural components were reinforced and scaled up.
To deliver a specialized service to our clients, Bühler China’s installation division is structured into three core teams, each aligned with a key business area: the Grain Team, the Food Team, and the Special Equipment Team, the latter of which led the Maoming Port project. Across all three teams, we have a group of 12 professionals, including two installation engineers, three installation supervisors, three senior installation supervisors, and four project managers. We’ve intentionally optimized the team’s composition, balancing age, experience, and technical expertise to create a structure that is both layered and stable. This thoughtful configuration allows teams to complement each other in both resources and capabilities, ultimately raising the bar for professional service delivery.
For the Maoming Port project, Bühler’s PE installation team delivered a solution that was as technically robust as it was strategically tailored to the port’s unique environmental conditions. Wind load specifications were elevated to withstand gusts of up to 70 meters per second (m/s), a substantial upgrade from the industry norm of 55 m/s. From the very outset, Bühler’s Swiss engineering team collaborated closely with their China-based counterparts to adapt material specifications to the realities of the site. They anticipated the client’s operational needs by aligning structural profile selection with domestically available materials, a move that significantly reduced manufacturing difficulty, shortened lead times, and lowered costs, all while maintaining the highest standards of performance. This was more than just a technical solution. It was a perfect marriage of engineering excellence and economic foresight.
The Maoming Port ship unloader is designed for a rated capacity of 1,200 tons per hour, operating on a 12-meter quay rail gauge, and seamlessly integrated with 12 silos holding a combined capacity of 120,000 tonnes. Once in operation, the system will significantly boost the client’s unloading efficiency, while also enhancing operational flexibility across their production workflow. During the manufacturing phase, Bühler’s quality department worked in close coordination with the client’s appointed supervisors, ensuring full traceability and real-time inspection access at every stage. Particular focus was placed on the fabrication of steel structures, where Bühler’s quality engineers were stationed on-site to provide end-to-end supervision.
From dimensional accuracy and welding integrity to coating processes and paint quality, each detail was executed to Bühler Switzerland’s global standards, while also meeting all applicable Chinese regulatory requirements.
“This wasn’t just mechanical assembly,” Project Manager Ricky reflected. “It was like playing a high-stakes chess match against the ocean’s own rhythm.” In a port like Maoming Port, installing a conventional ship unloader would be nearly impossible.
Because of the strong undercurrents, the equipment which was suspended from a floating crane, wasn’t just moving up and down, but also forward, backward, and side to side, all at once, in a chaotic, six-directional dance. The team’s first move was to anchor the equipment using chain hoists, then use the crane’s pulley system to fine-tune its position. The challenge was so great, and the team’s performance so remarkable that Sandy Zhou, Grains & Foods Project Execution Director, Bühler Greater China, took to WeChat Moments to voice her admiration for the installation team.
Caught between swelling seas and relentless winds, Bühler wasn’t just battling the elements. It was pushing the boundaries of precision engineering to their absolute limit. This wasn’t routine mechanical assembly. It was more like achieving synchronized resonance with the heartbeat of the ocean. The task called for installation supervisors with both experience and resolve, and even more importantly, a technically skilled team of installers.
To manage the sheer complexity of the task, the Bühler team adopted a modular installation strategy, dividing the massive system into four primary components during manufacturing: the gantry, the boom, the tower, and the vertical scraper conveyor.
Altogether, the equipment weighed over 500 tons, with a hoisting height nearing 30 meters. Every dimension had to be controlled within millimeter-level tolerances, and the installation risks were staggeringly high. The installation felt like playing Tetris atop a rolling wave. Each module had to be maneuvered into its final position with split-second timing. During the hoisting and installation process, especially when rotating the equipment from a horizontal to a vertical position, multi-dimensional calculations were essential to prevent damage from wave surges and to effectively minimize their impact on installation.
The successful installation of the ship unloader at Maoming Port earned resounding praise from the client. This project is one of the most successful ship unloader installations ever completed under the challenging hydrological conditions of southern China. What impressed the client most wasn’t just the outcome, but the benchmark-setting precision that Bühler brought to the process.
When asked about the client’s expectations at the very start of the project, Ricky recalled their request in just three words: “Do your best.” And Bühler’s answer? “We didn’t just aim to meet that standard. We embodied it,” says Ricky.
At the outset, the client made no additional demands. They knew they were working with one of the most experienced teams in the field. As a co-investing partner, Guangzhou Port had already collaborated with Bühler on the Xinsha and Nansha projects. Over the course of those partnerships, the client had offered valuable, practical suggestions for improvement, each one carefully considered, and many fully integrated into this new project.
The commissioning process was carried out in well-defined stages. Software engineers led a detailed Factory Acceptance Test (FAT) to confirm workflows and interface displays. The electrical system underwent wiring and testing at the factory, with I/O point checks on the gantry and other commissioning preparations carried out during sub-assembly. The goal was to finish as much work as possible before shipment, ensuring minimal disruption at the client’s terminal. Once the equipment arrived on site, the site manager and installation supervisor conducted hands-on training sessions for the client. After the commissioning and electrical engineers completed all system testing and validation, the equipment was formally handed over. But the support didn’t stop there. Given the 24/7 nature of port operations, Bühler offers round-the-clock technical service. As Roy puts it: “We’re on call 24 hours a day. Even if an issue comes up at 1 or 2 am, weekend or not, if the client sends a message, we’re there to respond.”
“Our team has become incredibly experienced,” says Sandy Zhou, Grains & Foods Project Execution Director at Bühler Greater China. “Bühler’s design capabilities have steadily transitioned from being driven by our global headquarters to being developed right here in China. Through multiple projects, we’ve built up our own expertise. Standardized design has helped us reduce technical barriers, streamline communication with clients, and foster truly seamless collaboration within our project teams.”
Zhou emphasized that as market needs continue to evolve, Bühler’s installation team has grown in lockstep, broadening their technical expertise alongside the company’s expanding portfolio. “Our journey began with traditional sectors like flour milling, rice, baijiu, coffee cleaning, extrusion, noodles, ship loading and unloading equipment, drying towers, coarse grains, and premixes,” she explains. “But today, we’re also stepping confidently into emerging fields such as malt production, coffee grinding and roasting, chocolate refining and mass. This continuous evolution has not only expanded the team’s business capabilities, but also elevated each member’s technical depth and professional versatility, ensuring they’re ready to support clients across industries, now and into the future.”
What began as the success of a single installation has become something far greater: a paradigm shift for the industry. This project was not only a technical triumph, but also a strategic milestone. It showcased Bühler’s exceptional capabilities in the most demanding environments. And in doing so, it laid a solid foundation for future breakthroughs.
The commissioning and acceptance cycle for the Maoming Port project was completed in under one month, a pace that far outperformed industry norms. Through 360 days of flawless execution, the Bühler team redefined our very understanding of what it takes to deliver a ship unloading system project. This wasn’t simply about moving metal into place. It was a testament to what’s possible when engineering excellence meets seamless teamwork.
As ocean swells murmur against the docks of Maoming Port, the humming ship uploader now stands as a monument of steel, a lasting tribute to the Bühler PE project team. It marks more than the successful close of one project. It signals the start of a new campaign, the next challenge on the horizon.
The Bühler PE team is driving a quiet revolution from within, constantly refining how project installations are managed at every level. By improving on site management environments, establishing a standardized project control system, and strengthening process oversight during installation, the team is creating a workflow that is traceable, predictable, and fully auditable. This transformation not only supports the accumulation of technical expertise and the advancement of management capabilities, but also stands as a tangible reflection of success during the installation phase.
We look forward with excitement to the PE installation team’s next masterpiece and have every confidence that they’ll once again rise to the occasion, inspire the industry, and exceed all expectations.
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