Konan Futo, Kobe City, Japan
Konan Futo operates one of the largest and most strategically important port terminals in the southern part of Japan, and has been doing so for 50 years. In 2019 the company decided to invest in a new ship unloader.
“Konan Futo wanted to have a state-of-the-art mechanical ship unloader,” says Senior Technology Manager at Bühler, Felix Hutter. The company was looking for a solution that could handle several types of grain – as well as raw sugar – efficiently, but the decision was based on more than just the machine itself. It was also vital to find a partner capable of providing exceptional project management and customer service throughout the entire execution process. “The in-depth assessment process in respect of potential suppliers prior to any sales decision is unique and in line with Japanese business culture,” says Sales Manager for Bühler Yokohama, Masakatsu Ohkawa. “Bühler has been able to convince the customer of best-in-class product and services in every aspect.”
Our Portalink ship unloader has one of the largest unloading capacities in Japan. This is, of course, an extremely important advantage. The reduced cost of maintaining this capacity is also an overwhelming advantage over previous unloaders.
Kenji Goto,
General Manager Facility Management, Konan Futo
In order to strengthen our primary response capability in the event of a problem, Bühler’s support teams have prepared training programmes in advance and we receive careful and cooperative follow-up on an ongoing basis.
Kenji Goto,
General Manager Facility Management, Konan Futo
We selected Bühler’s Portalink because of its efficiency. Running costs are less than a quarter compared with the two unloaders we replaced. Bühler demonstrated highest flexibility, and close cooperation throughout the entire project led to success.
Yutaka Fukuda,,
President – Konan Futo (Grain Terminal) CO., LTD.
The Portalink 1100/27RK not only combines continuous, highly-efficienct unloading with sustainable, low energy consumption, it also significantly cuts running costs. It has an unloading capacity of 1,100 tons per hour, ideal for Konan Futo’s main products of wheat, rape-seed, soybean and raw sugar. The low-speed conveying of the products means that wear and tear and therefore product damage, is significantly reduced.
In 2025, the customer is still very satisfied with their purchase decision. “The annual handling volumes as a result of this mean that we are more highly regarded by our customers than ever before,“ says Kenji Goto, General Manager Facility Managements at Konan Futo.
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