The SKF ProFlex progressive lubrication system has enabled cuts in maintenance time for MSC (Mediterranean Shipping Company) container cranes at Belgium’s Port of Antwerp. Since the introduction of SKF ProFlex, MSC has been able to reduce manual maintenance by an estimated 1,900 hours annually.
Previously, MSC had been spending an average of 90 hours performing manual lubrication routines on each of its cranes during scheduled downtime. However, as container traffic at Antwerp, Europe’s second largest port, experiences double digit yearly growth, the terminal operator faced increased time pressure and shorter maintenance windows to carry out the work.
To free up crane time, MSC installed SKF ProFlex, a lubrication system that supplies each outlet progressively, with a precisely defined amount of lubricant. The SKF ProFlex system features a pump unit that delivers grease to a series of progressive feeders, which can automatically supply up to 150 lubrication points with grease or oil at flow rates of 0.01 to 6.000 cm³/min and system pressures as high as 300 bar. With continuous delivery of lubricant during pump running time, SKF ProFlex systems cut maintenance and extend uptime in all kinds of applications, from printing machines to wind turbines.
