Steelbro Sidelifters bound for Iraq

Nov. 26, 2003
Steelbro New Zealand Ltd announced it has secured a multi-million dollar order for the immediate supply of its Self Loading Trailers (SLT), or Sidelifters,
Steelbro New Zealand Ltd announced it has secured a multi-million dollar order for the immediate supply of its Self Loading Trailers (SLT), or Sidelifters, for use in rebuilding war-torn Iraq. After an initial enquiry to one of its U.S. distributors, Steelbro received an order from an unnamed source in Kuwait.Steelbro managing director Peter Batcheler said an order for a significant number of units was placed after an intense period of negotiation.“The order is a very large one for this type of product,” says Batcheler. “Despite an urgent delivery requirement we were able to supply the order on time. We had a large number of units available from our international stock, while some were diverted from current production in Christchurch.”A Steelbro Sidelifter is a purpose built semi-trailer chassis on which a specially designed set of cranes are mounted to lift and transport shipping containers of various types, sizes and weights. A Sidelifter has the ability to shift containers between a number of transport systems e.g. truck to train, truck to truck or truck to ground. “Sidelifters deliver a range of options that make them ideal for Military-style logistics applications, says Batcheler. “The ability to self-load and unload a container eliminates the need for forklifts and other heavy equipment to be available at both ends of the container’s route. The crane arms can be folded down to lower the overall height for air transport in aircraft of C130 Hercules capacity and above.”Batcheler says that global interest in Steelbro Sidelifters for these sort of applications is growing.