R-Rak features this month in the WorldCargo News.
UK- based Trans-Rak International Ltd (TRI) has taken the first order for its new R-Rak Removable Car Rack system, which is designed to allow any standard container to be temporarily converted to carry cars.
The R-Rak complements TRI’s established, permanently mounted T-Rak Car Racks, which have been in service for a number of years with CMA CGM, several large logistics companies, including NYK CONCOR in conjunction with Suzuki-Maruti, Hyundai and Tata in India, and a number of other smaller operators.
According to TRI, with its electrically-operated mechanism permanently installed in the container, T-Rak is ideally suited for “kits in/cars out” and round trip operations, but the R-Rak addresses the market’s need for a removable system that allows cars to be carried in containers one-way.
The manually-operated RRak system comprises four steel posts and two wheel frames, which can be positioned at any location along the length of a standard container or swap body with corrugated or flat sidewalls to maximise cube efficiency.
Once the R-Raks are in position, the top car is driven into the container, positioned on the wheel frames and raised with manual chain hoists, which allow the racksto be manipulated longitudinally, vertically and to any angle. A second car can then be driven into the container and positioned below the raised car.
Once secured, 3, 4, 5 or 6 cars can be transported, depending on car and container size, on a structure designed to withstand not just sea motions, but the vigorous impact of rail shunting. The R-Raks are being manufactured by Singamas at its Shunde Shun An Da Pacific container facility in Guangdong under the supervision of Bureau Veritas, which also witnessed the testing of the design.
The racks themselves are supplied as packed, complete modules weighing just 40 kg each and can be safely lifted by fork lift truck or split for manual handling. 66 R-Rak modules stack neatly in a 40ft container.
“We have achieved a framework that is almost invisible in terms of the cube it takes up,” said Martin Clive-Smith, engineering director of TRI. “The frame is infinitely adjustable for height, tilt and position, which results in highly significant extra carrying capacity of some 50mm in height and 300mm in length for each car. As a result, the R-Rak can carry 25% more cars in some configurations within a given container.” TRI managing director Paul Donaldson added, “Cube efficiency is absolutely essential in a market where car shapes and sizes can change overnight with no prior notice to the contracted shipper. The average car has grown 12% in length in the past 25 years, while others, particularly electric cars, are coming in smaller.”
TRI received its first order for R-Raks immediately following its first public demonstration in August 2011. The R-Rak is now in full scale production and the first consignment of 360 sets was de- R-Rak packs the cars in R-Rak undergoing a 5,000 kg vertical test weight and 7,800 kg longitudinal pull test under BV supervision livered to a US based international logistics company in October.
In addition, the first trial order was fulfilled last month for APL Logistics, which is targeting the niche, but growing, market for the containerisation of some of the 50M cars manufactured throughout the world each year.
