SCSł - Spreader Control System

Performance upgrades

Download the catalogue

1,1 MB

The power of easy. The power of ł.

Only from Bromma.

Bromma’s next generation spreader control system – Bromma SCSł – is a major advance in spreader control technology.

SCS3ł builds on the foundation of Bromma SCS˛ (first introduced in 2001), in that it is a comprehensive spreader control system that makes possible fast and specific fault diagnosis. However, in significant ways, SCSł represents a major step forward beyond SCS˛, as SCSł features a much higher level of userfriendliness, a significant simplification in design, and the opening up of a new area of functionality – spreader prognostics.

In short, the new SCSł system will allow terminals to push operational performance higher. Among the many operational advantages of the SCSł system – things that Bromma technology can do, that competing technology cannot – are the following:

With the new SCSł system, terminal operators can perform various on-line functions, such as adjusting sensors or scanning for bus faults. (The single biggest fault problem on a spreader is a sensor that’s out of adjustment. The ability to make sensor adjustments online is a great time saver).
With the new SCSł system, terminal users can do predictive maintenance – "Twistlock losing signal; twistlock mechanics need adjustment"… "Flipper decreasing in speed; check chain at next service interval…" or "Twin-latches are close to the margin; sensors need adjustment before they start missing…" due to rules-based artificial intelligence.
With the new SCSł system, terminal users can automatically transmit spreader events, logs,alarms, and MMBF statistics to the terminal organization headquarters for comprehensive spreader fleet performance analysis.
With the new SCSł system, terminal users can dramatically simplify the number of relays and terminal points on the spreader (Greater design simplicity often results in greater reliability).
With the new SCSł system, terminal users can look at the error log even after the spreader is pulled from the crane. (With spreaders that use the competing technology ASi, all data is very often lost when the spreader is pulled from the crane. The ability to review error log data is what allows the terminal to do retroactive fault analysis).
With the new SCSł system, a terminal engineer can evaluate and control the spreader from the central terminal control room. He is not dependent on anyone else on site to evaluate and provide feedback on the situation. The engineer can in "real time" view the same information in the central operating area as the technician sees when he’s looking at the spreader. (This means faster operational decisionmaking in terms of whether the spreader can be repaired or adjusted within the typical 15 minute window before the terminal pulls the spreader from
the crane).
With the new SCSł system, terminal users can capture very specific diagnostic fault information immediately after a fault occurs. (Shorter fault duration leads to more uptime and fewer spreader change-outs).
With the new SCSł system, terminal users have access to all spreader diagrams, drawings and manuals right on the spreader via the PDF display. Also, the on-board touch-screen display has been designed for high readability and durable performance under the many challenging environmental conditions found at the port – such as sun glare and high heat, among others.

The SCSł system is not just new technology – it is new technology that makes possible a series of practical, functional advantages. These are features and benefits that only Bromma Group can offer terminal operators today – benefits that are the latest in Bromma’s long-term … tradition of innovation.

The power to see the present

... and the future

Bromma SCSł lets spreader users see more… and see more easily.

A large touch-screen monitor, using simple to- understand language, makes possible superior ease of-use. Information is not only there … but it is easy to access, understand, and act upon. With Bromma SCSł terminals finally have a technician operator interface with high functionality that is also simple to use. What do operators see? When the red light goes on, Bromma SCSł delivers very specific diagnostic information, and then captures that information with a powerful database-driven software engine.

The engine includes:

An EVENT LOG for an easy-to-follow sequence of events
An ALARM LOG with alarms stored separately and acknowledged
A TREND LOG, through which to follow performance over time and observe changes in spreader behaviour
A STATISTICAL LOG for internal storage of everything from container count to sub-system MMBF numbers
A BLACKBOX RECORDER storing a snapshot of signal sequences when an alarm is triggered Plus, as noted earlier, with the new SCSł system, terminal users can continue to examine the error log even after the spreader is pulled from the crane. (With other crane spreader brands, all data is very often lost when the spreader is pulled from the crane. The ability to review error log data is what allows the terminal to do retroactive fault analysis).

Plus, as noted earlier, with the new SCSł system, terminal users can continue to examine the error log even after the spreader is pulled from the crane. (With other crane spreader brands, all data is very often lost when the spreader is pulled from the crane. The ability to review error log data is what allows the terminal to do retroactive fault analysis).

It is well known that high spreader reliability is essential for high terminal performance. Spreader return on investment derives directly from spreader productivity, and spreader productivity is highly leveraged to fault frequency and duration. This is why the diagnostic capabilities of Bromma SCSł can have a significant impact, over the spreader fleet lifetime, on terminal financial performance. System diagnostic software identifies the spreadr fault area, and then, identifies either a single fault cause or, in certain cases, a narrow range of causes.

This extremely precise diagnostic data is the key to shortening downtime duration and eliminating the need for operationally disruptive spreader change-outs.

See the future

One of the important functional advances in SCSł is the addition of spreader prognostics. SCSł software uses rule-based artificial intelligence to identify future fault behaviour before the fault actually occurs. Rules-based predictive maintenance – "Twistlock losing signal; twistlock mechanics need adjustment..." "Flipper decreasing in speed; check chain at next service interval…" makes possible a shift in focus from corrective (problem-solving) to preventive (problem-preventing) activities. Bromma spreader prognostics provide the information flow for a whole range of predictive and preventive spreader service activities. Steadily narrowing the time the service technician team spends on corrective activities, and steadily increasing the time the service technician team spends on preventive activities, will produce significant benefits in spreader uptime and optimized performance.

The power of advanced

No spreader control and communications system delivers more information, more easily, than Bromma SCSł.

The visualization monitor illustrates spreader sensors and valves, the communications status of buses, the control panel for operating the spreader, and runtime and spreader data. It allows operators to tune spreader parameters online or revert them to factory settings. It also allows advanced users the opportunity to make more detailed configurations. Also, security controls extend to up to seven user levels.

Beyond this, the SCSł system has a full range of external communications capabilities, creating unsurpassed accessibility to external resources. On the system, all user interfaces have a web equivalent which can be accessed with a web browser. Depending on how the spreader is hooked up, information can be accessed either by cable, WLAN or internet. The onboard PDF reader provides access to manuals, diagrams, drawings, and spare parts data.

Terminals can perform various on-line functions, such as adjusting sensors, as terminal engineers can evaluate and control the spreader from the central terminal control room. (The single biggest fault problem on a spreader is a sensor that’s out of adjustment. The ability to make sensor adjustments online is a great time saver). Global terminal management organizations also gain an important information collection tool – terminal users can automatically transmit spreader events, logs, alarms, and MMBF statistics to the terminal organization headquarters for comprehensive retroactive spreader fleet performance analysis.

Easy. Simple. Intelligently advanced.

The new SCSł spreader control system represents the new frontier in spreader control, diagnostics, prognostics and communications.

The power of simple

The transition from Bromma SCS˛ to Bromma SCSł will allow for a considerable improvement in overall system simplicity in a typical installation. The box below summarizes how a typical spreader installation will allow for the following simplification in system requirements:

SYSTEM SIMPLIFICATION WITH BROMMA SCSł

Bromma SCS˛	Bromma SCSł
3 SCS nodes	1 SCS node
4 cabinets + 2 junction boxes	2 cabinets
Over 300 wired terminal points	Approx. 100 wired terminal points
Greater than 9 ASB boxes	Less than 8 ASB boxes
Approximately 130 1/O relays	Less than 25 I/O relays

This dramatic reduction in component "clutter" will in itself likely boost spreader reliability, as wired terminal points are a common source of electrical faults. In fact, electrical faults are the #1 source of spreader downtime.

For system configuration and technical specifications - download the catalogue. SCSł - Spreader Control System 1,1 MB