Demonstrating great innovation to customer needs has been delivered by a team at Associated British Port’s  Humber International Terminal at the Port of Immingham.

Responding to the need to safely allow crews to loosen set materials of agribulk cargoes in storage, the idea for a piece of kit to allow this to happen was developed in partnership with Agriweld, an East Yorkshire firm specialising in agricultural machinery and attachments.

The attachment is a nine-metre spike which can be fitted to a Volvo L150 Loading Shovel. It has 11 thick spikes at the end and the top row can be covered with a safety guard to reduce the risk to people when in a grounded position.

The operators can push the spike through the solid cargo, breaking it up and making the cargo face safe, but also allows the creation of loose cargo to be loaded easily and directly to the truck.

Simon Bird, Regional Director of the Humber ports said: “This collaboration has made sure our operators can work safely in the sheds. By being able to agitate the material from a safe distance it eliminates the risk of material collapse that can happen when the cargoes build up and solidify. I’m particularly pleased that this innovation stems directly from colleagues, demonstrating their focus on safety and continuously improving the way we can work.

“Safety is a number one priority for our operators and third party working in these areas. It also shows how we can support our customers and their needs to offer safe solutions.”

Scott Barrett, Operations Manager (Reclaim) said: “This is teamwork and involved the operational AOMs and their teams who gave feedback at every step of the design stage so we could ensure it worked correctly and was user-friendly for the operatives. It is always better to get them involved as they are the people working every day with the cargoes and equipment.

“Agriweld had never built a spike before, but we have used them for the design as they are Volvo approved and have previously provided pusher blades for the Terminal. We’re delighted with the outcome.”

Brett Johnson, Sales & Marketing Manager, Agriweld said: “We were delighted to be entrusted with this project by ABP. Having supplied them with our long reach material pushers for many years we were proud to be asked to create this bespoke Breaker to their own requirements.

“Our design engineers worked with ABP and SMT to ensure that the product was not only effective but also worked within the loader’s parameters. Extra features such as an upper spike guard for worker safety and economical wearing parts were installed to further enhance the product. The Breaker would need to cope with the demanding needs of the job which was reflected within the design. A build of the highest standard ensured that the Breaker would perform at the required levels every time.

We look forward to continuing our strong relationship with ABP.”