The Cuneo area in the Italian region of Piedmont is not the first place you would associate with a company that builds boat lifting systems. However, that’s where Boat Lift has been designing and manufacturing such plants since 2006. Having grown constantly over the past few years, today the company employs 70 people and generates 20-million-euro revenues, with a 70% export share. The name itself clearly refers to equipment that lifts boats for maintenance, storage and transport, historically characterized by a negative factor: being driven by a diesel engine that operates a hydraulic lifting system. So, in the current age of electrification, why not invent something more sustainable? That’s the genesis of the electric version of Travel Lift, a model designed for efficiency, sustainability, and operating comfort.
Many ways to be more sustainable in the nautical industry
Travel Lift is the name of the lifting system whose electric version is the latest innovation. It is not a response to market requirements, but rather a “greener” version that has driven Boat Lift to move towards sustainability.
“Our business is a niche, but we all must play our part– said Matteo Scarafiotti, marketing manager at Boat Lift. – That’s why we have decided to develop a full-electric application and to rely on the expertise of a partner like ABB, which has introduced us to the Energy Efficiency Movement, that we joined enthusiastically. We are focusing on our own energy efficiency first, we have installed a photovoltaic system that covers most of our energy consumption, but we are also committed to improving the energy efficiency of the machines we produce: for many years now, we have been using biodegradable oils for the hydraulic circuits. But we can, and we must, do more.”
Pooling skills and expertise
The electric Travel Lift concept is easy: basically, the system is comprised of lithium batteries, ABB low-voltage motors and ACS380 and ACS880 variable speed drives, and a motion control PLC that is the core of the plant. But anything that looks easy hides technological challenges.
Just like an electric car, Travel Lift runs on a battery that offers a limited mileage. The higher the overall efficiency, the higher the number of lifts with a single charge, where the goal is to work for an entire day with one charge.
“As this is the first application of this kind in the nautical industry, we started from a blank sheet – Scarafiotti continued. – That’s a benefit, for sure, but we were literally navigating in an ocean of possibilities. That’s why we developed the application together with ABB from the design phase: we had clear ideas about the results we wanted to achieve, while ABB contributed with their expertise in inverters and their know-how in the motion control of asynchronous motors. I can assure you that only with few companies you can analyze technical issues in depth to develop a new product, and the results were really excellent.”
The benefits of electric lifting: efficiency, energy saving, and more…
It may seem self-evident, but when you choose a product of this kind, your top concern is performance: it must do its duty properly.
The second factor is operating costs. In this area, electric solutions are superior from every point of view, because they need fewer components than a traditional machine and they eliminate the expensive periodical maintenance of the hydraulic system (absent in electric models).
The final benefit is related to efficiency and operating comfort: based on figures, the environmental impact of an electric lift compared to an equivalent diesel model is much lower.
Considering a 100% battery consumption each day for 6 days a week, you can save up to 2,600 liters of diesel: the corresponding CO2 emissions would require 114 trees for 10 years to be absorbed, or alternatively, a 33-hectare forest for at least one week.
The net energy saving, according to Boat Lift, is 40%.
“There are also indirect benefits – Scarafiotti continued. – Normally, these lifts are operated in environments that are very sensitive to air and noise pollution. A full-electric device positively impacts both factors. This equipment often operates in very crowded maritime locations, and silent operation is an appreciated feature: we were really impressed during early tests in our company. Also, the first customer who received an electric unit and placed it next to traditional machines immediately noticed the difference.” The future is yet to be written and it promises interesting developments. The Boat Lift technology is mainly addressed to the nautical sector, but it is already arousing interest in industrial logistics. So, the company has decided to diversify its business through a controlled company called Industrial Lift, which offers the same know-how to handle artifacts, semifinished materials and so on.
