thyssenkrupp involved in Panama canal extension

The expansion of the Panama Canal has recently been completed. thyssenkrupp supplied fourteen elevators for the project, seven for each new lock complex, one of which was on the Atlantic side and the other on the Pacific. Traffic through the locks will be monitored from two control towers that can be accessed via two elevators. The other elevators are installed at several points along the locks.

“The elevators descend to a depth of roughly 50 meters and are then connected by tunnels known as “crossunders” running beneath the lock chambers, which hold millions of liters of water,” said Peter Bjorn, Vice President of New Installation & Modernisations with the Elevator Technology business division of thyssenkrupp for Latin America.

thyssenkrupp supports major infrastructure projects around the world with smart solutions that meet the requirements of urbanisation. “We want to jointly address the challenges of mobility in complex environments with our customers,” says Andreas Schierenbeck, CEO of thyssenkrupp Elevator. “It is essential to find new solutions and create means for global transportation which save time and reduce the consumption of energy and environmental resources.”

Due to the complexity of the project, the thyssenkrupp team was required to consider a high level of technical detail. For instance, all elevator components had to be explosion proof to guarantee maximum availability even under the harshest of climatic conditions. In Panama, the canal construction is the first to be fitted with this safety feature.

Given the short five month installation timeframe and the project’s challenges, thyssenkrupp deployed 24 people to install the elevators. “The completion of this project makes us very proud and shows the high level of proficiency of thyssenkrupp teams working on milestone projects across the world,” Peter Bjorn said.

Adapted from press release by Rebecca Bowden

Read the article online at: https://www.worldcement.com/the-americas/22072016/thyssenkrupp-involved-in-panama-canal-extension-586/