Bulk Cargo Terminals

Consulting Design Procurement Project Management

u

Bulk Engineering

Introduction
Buttimer Bulk Engineering is an engineering and
design company, experts in the mechanical handling of bulk materials. Part of the Buttimer Group,
the company draws on more than 30 years of
experience providing consultancy, engineering,
design, fabrication and management services to
bulk handlers including bulk cargo ports, commodity companies and agri-industry sectors.
Buttimer Bulk Engineering provides port operators,
port authorities and EPC contractors with complete
mechanical handling solutionsdesigned to optimise throughput, loading times, flexibility of commodity type and, ultimately, port effectiveness. With
decades of experience designing systems to handle
grains, coal, ores, biomass and others, Buttimer
can provide expert process engineering, technical
equipment specification, procurement and project
management services. Systems can typically include
ship loading and unloading, conveying, storage,
drying, cleaning and other processing, with multimodal bulk transport integration. Buttimer strive to

fully understand the clients needs and environmental conditions at the port, to deliver a tailored and
uniquely effective mechanical handling system.
The effectiveness of a Bulk Ports mechanical handling systemincluding throughput efficiency, layout, appropriateness of handling equipmentis a
central component of its operations and has a direct
influence on the operators profitability. Buttimer
Bulk Engineering works closely with clients to deliver services and solutions tailored to meeting the
commercial and environmental demands unique
to each bulk port. Volatility in global commodity
trade, demanding throughput targets coupled with
severe restrictions on space and storage capacity in
many of the worlds cargo ports, make clever port
layout design and process engineering as important
as ever. Buttimer Bulk Engineering is a competent
and valuable partner to bulk port operators, EPC
(Engineering, Procurement and Construction) contractors and Port Authorities seeking to develop or
upgrade a dry bulk terminal.

Services

Engineering Services

Buttimer Bulk Engineering offers turnkey mechanical handling solutions to projects for bulk cargo
ports and commodity transport hubs. From concept
design through to implementation, installation
management and commissioning, Buttimer aims to
be a valued partner to EPC contractors and operatorsproviding proven expert consultancy and
servicesin the development and delivery of their
mechanical handling systems.

Buttimer Bulk Engineering draws on a design and

engineering team with over 30 years experience
in the dry bulk handling sector. We have a highly
skilled and mobile workforce, capable of turning
their hand to any problem. We pride ourselves on
the fact that we have the ability solve problems others cannot, or do not have the appetite to solve. The
handling of bulk productbe it grain, iron ore or
coalis the primary purpose of bulk cargo terminals! Therefore integrating mechanical handling expertise into layout design, equipment specification
and sourcing, process engineering, commissioning
and operation is key to terminal optimisation.

Engineering Consultancy
Concept design
Civil & mechanical feasibility studies
Detailed planning design
Start-up planning
Mechanical specification consulting

Design
System layout design
Process engineering
Detailed drawing
Throughput & flow specification
Equipment specification

Procurement
Equipment specification & selection
Global sourcing & OEM identification
Tender preparation & analysis

Management
Equipment installation management
Design & installation of support structures,

platforms and access walkways

Mechanical handling systems ATEX, safety

and compliance management

Maintenance & asset life-cycle optimization,

process design & management

Our consulting and design teams combine expertise in process engineering, layout design, storage
design and the integration of processes such as
de-stoning, cleaning, drying, bagging, milling etc.
as appropriate, from concept design right through
to installation, commissioning and operation. This
can include procurement services, tender preparation and bespoke equipment fabrication where
required.

Equipment Fabrication
In addition to the engineering and management
services described, Buttimer Group specialises in
the design and fabrication of bespoke bulk handling equipment for ports and transportation hubs.
Our speciality lies in meeting the needs of the client
by custom designing equipment that will meet the
functional, environmental and throughput efficiency required. In the Port of Cork, Ireland, for example,
Buttimer has installed two dock-side mobile loaders, and a rail mounted loader, all fully aspirated and
dust-free. In a patented technology, Buttimer has
designed a hydraulic suspension, breaking and jacking system, designed to keep loaders and hoppers
stable, secure and level on the uneven, rough surfaces common on ship unloading quays worldwide.
Customers of port equipment and related services
have included:
ArcelorMittal Liberia
Port of Cork
Frontier Coal Colombia
Foynes Port
Greenore Port
Bunge Ltd.

65

221

1302

Port of Gdynia

Equipment Procurement

Storage Equipment

Buttimer Bulk Engineering specialises in the

specification and sourcing of equipment from
OEMs internationally, to meet the requirements
throughput, commercial, environmentalof our
clients. Buttimer have a longstanding relationship
with Cimbria, one of the worlds leading producers
of specialist grain handling equipment, along with
other mechanical equipment suppliers, in order to
ensure quality and competitive mechanical handling systems for our clients.

We can provide silo storage, flat storage and open

stack storage systems. We can offer a variety of steel
silos, with flat bottom bins ranging from 50m3 up
to 19,700m3, and hopper bottom bins from 55m3 to
1,677m3. The silos are made from corrugated steel
and are made to either DIN 1055 or ANSI/ASAE
(2001) standard with a minimum zinc coating of
450g/m2. We can offer a wide range of capacities
and methods for store loading and unloading, be
it sweep augers or hydroscrews, depending on the
products handled, their characteristics and the clients process engineering. Finally, with automated
jacking systems we can quickly and efficiently erect
the smallest to the largest silos. Flat stores can be
customised entirely to the clients requirements.
Handling systems, including shuttle conveyors, mobile stacking conveyors or belt conveyors, complete
with discharge car unloadingvia horizontal reclaimers, hydroscrews, vibrating mats or just frontend-loaderscan be created to meet the clients
needs and the characteristics of the product being
handled. We can also design and install open stacking storage, fed by our radial telescopic stackers or
simple stationary conveyors.

251

524

854

156

238

591

309

908

123 KE

12

KE

123 KE

1448

Shiploaders/Stackers
We design and supply shiploaders for a wide range
of bulk products and applications. We offer mobile,
rail mounted or stationery units, again to meet the
customers needs and tailored to the bulk product,
environment and port layout. Our units can service
barges up to post-Panamax vessels. The loaders can
handle capacities up to 2500m3 and the products
handled can include, but are not limited to:
Grains/cereals
Coal
Iron Ore and other minerals

rail systems and can run along them powered by

the crane that feeds them or can also be self-driven.
Our DMLs are one of the most robust on the market.
When we commenced to design and build DMLs
in the early 1980s we set ourselves a task to solve
the problem of the structures twisting. As no port
wall is level and DMLs can be up to 14m wide, 14m
long and 18m high, there can be deviations of up
to 700mm over the diagonal length of the unit. In
conventional units the structure is made in a way to
take up these differences but as the structure twists
it puts very large torsional loads on the structure
with obvious consequences. Our engineers have
designed a hydraulic suspension system to take up
the differences in levels and hence keep a constant
loading on each corner. This means a longer lifetime
for the units and less maintenance. This combined
with our advanced steering system allows for a
highly manoeuvrable and robust unit. On both
RMLs and DMLs we can design and fabricate a wide
range of dust suppression features. We offer the
unit with a 3m high thimble with a mechanical dust
suppression system, flex-flap system, plus insertable cassette filters that return the dust into the
product. This combined with out-loading Cimbria
Moduflex chutes allows for a greater control of dust
emissions; both RMLs and DMLs can feed into a
conveying system or direct to trucks, train wagons
or barges.

Fertilisers
Biomass
Woodchip
Aggregates

Ship Unloaders
Ship unloading units can range from simple open
ended hoppers up to fully aspirated self-drive
dockside mobile loaders (DML). We can offer units
that are rail mounted (RML) or pneumatic tyre
mounted (DML). RMLs are designed to suit existing

Conveyors
We offer a wide range of conveying equipment for
dry bulk cargos. As stated, we work with Cimbria
and others to supply conveyors and elevators up
to a capacity of 1000 TPH for grains and cereals,
plus all necessary seed processing equipment, be it
cleaning, drying, weighing etc. For non-grains and
cereals we offer our own design of conveyors, up to
a capacity of 2500m3 per hour. Our conveyors can
handle all bulk product commodities.

 Weight of product under grid: 60 Tonnes

Maximum capacity of hopper:180 Tonnes
Full dust aspiration with Flex Flap baffle

system under grid and dust aspiration from

two truck out-loading spouts

Discharge capacity: 450 TPH - 500 TPH

through two truck loading spouts

Filling grab size: 30m3 capacity

Max vertical dynamic load on grid: 150
tonnes
Max horizontal load on legs: 30 tonnes

CRH Europe (Cement Roadstone

Holdings) (Front cover inset)
Unloading at Cork with two DMLs and an RML in the background

Project Examples
Bunge, Poland (Front cover photo)
The project delivered by Buttimer for Bunge, a
global producer of food oils, at the port of Kruszwica in Poland, includes a large flat storage facility
for soyabean cake and rapeseed cake, which also
comprises a fully aspirated system for loading and
unloading ships, rail and trucks, demonstrating very
high throughput efficiency for a low density bulk
product. It includes:
A ship unloading capability of 800 TPH of

soyabean cake.
Ship loading of 600 TPH of rapeseed cake.
Handling and storage capacity of 50,000
tonnes
Loading and unloading dust reducing

systems
Ship, rail & truck loading and unloading

Port of Cork (Back cover photo)

Buttimer developed a DML (Dockside Mobile
Loader) for the Port of Cork, which included the
design, manufacture, erection and commissioning
of a self-driving, fully aspirated unloading hopper,
for loading cereals into trucks. The unit travels on
8 rubber tyres and has a suspension system which
allows for ground level variation of 700mm.
Size:13.5m wide x 11m long x 15m high
Weight empty: 128 Tonnes

Across three sites in Poland, Buttimer has designed

and installed approximately 2 kilometres of aggregate conveyors, their throughput ranging between
200 and 800 tonnes per hour. The system includes
stackers, radial stackers, reclaimers, and screens/
screening processes. The CRH case demonstrates
significant capability for complex system design,
and large scale bulk aggregate conveying and
handling.

Experts in the Mechanical

Handling of Bulk Material
Buttimer Bulk Engineering are committed to offering clients workable and well thought-out solutions
to their mechanical handling requirements, through
consulting, engineering design, procurement and
management services. The company has a strong
problem solving ethos, and a willingness to accept
a challenge, big or small. Part of the Buttimer Group,
drawing on over three decades of experience in the
sector, Buttimer Bulk Engineering is a competent
and valuable partner to bulk cargo port authorities, operators and contractors. We are ready and
eager to engage with new port and port upgrading
projects internationally.

Our Background
E. Buttimer & Co. was founded in Tipperary, Ireland,
in 1978, by Mr Edward Buttimer. The company specialises in the mechanical handling of bulk materials
and began by providing equipment for handling
bulk dairy and grain products to the Irish agriindustry market. In the years since, Buttimer has
developed world class capabilities in the design and
supply of mechanical handling equipment, drawing on a team of engineers with expertise in intake,
conveying, storage and processing of a wide array
of dry bulk materials, including grains, coal, ores,
biomass and powders.
Buttimer has been providing engineering services,
equipment supply, installation and complete
turnkey solutions to agri-industry, mining, power
generation, malting & brewing, construction and
pharmaceuticals sectors in Ireland for decades. The

company adheres to the highest standards of practice in engineering and management, is certified
ISO 9001:2008, and has an impeccable health and
safety record. In 2005, Buttimer opened a subsidiary
in Warsaw, Poland, and has brought its experience
to an increasing range of clients, including companies in the Middle East, Africa and Asia.
Buttimer Bulk Engineering is focussed on offering
engineering services, such as consultancy, design
and procurement to projects around the world.
Drawing on the experience and expertise built up in
Buttimer Ireland and Buttimer Polska, Buttimer Bulk
Engineering brings an ingrained culture of problem solving and professionalism to projects further
afield, making the intrinsic expertise and experience
of the Buttimer Group available to a wider range of
clients.

Contact Us
Buttimer Bulk Engineering
Tel: +48 78 515 01 30
www.buttimerbulk.com

E Buttimer & Co. Ltd

Carrigeen Industrial Estate,
Cahir,
Co. Tipperary
Ireland
www.buttimer.ie
Tel: +353 52 7441377
Fax: +353 52 7441087

Ireland

Buttimer Polska Sp. z o.o.

ul. Cypryjska 2A
02-761 Warszawa
Polska
www.buttimer.pl
Tel: +48 22 858 20 03
Fax: +48 22 858 20 05

Polska