Felbermayr transports mega cable drums for the energy transition
January 20, 2025 | Lucia Reinsprecht
What we are doing here is better than anything I have seen in my career so far,” says Holger Kunz, clearly impressed. The experienced logistician has been working in the heavy transport industry for almost two decades. He has been the manager of the Felbermayr branch in Memmingen for over three years. “We are not only talking about an immense number of transports, but also about the complex coordination with a wide range of partners – from the project developer to the cable manufacturers and, finally, an unprecedented number of transport permits,” says Kunz, summarising the mega-project. Specifically, the high-voltage DC cables for SuedLink have been rolled up on cable drums and transported to strategic storage sites along the route since the beginning of the year. The cables were produced by Prysmian, the global market leader in the field of energy and telecommunications cables and systems. In both projects, they are then transported from the interim storage facilities to the unwinding stations and unwound. By the time the routes are completed, the Felbermayr team will have carried out around 3,000 transport operations, including the return transport of the empty cable drums.
Lengthy authorisation procedures
“One of our core tasks is to maintain a constant supply chain throughout the entire duration of the project,” says Kunz. However, the transport itself is not the biggest challenge, but rather the preparation for it. Because: A separate permit must be obtained for every road and bridge to be crossed. In Germany, this often becomes a real obstacle course due to the dilapidated infrastructure and overburdened authorities. “In Hesse, for example, we were always able to drive the same route for ten months until the load on a bridge was reduced, independently of our transports. So we had to find a new route and apply to the relevant authorities for the necessary permits,” says Kunz, giving an example of the difficult day-to- day work. All in all, countless permits had already been obtained in advance. This needs to be maintained over the coming years.
Road conditions critical
The cable drums are delivered to Germany from Prysmian's production facilities for innovative cable technology in France by barge and ocean-going vessel. “From there on, we take over,” says Kunz. The transport team from Memmingen prepared three different transport configurations. “The decisive factor for the selection of our means of transport is above all the spatial geometry of the route,” says Kunz. To transport the cable drums, which can weigh up to 100 tonnes, the team uses a variety of modular axle lines, depending on the route conditions. “If we have enough space, we'll go with a flatbed trailer. We counteract height issues with a vessel bed, and in particularly narrow road conditions, we can reduce our transport length to an absolute minimum with the help of self-propelled units,” reveals Kunz. The axle lines from the manufacturer Goldhofer are pulled by the company's own 4-axle tractor units of the MAN TGX 41.640 brand.
Unwinding device developed in-house
To unwind the cables from the drums into the trenches, the Felbermayr team joined forces with a well-known supplier and jointly developed an unwinding device. “We have designed the device so that it fits all types of vehicles, which offers us maximum flexibility,” says Kunz. But that's not all: Another special feature is already on the vehicle itself: “Until now, such devices were always mounted on a subframe. We were able to omit this, as our module axes are already equipped with it,” says Kunz. Under the supervision of a Felbermayr supervisor, the drums are then unwound and the cable laid in the cable trenches.
Lifting frame from Engineered Solutions
Another special feature of this project was developed in collaboration with our colleagues from Engineered Solutions in Krefeld. When replacing the empty cable drums, there were two challenges: On the one hand, the total transport lengths often meant that the vehicles could not reach the pay-off stations, and on the other hand, the drivers' maximum driving time was also reached after one night of transport. “The focus of all our work is to make the interaction between personnel and technology as efficient as possible,” explains Kunz. That is why a lifting frame with 200 tonnes of lifting power and four hydraulic cylinders has been integrated into the logistics chain especially for the projects. “This allows us to replace the empty cable drums without having to manoeuvre the vehicles,” says Kunz. Despite the enormous challenges, which ‘will certainly not be repeated in this form,”’ says Kunz, the Felbermayr team has already successfully completed some of the transport operations. For Kunz, this success is based above all on the enormous range of services that can be handled in-house. “Whether it's transport, equipment, specialised personnel or engineering – we don't rely on external service providers. This makes us very flexible,” concludes Kunz.
