New Sideloader Helps Speed Equipment Turn-Around

With nearly double the normal volume of containers flowing into Maui in August and September, a big focus for our Kahului Terminal team and staff on Maui has been to keep our terminal fluid and avoid congestion that would slow the delivery of needed goods in the community.

Since August 8, Matson has delivered thousands of containers of relief supplies, equipment, and general cargo to Maui. Of the 520 containers and more than 400 chassis (the trailers that truckers use to deliver individual containers) on Maui, nearly 100 pieces of equipment were on loan to responding agencies, community aid groups, and retail customers needing assistance.

In order to adapt our operation to the unique needs on Maui and keep our equipment moving, Matson invested $200,000 in a new trailer-mounted sideloader lift for use on Maui. Since all of Matson’s terminals use larger cranes and container-lifting equipment, it’s the only lift of its kind in our system and enables us to deliver containers that need to be held for longer durations directly to the ground, helping us keep our chassis inventory in circulation.