At a glance
Bulk material handling operations at port facilities demand reliable, heavy-duty crane systems that operate continuously under extreme loads. EECV, part of Thyssenkrupp Steel Europe, is one of Europe's largest bulk handling companies, transhipping approximately 22.5 million tons of iron ore and coal annually for steel production. Ensuring the structural integrity of these critical assets is essential for maintaining operational efficiency and safety.
Customer
Ertsoverslagbedrijf Europoort (Thyssenkrupp)​
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Industry
Dry bulk port operations
Challenge
Thyssenkrupp operates several assets, some beyond their calculated lifetime. These critical cranes required increasingly frequent maintenance, with unplanned downtime and emergency repairs becoming common. Traditional methods couldn't provide the accuracy needed to prioritize which cracks required immediate action.
Solution
Villari implemented a continuous monitoring system on the most fatigue-critical locations, including many hard-to-access areas. The wireless sensors specifically target welds and locations where cracks had been observed or were expected to form, providing real-time crack development insights with minimal installation disruption.
Key Benefits
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15 extra days of uptime annually – Avoided unscheduled repairs
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€80K savings – Eliminated unplanned and emergency repairs
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Doubled inspection accuracy – Confident, data-driven decisions replace historical experience
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Extended asset lifetime – Safe operation beyond calculated design life
Challenge
Thyssenkrupp Steel Europe is one of Europe’s leading steel producers, operating several assets – some that have even passed their calculated lifetime. These assets remain essential for maintaining required production volumes, but their age makes them increasingly prone to steel fatigue. The cranes required increasingly longer and more frequent maintenance windows. Unplanned downtime and repairs became more common, even emergency repairs. Traditional inspection methods weren't providing the accuracy needed to distinguish between cracks that required immediate attention and those that could be safely monitored, leading to a need for more accurate inspection results.
Solution
EECV installed Villari’s wireless monitoring system on the most fatigue-critical locations, many in hard to access locations, specifically targeting welds and areas where cracks had been observed or were expected to form.
The system now provides:
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Continuous monitoring of fatigue-critical points
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Real-time crack development insights
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Automated alerts and trend visualizations
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Accurate fatigue-development data, even in hard-to-reach areas
"
With assets operating beyond their design life, we needed more accurate insights into fatigue behavior to make informed decisions and maintain safe and efficient operations.” ​​
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Johan van Jole
Project Engineer at Ertsoverslagbedrijf Europoort (EECV), part of Thyssenkrupp Steel Europe ​
Results
Since installing Villari's system, EECV has eliminated all unscheduled repairs—previously averaging 2–5 per year, each causing 3 days of downtime—delivering 15 extra days of uptime annually. Scheduled maintenance windows also became more efficient, saving 40 hours per year. The engineering team reported that using Villari, instead of relying on historical experiences with certain assets, they are much more confident in terms of the reliability of their inspections. Continuous monitoring gave the team the confidence to keep operating critical assets well past their calculated lifetime while maintaining safety and structural integrity.
15 days
extra uptime earned per year
€80K saving
​eliminating unplanned repairs
40 hours
​saved annually in maintenance