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Everything about self propelled modular trailers (SPMT)
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Company register There was claimed that the first self-propelled modular trailers were developed by Econofreight in the mid-1980s.
SBSR oversize strategy However Jan Smout the regional operations manager in Middle East from Mammoet comapny claims disagree and
arguing that the first SPMTs were developed by Mammoet in conjunction with Scheuerle in Pfedelbach, Germany.
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There were already self-propelled trailers in the market but Mammoet designed these in such a way that they were
easier to assemble, and, more importantly, a lot more economical. The two started developing SPMTs in 1983 and
put them to use in 1984. Econofreight only purchased Nicolas SPMTs years later. Firsts SPMT designs with a
width of 2.43m wide and 5.6m long (four lines) and 8.4m long (six lines) were a world first. They enabled the
SPMTs to be transported on standard 20 and 40 ft container flatracks. This was a big development in comparison
Your name with the earlier axle lines that had a minimum width of 3m. Also these were the first with the 360° steering
capabilities.
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Your comment How the SPMT evolved

Engineers are using modular construction techniques on projects where space, time, or available labour is limited.
 However, the technique requires the use of special transport vehicles capable of positioning immense loads with
millimetre precision.
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Traditionally, onshore oil and gas processing plants have been ‘stick built’; that is, they have been fabricated on
site, a piece at a time. In the 1970s, however, engineers working on offshore projects developed techniques of
modularisation, which saw huge pieces of equipment built on land at fabricators’ yards and then carried to their
location on barges. Since the mid-1980s, these techniques have begun to be used in a new way for onshore
projects.

Colin Smith, project director for Foster Wheeler Energy Limited, explains, “Modularisation in the offshore industry
has always been driven by the need to combine as much equipment as possible before delivery to the site, as you
have no infrastructure at the site. At the same time, using barges, you can transport very heavy loads relatively
easily, with a high degree of manoeuvrability, and you have sufficient space to erect such structures offshore.”

Smith continues, “At that time [the late 1970s and early 1980s] in the onshore industry, one didn’t have the drivers
of limited space and relatively high cost, and one didn’t have the flexible crane, lifting and transport equipment
needed for heavy module movement.”

As the special transport industry developed new ways of moving heavy loads, it became possible bring these
techniques onshore. Foster Wheeler construction engineering manager Doug Lee says, “The biggest impact on the
growth of modularisation on onshore projects (from an equipment point of view) is the growth of SPMTs (self-
propelled modular transporters), the first of which was developed by Econofreight in the mid-eighties. Positioning to
close tolerances on a foundation is a key issue. Prior to having SPMTs, we had to skid modules into position,
which isn’t as accurate and takes more space. You can manoeuvre an SPMT within tolerances of millimetres, and
rotate it through 360° using carousel steering. Onshore, usually you have to negotiate roadways and corridors of
access through the site. The time we can save, and our ability to move modules through the site without removing
objects, is really worthwhile to the project.”

Scheuerle sales director Bernd Schwengsbier describes an SPMT: “Scheuerle SPMTs consist of a power pack
unit, containing an engine with a hydraulic pump. These are separate from the transporter, so they can be
connected directly or at a distance using hydraulic connectors. They use a 350kW Mercedes engine. The
transmission is a hydrostatic drive system.”

In the hydrostatic drive systems used by SPMTs, the engine powers a hydrostatic pump. A series of hydraulic
connectors links the power pack unit (PPU) to the individual SPMTs, where a motor converts the fluid flow back
into rotational movement. This means that power can be transmitted from the PPU to many transporter modules,
and that the entire compound of linked transporters can be moved to very fine tolerances, without the gearshifts of
a mechanical transmission. When the operator wants to reverse the machine, the hydraulic flow is reversed.

The suspension for each axle is also linked to the hydraulic system, allowing the SPMTs to be raised and lowered.
When the SPMT needs to cross an obstacle, such as a ramp, the PPU can be raised at an angle, to increase it\'s
clearance. The suspension can keep the entire SPMT level, with axles raising and lowering as they cross the
obstacle.

Steering is computer controlled, with a range of steering programs, and powered by the hydraulics from the PPU.
These can include transversal drive, with the SPMT turning more at one end than the other, circular or carousel
drive, with the SPMT turning on a point, or other variants with the SPMT turning on a point at, say, the front left
axle.

http://www.transportoversize.eu/en/articles/id/4139/ 12/28/2017
Articles Page 2 of 3

Horst Haefele, sales director for Goldhofer, says, “The transporters are coupled together by means of a hydraulic
lashing coupling system located at each end of the modules based on the same bending moment as the frame
work. We offer 4, 6 and 8 axle modules to adjust the capacity and loading platform necessary to adjust it to the
need of the various cargos.”

Lee says, “It is the ability to configure them into a multiple arrangement, of maybe 100 or 200 axle lines, that
makes them so attractive—we always use them linked together like this.” By arranging the four- to eight-axle
SPMTs into compounds with, potentially, hundreds of axle lines, vast loads can be carried. Lee says, “We believe
you could go up to 10,000t. The real limit on module size is at the fabricator’s yard, in particular in their ability to
load out the modules.”

These compounds can then be controlled by a single operator. Schwengsbier says, “The compound can be
controlled using a wireless or cable remote control. The remote uses joysticks, giving the operator proportional
control of acceleration and deceleration, lifting and lowering, as well as steering. It features a range of steering
options, such as 360° carousel steering.”

As well as precision on site, using SPMTs means that there are no restrictions on where the module is fabricated,
or where the finished plant is built. Schwengsbier says, “Using a rubber-tyred system like this, means that the
fabricators yard can be anywhere, and you don’t need to have rails available to carry the module from the yard to
the barge. At the construction site, the module can be carried on ice roads, gravel, or side roads.”

Modular construction

With the development of SPMTs in the 1980s, companies like Foster Wheeler were able to plan modular projects
for onshore processing plants. Colin Smith says, “In our industry, ‘modular’ construction is the technique where you
fabricate a steel-framed box, with all equipment and bulk materials in place. In offshore construction the scale of
modularisation is far more extensive than in onshore projects due to the significant cost differential between work
onshore and offshore.”

Doug Lee adds, “Foster Wheeler’s first involvement was in the eighties, on a Scandinavian project comprising over
200 modules, the heaviest of which was about 1,000 tonnes. The average onshore module—a pipe rack—weighs
about 250t–300t, and is about 8m wide by 30m long. We recently constructed a 1,800t module, but most modules
are in the range up to 400t.”

Modular construction has come to account for about 10-15% of Foster-Wheeler’s business, Lee estimates. But it
does come at a cost. Lee says, “On grassroots projects, when comparing modularisation with stick-built methods,
we would anticipate modularisation as being typically 10-15% more costly. The additional costs are due to
additional engineering, additional steelwork, and increase in shipping costs.”

Smith adds, “This is where you have to look at site specifics. On an open site with plenty of space to work and
available labour, modularisation would be expected to cost more than a traditional stick-build approach. But, taking
one of our projects as an example, we worked on a fully developed island, Pulau Ayer Chawan, Singapore. We
had a choice to either extend the island, or to ship everything-the workforce and all the equipment-in and out every
day.

Smith continues, “We chose to reclaim land for the permanent works, but adopt a modular design and construction
approach. This meant that we did not need to reclaim further land for temporary structures while the project was
being constructed. This allowed the modules to be fabricated in Indonesia in parallel with the site works taking
place in Singapore.”

Limited space is not the only factor in choosing to use modular construction. As Smith explains, labour shortages
are also an issue. “Since 2004, the process plants industry has seen an increased interest in modularisation. In a
number of regions, the processing construction activity has recently reached a stage where the workforce is fully
engaged. The current amount of work in the process industry means there is more of a driver to make maximum
use of the workforce and time on site and also to find other areas where labour may be more readily available, or
lower in cost, to which the work can be reassigned.”

Smith continues, “For example, on a modular project in New Caledonia (a French overseas territorial community
about 1,500 km east of Australia) there was a limited workforce on the island. Several large projects are like this -
they are close to natural resources, but are far away from large population centres and have low indigenous
populations.

“Another example is in Western Australia, where Foster Wheeler is adding a fifth liquefaction train to the
Woodside-operated North West Shelf LNG complex at Karratha, the number and scale of in-country projects led to
labour and resource challenges to project schedules and budgets. “ These pressures were a catalyst for adopting a
modular approach. This allowed Foster Wheeler to distribute the project across the wider industrial market
throughout the Australasian region, where available capacity could accommodate the work within the project’s
required timeframes. Smith says, “This is the first onshore liquefaction train in the world to be constructed in
modular form.”

Plant revamps

While modularisation stayed at a constant rate for many years, recent years have seen a surge in interest. Recent
years have seen an increase in plant revamps. At the same time, Jeff Latture of Barnhart Crane, in the USA, told
Cranes Today that his firm had seen refining picking up, with a lot of major upgrades. Schedule and cost pressures
have led to an increase in demand for modular construction in his area.

Foster Wheeler’s Colin Smith says, “In revamps, you’re extracting equipment and replacing it in a confined, permit-
restricted, space. There are additional risks from working near adjacent facilities, while they are still operating.
Transferring man-hours off site means that that you reduce your exposure to the operational regulations that apply
at an operational facility. This effectively reduces the total costs.”

With modularised projects taking place around the world, the supply of trailers could itself be an issue. Smith says,
“So far, we haven’t had to seek out new trailers. Over the next five years though, if demand continues as it has
since 2005, we will be looking at availability.”

The SPMT manufacturers have designed their trailers with the need to make the most of a fleet in mind.
Scheuerle’s Schwengsbier says, “The biggest advantage of Scheuerle’s SPMTs is that they are 8ft (2.5m) wide.
This means that they can be containerised and transported around the world. For the biggest modules, a special
transport company could bring SPMT units from, say, Sakhalin and Alaska, combine them, and then send them
back once the job is done.”

http://www.transportoversize.eu/en/articles/id/4139/ 12/28/2017
Articles Page 3 of 3

Information sources:

The first self-propelled modular trailers. http://www.cranestodaymagazine.com/story.asp?storyCode=2046010&sectioncode=67

Modular transporters for modular construction. http://www.cranestodaymagazine.com/story.asp?storycode=2043058

Photo source:http://www.scheuerle.com/en/products/new-vehicles/plant-construction/self-propelled-modular-transporters-spmt.html

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http://www.transportoversize.eu/en/articles/id/4139/ 12/28/2017