Santos
Sao Paulo is the economic centre of Brazil but the city has one problem: there is no direct access to the sea. Thus, all goods that are manufactured in Sao Paulo and the surrounding are transported to Santos, the closest port city.
Although Sao Paulo has about forty times more inhabitants than Santos (20 million vs. 1/2 million), Santos is of equal importance. In the 19th century, ships avoided docking there due to yellow fever that the city was struggling with. Nowadays, ships are docking at every possible moment and the former “port of death” is the biggest in South America. In proximity to the port, a countless number of logistic companies are handling a large portion of the world’s coffee exports, as well as a significant number of steel, oil, cars, oranges, bananas and cotton. Once a container arrives by truck, Reach-Stackers unload them.
In order to make the handling easier, the driver is able to extend the length of the telescopes arms.
It is only possible to extend, to drive them out respectively, by using a lot of grease.
This grease can be a thing of the past. With self-lubricating iglidur® plates, these plates can be put between the rail and housing to ensure smooth, noise-free motion. They are available in seven thickness options and are not only lubricant free, but also chemical resistant. Furthermore, they have a high wear resistance and low humidity absorption.
Once the Reach-Stacker has done its job, huge cranes load the container onto ships. Such cranes need a large amount of energy. In order to protect the cables against any kind of weather, and therefore to ensure the energy supply, igus® offers Energy Chains. igus® power chain systems are a good alternative to bus bar, fastenings and reel systems.
They are in operation on more than 10,000 port equipment applications. Unfortunately, we were not able to access the port but those cranes in South Korea (Busan) work like the ones in Santos.
Santos is not only the most important South-American port but also a Mekka for tourists. As the bearings in the car can handle sea water and dirt without any problems, we took the car to the city beach.
Close to the seashore is a hill famous for paragliding. Sometimes, the airspace above the hill is so full of people paragliding, that it is a wonder that they are not crashing into each other.
From the top of the hill, you have a fantastic view over the entire city.
Just one hour drive from Sao Paulo and nearby Santos, is the small city Guaruja. In Guaruja you can experience white sand beaches, bars, palms and sun, such as you would expect to find rather in the Caribbean than nearby the biggest Brazilian city.
Autumn and winter see a very peaceful and tranquil atmosphere whereas in the summer month, the beach is completely overcrowded with tourists.
We are currently heading South, taking the same route as the countless Argentinians who came to support their team in the World Cup.
I will keep you guys up to date,
yours Sascha
