MELON S.A. awarded Bedeschi with a contract for the supply of a new Eco-Hopper to be operated on the austral port of Punta Arenas, Chile. ​

The Eco-Hopper is designed for direct unloading of clinker to trucks at a rate of 600t/h and is designed to work with 12m3 grabs. The machine is equipped with pulse-jet bag filters with high filtration capacity and performance and with low compressed air consumption: an economical and flexible solution to satisfy the stringent environmental standards required. ​

The Eco-Hopper is designed with a special support structure that allows a solid anchoring of the hopper to the pier structures during unloading operations, but at the same time it allows the machine to be moved by means of SPMT when not in use. This configuration is made necessary by the multi-purpose nature of the Punta Arenas port and due to structural limitations of the existing pier. These operational constraints have forced our engineers to find a winning solution in terms of flexibility of use, weight limitation and structural strength. ​

The Eco-Hopper had been delivered complete of electrical plant and control system and assembled directly on Punta Arenas.