Tauranga based business Page Macrae Engineering's latest project, a new hopper, is an innovative solution to an environmental problem experienced at ports around the world.
Hoppers provide the link between removing cargo from a ship's hold, and discharging it into waiting trucks as swiftly as possible - an exercise which often results in dust emissions.

Page Macrae project manager Bruce Ennis stands atop the chutes into the hopper.

These emissions are bad for both the environment and a transport company's production.
One such company, P & O Automotive and General Stevedoring, approached Page Macrae hoping they could produce hoppers that resolved this problem.
Page Macrae project manager Bruce Ennis says his business was able to devise a solution.
"This project represents a major research and development effort to deliver what P & O wanted," says Bruce.
"Australian ports are very conscious of their environmental foot print, especially around dust emissions. As in New Zealand they often share their harbour resource with recreational users, and want to ensure they are not damaging that resource."
The hopper works with special discharge spouts automatically adjusting, according to the height of the load in the waiting truck, and sucking dust back up into the hopper rather than losing it to the atmosphere.
Also, the billowing effect of loads like fertiliser being dumped from ship operated cranes is reduced, thanks to a unique positive air flow design that ensures the hoppers draw the dust in, rather than it escaping outwards.
The new 35 tonne discharge hoppers are being assembled in preparation for shipping delivery to their new home with P & O Automotive and General Stevedoring, in Darwin, Australia. They are each worth about $600,000 and when full they can contain 107 tonne of product.

The hopper.