Brado expands cotton terminal featuring unprecedented technology

Multimodal container logistics company, Brado has just expanded its transshipment terminal in Rondonópolis, state of Mato Grosso. With two overhead cranes to remove bales of cotton from the trucks arriving at the terminal, the cotton lint operation capacity doubled. On average, the unloading time has been cut in half, from 40 minutes to 20 minutes.

The equipment is usually used to move products such as bales of straw and cellulose pulp. Its use in the cotton operation is unprecedented in Brazil. “In addition to optimizing the operation, the cranes practically halve the need for forklifts, which run on diesel,” says Homero Rech, the company’s engineering manager. “The cranes run on electricity, which is a cleaner source.”

Brado’s terminal in Rondonópolis, which already had 6,400 m² of usable space, now has an additional 1,800 m² dedicated to truck unloading. Capacity will increase from 24 trucks per day to 50 trucks per day and from 45 to 99 containers per day. The cotton bales are packed in containers and transported by train to the Port of Santos after being unloaded using new equipment.

Brado’s share of the cotton market has been growing in recent years. In 2020, the company operated 4,500 containers, and it should close 2022 with almost 14,000 containers moved. Each container holds about 25 tonnes of cotton, meaning that, in 2022, 350,000 tonnes will be transported by rail between Rondonópolis and Santos.

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