PALFINGER: Ensuring Safety through Innovation

Maximum safety, minimum set-up time, great flexibility: PALFINGER’s new lifeboat engine dynamometer test stand allows the testing of lifeboat engines without the need to launch.

Salzburg, Austria on August 16, 2023

Lifeboats and their motors must be tested regularly to ensure safety. But testing requires the lifeboats to be launched, which exposes them to a wide array of risks. To obtain descriptive test results without risking damage to the boat or equipment, PALFINGER has developed the PALFINGER Go Power D100LE, a lifeboat engine dynamometer test stand – called “Dyno” for short.

No matter the weather
Using a water brake, the Dyno tests various lifeboat engines, all the while simulating real world conditions based on the lifeboats’ specific characteristics and without users having to worry about the weather or sea conditions.
Boasting unparalleled performance, the water brake features a high-strength aluminium construction for exceptional durability and efficiency. The inclusion of a greased bearing ensures seamless lubrication for a longer life and reduced maintenance requirements. The PALFINGER Go Power D100LE increases the chances of discovering any potential or hidden issues that could otherwise go undetected with prolonged, minimally loaded use, enabling their proactive rectification. The system ensures optimal engine performance if ever the lifeboat is called upon in an emergency.

Launching the Dyno, not the Lifeboats
With the Go Power D100LE, PALFINGER offers companies lifeboat testing without the need to launch them.
In 2020, PALFINGER MARINE started developing the Go Power D100LE at its site in New Iberia, Louisiana. Although developed for the US market, PALFINGER plans to sell the Go Power D100LE worldwide.

Being a main player in North America for many years, PALFINGER as the world’s leading provider of innovative crane and lifting solutions now sets out to become number one in the region.
While PALFINGER MARINE continues to provide marine solutions for the North American market via its four established offices in the US, the PALFINGER organization opened its new North American headquarters in Schaumburg, Illinois, in June 2023. The new location combines European technologies with a focus on product quality, and its sales and service training expertise, with a strong North American footprint.

The Dyno prototype has been completed and the first units have already been shipped. “The Go Power D100LE is a unique, exclusive PALFINGER solution, there is nothing else like it on the market. With its user-friendly features and high performance, it will transform the way the maritime industry operates. Five pre-orders even before the official launch are proof of the industry’s interest and need for PALFINGER MARINE’s innovative solution,” says Gunther Fleck, Vice President Sales & Service Region Marine at PALFINGER.