Views: 0 Author: Site Editor Publish Time: 2026-08-21 Origin: Site
This project involves a rail storage yard — a large outdoor facility where 500-meter-long continuous welded rails are stored, loaded, and unloaded for railway construction and track maintenance.
Why is this challenging? A single 500-meter steel rail is too long and flexible to be lifted by one crane. It must be simultaneously hoisted by multiple cranes working in perfect synchronization — otherwise, the rail will bend, twist, or become permanently distorted, rendering it unusable for high-speed railway tracks.
Traditionally, this required dozens of operators — each controlling one electric hoist with a handheld remote — trying to coordinate their movements by sight and voice. The result: low efficiency, high labor costs, frequent delays, and significant safety risks.
The solution: FORWARD Technology deployed a synchronized multi-hoist control system that enables a single operator to manage all 32 hoists from a central console — with each hoist knowing its exact position at all times.
China Railway No.1 Engineering Group — one of China's leading railway infrastructure contractors — operates a large rail storage yard that handles the daily loading, unloading, stacking, and transfer of 500-meter continuous welded rails (CWR) . These rails are critical for high-speed railway construction and track maintenance across China's vast rail network.
To lift a 500-meter rail without bending or twisting, 32 electric hoists must operate in perfect synchronization — rising, lowering, and traveling together as one unit. Before this project, each hoist required a dedicated operator with a handheld remote control, demanding dozens of workers per shift and creating substantial coordination challenges.
FORWARD Technology Co., Ltd. was engaged to design and deploy a centralized multi-hoist control system built on the FORWARD Gray Bus Positioning System, laser radar scanning, and anti-sway technology. The system enables a single operator to manage all 32 hoists from a central console — dramatically improving safety, productivity, and rail quality in rail yard logistics.
The FORWARD Gray Bus Positioning System is the key technology that makes multi-hoist synchronization possible.
What is it? The Gray Bus is a precision positioning cable laid along the crane runway. Each hoist carries an antenna box that reads its exact position from the Gray Bus at all times — with 1mm-level accuracy and no cumulative error over long distances. Think of it as an "electronic ruler" that tells every hoist exactly where it is.
Why does this matter for rail handling? When 32 hoists are lifting a single 500-meter rail, every hoist must be in exactly the right position — otherwise the rail will twist. The Gray Bus gives each hoist continuous, real-time position feedback, allowing the control system to keep all 32 hoists perfectly aligned throughout the entire lift.
Each hoist is equipped with a FORWARD Gray Bus Positioning System that delivers ±5mm positioning accuracy, with full-stroke synchronization error maintained within 15mm — a critical requirement for handling 500-meter continuous welded rails without distortion. This precision positioning technology supports one-touch automatic positioning to designated pick-up and drop-off points, eliminating repeated adjustments and significantly reducing cycle times. The Gray Bus is laid along the crane girder, with antenna boxes mounted on the hoists to achieve 1mm-level absolute position detection without cumulative error.
The centralized multi-hoist control system adopts a master station – collection station – field station three-tier Ethernet structure. One master station manages four collection stations, and each collection station controls eight field stations, covering all 32 electric hoists across the rail yard. This architecture supports three control modes — individual, group, and master control — providing operational flexibility for diverse handling scenarios.
Laser radar units scan 3D point cloud data of rails loaded on rail transport cars, automatically calculating the coordinates of each rail and mapping them to the FORWARD Gray Bus coordinate framework. This pilot deployment lays the groundwork for fully automated rail grasping, minimizing manual intervention.
Each field control cabinet is equipped with an imported semiconductor temperature controller, ensuring stable operation across an extreme temperature range of -35°C to 65°C — essential for open-air rail storage yards exposed to all weather conditions.
The central control software integrates real-time system monitoring, yard management, historical job logging, and system configuration into a single interface. Operators can visualize the position, travel direction, lifting status, and load weight of every hoist at a glance, with one-click job initiation for rail pick-up and placement. Built-in safety features include gravity zero calibration, automatic load leveling, and emergency stop triggered by excessive deviation.
Metric | Value |
|---|---|
Hoists under synchronized control | 32 units |
Horizontal synchronization error | <15mm over full travel |
Vertical synchronization error | <50mm over full travel |
Average lifting cycle time | 5 minutes (as fast as 4 minutes) |
Maximum system power | 190kW (during synchronized lifting) |
Recommended transformer capacity | ≥400kVA |
Wireless remote control range | Up to 150 meters |
Workforce drastically reduced – From dozens of operators to a single person at the master console, cutting labor costs and simplifying coordination.
Operational throughput increased – Automatic positioning and synchronized hoist control shorten job cycles, enabling higher daily handling capacity.
Rail quality protected – Perfect synchronization prevents rail twisting and distortion during lifting, ensuring rails meet quality standards for high-speed railway tracks.
Safety enhanced – Multiple emergency stop layers and interlock protection mechanisms prevent overloading and mechanical damage.
Yard management digitized – Real-time inventory and stacking position updates transform the rail yard into a data-driven operation.
If your railway operations involve:
Long welded rails (100m, 300m, or 500m) that require multiple cranes for lifting
Rail storage yards or rail welding plants that handle rail loading, unloading, and stacking
Multi-crane coordination challenges that currently require multiple operators
A need to improve efficiency, reduce labor costs, and enhance safety in rail handling
...then this system is directly relevant to you. The FORWARD Gray Bus Positioning System and centralized multi-hoist control architecture can be adapted to rail facilities of any scale.
FORWARD Technology Co., Ltd. specializes in the R&D, production, and sales of unmanned driving and unmanned operation technologies for industrial mobile vehicles in the smart manufacturing sector. The company's core technology portfolio includes the FORWARD Gray Bus Positioning System, anti-sway technology, and laser scanning 3D modeling technology, supported by over 55 technology patents and software copyrights. FORWARD has obtained ISO 9001, ISO 14001, and ISO 45001 certifications, as well as a Special Equipment Production License.
Core Products and Solutions:
Gray Bus High-Precision Positioning System – 1mm-level absolute position measurement for overhead cranes, stacker reclaimers, coke oven locomotives, and other mobile equipment
Laser 3D Scanning System – Rapid object contour scanning and 3D point cloud reconstruction for automatic target recognition and measurement
Anti-Sway Control Technology – Eliminates load sway by over 95%, with positioning deviation within ±25mm and anti-sway accuracy优于 ±0.5°
Unmanned System Solutions – Including steel coil warehouse unmanned systems, stacker-reclaimer unattended systems, discharge car automatic control systems, and cyclone well unmanned crane systems
Our clients include leading enterprises in the metallurgy and engineering sectors such as Baosteel, Wisco, Liuzhou Steel, Ma'anshan Iron & Steel, Rizhao Steel, Taiyuan Iron & Steel, Shougang International, Sinosteel, Baosight Software, Dexin Steel, MCC South, and CISDI. In the railway industry, our solutions have been deployed with China Railway No.1 Engineering Group, China Railway No.4 Engineering Group, and China Railway No.11 Engineering Group. Our systems are also widely utilized across the power, chemical, cement, and port terminal industries.
Precise, safe, and efficient steel rail handling — powered by FORWARD Technology.
