Towards The Next 125 Years

Celebrating its 125^th Anniversary, Kässbohrer carried out its press conference on September 20th, 2018 at Stand E11, Hall 27 during 67^th IAA Commercial Vehicles Exhibition. Kässbohrer Board Member İffet Türken met respected journalists around the world to share recent company developments and to introduce Kässbohrer’s latest digital innovations and award-winning products.

Press conference started with the milestones of Kässbohrer’s history and 125 years of engineering excellence. Miss Türken stated: “Kässbohrer is an engineering company and our heritage is full of innovation such as the production of the first 4x2 axle trailers and the development of semi-trailer coupling system that changed the course of heavy commercial vehicle industry. We are determined to work through our motto “Enginuity” – the perfect balance of engineering and ingenuity to develop new technologies and to address the changing industry dynamics. Towards the next 125 years, we will invest further into our R&D and production capabilities to take our customers’ business to the next level.”

Kässbohrer is the Fastest Growing European Semi-Trailer Manufacturer

In 2018, Kässbohrer continues to grow and increase its market reach further. According to the 6M2018 traffic registration statistics, Kässbohrer is the fastest growing European semi-trailer manufacturer. Compared to the same period in 2017 Kässbohrer doubled its traffic registration numbers while the key markets grew only by 13% in total.

In the first half of 2018, Kässbohrer doubled its sales in Germany, and currently is in the 3^rd position in tank and silo segment. Furthermore, Kässbohrer is in Top-3 in the Netherlands and Portugal and is in Top-5 position in Poland, Austria, Belgium, Denmark and Russia.

In Poland, Kässbohrer is also the market leader in Tank, Silo and Low-Bed segments.

Sales Network Expansion Focused on Intermodal Transportation

To accommodate its further growth, Kässbohrer has opened 2 new facilities in Verona, Italy and Lyon, France – strategically chosen locations, at the heart of intermodal transportation networks.

Miss Türken highlighted:“Our business is a customer-oriented business. In each country we invest, we make it our number one priority to work close with key stakeholders, and industry representative bodies to understand the unmet needs of the market. Working close with Interporto di Verona Port Authorities, we positioned ourselves strategically in Italy to become the long-term business partner of Italian companies.”

Investing in Industry 4.0 to Deliver Trailer 4.0

Kässbohrer develops its products and services in line with the latest technological developments in the world. As Kässbohrer stands out in the sector with its R&D and production capabilities and its commitment to manufacturing excellence, Kässbohrer concurrently updates its production and innovation processes with the latest technological developments.

In the last 5 years, Kässbohrer invested €54.5 million into infrastructure and human capital to innovate and manufacture the highest quality and most efficient products and services to optimize the total cost of ownership for Kässbohrer customers. As the only European trailer manufacturer that operates both KTL and Metallization Facility in one site, the latest example of Kässbohrer’s automation and modernization investment is the new Low-bed factory, commissioned in the first quarter of 2018.

Kässbohrer Builds State of the Art Low-bed Factory

Planned operations in 2019, Kässbohrer will operate the new state-of-the art low-bed factory and all manufacturing processes completed in a single production hall designed with Industry 4.0 principles.

The facility operating with RFID latching crane systems, barcode positioning technology, and robot assisted chassis welding and painting process. The new metallization unit will have the highest capacity and the new sandblasting and paint shop facility will be the biggest in Europe.

Miss Türken stated “With the new low-bed plant investment Kässbohrer will deliver the highest quality special vehicles which demands exceptional technical expertise compared to standard products. While we commissioned the new low-bed plant, we took into consideration the challenges of heavy duty and abnormal goods transportation and designed the processes accordingly.”

Embracing Open Innovation Culture to Deliver Cutting-Edge Technology

With the widest product range in the sector, Kässbohrer’s R&D Centers develop in 11 different product segments.

As each product segment has its own specific challenges and subjected to different sets of regulations, Kässbohrer encourages open innovation culture to create synergies between R&D teams.

Along with its prototype test and validation capabilities, which are respectively 3-D Prototyping, Hydraulic Test System for Fatigue Tests, Component Functionality and Durability Test, Dynamic Road Tests, Climatic Chamber, and 5 Axle Bench Tests, Kässbohrer is well positioned to nurture a wider innovation eco-system to develop cutting-edge technology and new business models.

Regarding Kässbohrer’s R&D capabilities, Miss Türken emphasized that as Kässbohrer’s inventive spirit and stated: “Today, we are a manufacturing, as well asa technology company. From conception to series development, we apply iterative project management with our innovation partners. Currently we are not only developing semi-trailers but also investing into digital technologies and into our inhouse software development capabilities to deliver highest quality of products with the cutting-edge technology. Our fair vehicles demonstrate the level of sophistication we reached in our manufacturing and R&D practices.”

Kässbohrer Digital Options: Efficiency by Intelligence

In 2018, Kässbohrer introduced a new service segment, Kässbohrer Digital Options, which encompasses all digital enhancements integrated into its products like Digital Trailer Control (DTC) as well as all the digital services like Kässbohrer Telematics.

During the 67^th IAA, Kässbohrer exhibits 2 Kässbohrer Digital Options, both nominated for Trailer Innovation 2019 Award, which are respectively; Trailer Innovation 2019 Award “Concept” category nominee Smart Non –Tipping Silo K.SSL with autonomous discharge and Trailer Innovation 2019 Award “Safety” category nominee Safety Tipping Silo K.SSK that are running on DTC.

Nominee of "Concept" category, Kässbohrer Smart Non –Tipping Silo K.SSL with autonomous discharge running on DTC’s innovative feature is the full automatization of the discharge process that enables a safer and more efficient discharge. The fine example of digitalization of trailers, Smart Non- Tipping Silo eliminates the classical discharge methods by patent-pending digital control system compliant with ISO 26262 functional safety standardizations including the software and the hardware.

Nominee of “Safety” category Kässbohrer Safety Tipping Silo K.SSK running on DTC is the upgraded version of Trailer Innovation 2017 Award “Safety” Category winner Kässbohrer Bitumen Tanker, developed jointly with DTC and Hoyer Bitumen-Logistik GmbH, a German company specialized in bitumen transportation. K.SSK’s innovative character is automating the discharge process with safety parameter controls, improving the safety of the discharge operation of the silo in general.

Kässbohrer is the Winner of Trailer Innovation 2019 Award in “Chassis” Category

During the press conference, Miss Türken introduced the award winning container chassis, K.SHG AVMH.

In recognition of Kässbohrer’s Multifunctional Container Chassis K.SHG AVMH with first of its kind novel octagonal central frame design, Kässbohrer has won the Trailer Innovation Award 2019 in “Chassis” category, which solves all torsional issues that lead to permanent damage of semi-trailers.  

Kässbohrer Multifunctional Container Chassis K.SHG AVMH, innovated with novel octagonal central frame design solved the issue that has not been solved for 30 years. The first of its kind novel octagonal central frame design stands out in the industry as all the rest of the container chassis offer a rectangular design which creates a variety of torsional issues while performing telescopic functions leading to breakdowns most common in the industry including permanent damage of the vehicle.

Kässbohrer Exhibits New Products at the 67^th IAA

Besides the Digital Options and Trailer Innovation Award Winner container chassis presented at the fair, Kässbohrer exhibits a fine example from its product range.

Offering the complete intermodal product range, Kässbohrer launched the lightest curtainsider swap body with a tare weight equal to 3,900 kg and with 7,2 ton forklift capacity. Suitable up to C64 transportation code with 34 euro pallet capacity, the light curtainsider swapbody, K.SWAU CL’s chassis is metallized for longer product lifecycle.

Furthermore, Kässbohrer exhibits 2 axle low-loader with a ground clearance of only 100 mm to accommodate the maximum height on heavy-haulage transportation. With its special pool length of 6.810 mm and king-pin capacity of up to 24 ton, K.SLL 2 provides flexible transportation of tall and heavy goods with no requirement for additional permission. Kässbohrer engineers also developed the steering software to control multiple steering functions compatible both for wired or wireless remote control.

Miss Türken: “We care for our Customers All The Way”

Miss Türken wrapped up the press meeting, with an overview of Kässbohrer’s value-added services, which are respectively: K-Finance, Kässbohrer Financial Solutions, K-Advance Care, Kässbohrer Repair and Maintenance Packages, Extended Warranty Programs, Kässbohrer Roadside Assistance Service.

Miss Türken concluded the press conference by stating: “Today, we maintain a customer base in over 55 countries. As our products are attuned to the needs of our customers’ world-wide, so are our services. From repair and maintenance programs to 24 hour spare part delivery services, with our value added services, we make sure that our customers’ investment is take care of every step of the way. Completing Kässbohrer’s widest product range in Europe, our aftersales and spare part teams go the extra mile to keep our curtainsiders, silos or low-beds running - mile after mile.”