The Schwarzmüller Group, based in Freinberg, is expanding its special services in its own workshops. This year, the truck body specialist will put its first calibration system for liquid, highly cooled industrial gases such as nitrogen into operation. Official permits for the Wels site have already been obtained. “Special services – such as calibrations – are a strong pillar of our workshop business. Here we have a unique position among the big manufacturers,” says Schwarzmüller CEO Roland Hartwig.
In this service area, a noticeable increase in sales is planned for the medium term. The regular, officially prescribed calibration of tank vehicles can also be carried out at Schwarzmüller for the first time on the new testing facility for cryogenic gases. Schwarzmüller has been observing an increase in these transports for some time. It is expected that the trend will continue. Schwarzmüller already offers calibrations for petrol and diesel tank vehicles, and here too the test is officially valid.
However, calibrations are only a small part of the special services in the Schwarzmüller workshops. The use of the frame straightening bench to bring the vehicle frame of trailers and trucks back into shape is particularly demanding. These are mostly accident vehicles that have been damaged either on the road or during loading and unloading. The more expensive the vehicle, the more worthwhile the complex repair is. This is most common for tankers. The warped vehicle frame is clamped and then restored to its original shape using heat and considerable energy. The repairs are complex and require special tools and know-how. In any case, the Schwarzmüller systems are well utilized.
We also have a lot to offer in terms of surface treatment. On the one hand it is about sustainable corrosion protection, on the other hand it is about the trailer as advertising space for the transport company. In addition to competence, the painting work requires a certain amount of space: a painting box has to be 15 meters long and five meters high. Schwarzmüller employs around 150 people in its 13 workshops. The locations are mainly in the countries in which the Innviertler premium manufacturer is the market leader, i.e. in Austria, the Czech Republic and Hungary. There are five branches in Austria. And Schwarzmüller wants to create more locations.
“The network is a strategic advantage for the Schwarzmüller Group. We are the only manufacturer that directly offers its customers extensive value-preservation services,” says Hartwig.
Sales of 400 million euros for the first time in the previous year
The Schwarzmüller Group is the largest European niche supplier of trailers and bodies. The company manufactures more than 150 types of vehicles. The family business achieved sales of 409 million euros last year. In 2020 this was 366 million and in 2019 364 million euros. In addition to maintenance, repairs and the supply of spare parts, Schwarzmüller’s customer services also include the international rental fleet and the sale of used vehicles. A telematics system is installed in every Schwarzmüller vehicle to protect the load, for scheduling and for predictive maintenance.
Source: Nachrichten
