One of Germany’s most prominent pioneers in the semi-trailer engineering Kässbohrer has decided to return back its hometown, Ulm. The decision came 23 years after the company had ceased its operations in this industrial city in Germany’s south-western state Baden-Württemberg and 123 years after Karl Kässbohrer founded the company. Today, Kässbohrer is one of the fastest growing semi-trailer manufacturers in Europe, recording a sales growth of 48% in its key markets in 2015.
Accordingly, Kässbohrer will establish a sales and after-sales center, as well as an assembly workshop in Ulm. From its new location, Kässbohrer is planning to fully offer its incomparably wide product range and its expertise in the maintenance and servicing for every semi-trailer type in its portfolio.
In line with its main after-sales center in Goch, the Ulm facility will also provide the recurring inspections of vehicles according to ADR and Pressure Equipment Directive with TÜV, DEKRA, RDW, AIB – Vincotte, DNV, as well as brake testing, TÜV general inspections, safety testing, UVV and internal coating of tank vehicles.
Kässbohrer will settle in Donautal district of the city and will operate in its new facility on a total area of 7,600 m2. The facility is expected to begin its operations in the second half of the current year.
Ulm is situated at the crossroads of the A8 motorway (connecting the principal cities of southern Germany, including Stuttgart and Munich), and the A7 motorway (Germany’s longest motorway, running from northern to southern Europe).
Commenting on Kässbohrer’s return to Ulm, the company’s Executive Board Member for the Business Development Iffet Türken said on the company’s stand at BAUMA 2016, “We are very excited to be returning back home and we’re going back wiser, more grown-up and more innovative. Ulm is where Kässbohrer’s story was begun in its ‘Wagenfabrik’ back in 1893. And today we are offering Europe’s widest semi-trailer product range, as we preserved our heritage of innovation, which was at the heart of the company spirit from the very first moment.”
Ms. Türken went on to say, “We see this as an important step for our growth in Germany operations. With our deliveries starting from Ulm, we will get closer to our customer base not only in the south of the country, but also in the neighboring countries, including Austria and the Czech Republic. We are also sure that our customers in southern Germany will find it very handy to find Kässbohrer’s full after-sales services right near them. We are growing full steam ahead and we are decided to take every step to offer more effective transport solutions to our customers.”
Witnessing a rapid growth, Kässbohrer quadrupled its deliveries from its headquarters in Goch between 2013 and 2015. In 2015, the company recorded a year-on-year sales growth of 5.5% in Germany, compared to a 3.6% expansion in the overall German semi-trailer market.