5 questions to Kögel Trailer GmbH & Co. KG

Interview of Christophe Obino, Sales Director France at Kögel Trailer GmbH & Co. KG.

Can you briefly describe your activity?

Kögel is one of the leading trailer manufacturers in Europe. Since it was established in 1934, the company has manufactured more than 550,000 trailers. With its commercial vehicles and solutions for freight-forwarding companies and the construction industry, the company has been providing 'Made in Germany' engineering quality for more than 80 years. During this period, it has maintained its passion for transport and innovation, enabling it to offer proven, long-lasting added value to freight-forwarding companies. The company headquarters and main production facility of Kögel Trailer GmbH & Co. KG are located in the Bavarian town of Burtenbach. Kögel also has factories and offices in Ulm (Germany), Duingen (Germany), Chocen (Czech Republic), Verona (Italy) and Moscow (Russia).

What are the main highlights / features planned for SOLUTRANS 2017?

Kögel exhibits three semi-trailers and the Kögel trailer axle KTA at the Solutrans.

The Kögel Cargo Coil with FlexiUse body

This Kögel best-seller is ideal for use in European domestic transportation. Futhermore, the Cargo Coil scores points thanks to its robustness and extensive range of standard and customised equipment. In addition to its high working quality, the Kögel Cargo Coil has impressively low maintenance costs and can be used really flexibly. As well as transporting coils and split strip, this trailer is suitable for a variety of transport activities, due to its large adjustment range of the FlexiUse body.

The Kögel 3-axle tipper trailer

The variant of the three-axle tipper trailer featuring a 27 m³ load volume that will be shown at Solutrans has a 5-mm-thick floor and a 4 mm thick hydraulic tailgate made of tempered Hardox 450 steel, as well as side walls made of high-strength 4-mm S700 steel sheets. This combination is optimally suited for daily practical use with rubble, gravel and aggregates of all kinds.

The Kögel Box

Kögel exhibits the Kögel Box with plywood walls and a white translucent GRP roof with cross-bows. With a low tare weight starting at 6,100 kilograms in its basic form, the Kögel Box comes with plenty of payload. The dry freight box body provides premium transport quality and protection from environmental influences and theft. With a wide range of equipment options, the trailer is highly customisable to specific customer requirements.

The KTA Kögel trailer axle

The KTA Kögel trailer axle is a new standard feature for many variants of the Kögel Cargo, Kögel Lightplus, Kögel Cool – PurFerro quality, and Kögel Box product ranges, along with various chassis. This low-maintenance axle is perfectly tailored to Kögel trailers. It further enhances driving properties thanks to its double suspension concept, which is unique in the sector, consisting of a soft rubber bearing and a spring steel trailing arm.

What are the trends in your field market?

We believe that payload-optimised concepts becomes standard in future around Europe, because ecology and economy are combined in these concepts. Kögel will continue to offer even more services "around the trailer": service, telematics, full-service contracts, financing, etc.

Who are your current customers and what target groups would you like to reach?

Our customers are freight-forwarding companies and the construction industry. We would like to build on our current customer relationships, while also developing new customers.

What motivated your decision to exhibit at SOLUTRANS 2017?

France has always been a significant market for Kögel. We are always keen to meet all our customers by taking part in trade fairs at various locations in Europe. Kögel was and still is strong in the Eastern European market in particular, but now we are also well positioned in Western Europe and are constantly working on expansion. This is precisely the case in France. With a lot of new dealers and a well known after market partner in France we now can offer the customers what they demand.