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ith a major presence in 21 countries across Europe, Schwarzmueller is one of the leading and most respected utility vehicle manufacturers for bodies, trailers and semitrailers in the world. The company’s extensive range of products, along with its decades of experience, and unrivalled quality makes it an internationally approved manufacturer for standard and specialised commercial vehicles. Its dedication to providing innovative, cost-effective solutions has boosted production to more than 9000 vehicles this year. In addition, its comprehensive network is also unrivalled for its fast and efficient repair and spare part replacement services. Today Schwarzmueller operates in 21 countries, mostly in Central, Eastern and South Eastern Europe. The company develops, produces and services premium vehicles for bespoke, value-added transport solutions, and sets the benchmark as an innovative technological leader with over 150 years of experience. The Schwarzmueller Group currently employs around 2300 people and in 2017 recorded sales of approximately €350 million.
Meeting strategic goals At Schwarzmueller’s headquarters in Freinberg, Austria, last year, Roland Hartwig, Group CEO, confirmed that the company’s strategic goals noted in its 2020 plan were very much on track. Now in its 150th year, the Austrian premium commercial vehicle manufacturer aims to generate revenues of €450 million and to sell over 10,000 vehicles this year. Hartwig also stated that the priority 48 Industry Europe
was establishing flow-production, which entailed building totally new production lines in all of the company’s European plants. The reduction in process times brought about by this development is designed to increase efficiency and meet changing customer expectations. Delivery times have also become a hot topic during the current boom market conditions. Since mid-year 2018 resources have been concentrated on accelerating the conversion process. “Starting in the autumn of 2018, our increased efficiency will enable us to offer all of our customers shorter delivery times,” said Hartwig. In its key sales markets, Germany remains the current leader with a boom in the sales of construction vehicles. Elsewhere, the group has been able to defend its market dominance in Austria and Switzerland, and sales in Europe. Furthermore, Hungary and Poland remain stable markets. Once the new ‘flow production’ process is introduced, the plants will begin with sequencing. This computer-optimised production control method is intended to enable the company to achieve significant improvements in overall manufacturing efficiency. The majority of the latest €8 million investment is being used for this purpose, however funding is also being provided for the construction of an in-house training workshop, designed to advance the company’s internal training practices.
New partnership Recently Schwartzmueller gained an important partner in an interesting growth market that compliments the company’s product portfolio and volumes. Nooteboom Trading BV is a Dutch company that is
