Schmitz Cargobull invests 48pc in Polish specialist GT Trailers
Following on from the announcement in March last year, the responsible authorities have now approved the collaboration and Schmitz Cargobull’s 48 per cent investment in GT Trailers. The company says that the strategic partnership creates more innovation and diversity.
The result is an expanded product portfolio for high-volume vehicles, customised solutions and proven quality – from galvanised chassis to Ferroplast bodies. A real win-win situation: both companies are able to offer their customers an even larger portfolio of products.
The press release states that both family-owned companies share the values of reliability and sustainability. In the future, customers will not only benefit from new vehicle concepts, but also from services such as financing and used vehicle sales.
As such, the two companies recently began consolidating their strengths and expertise when it comes to the technology, design, production and sales of truck bodies and trailers with galvanised chassis.
“We firmly believe that cooperation and strategic partnerships are the most important factors for driving innovation and growth in our industry,” said Andreas Schmitz, CEO Schmitz Cargobull.
“Schmitz Cargobull and GT Trailers are both family-run companies and both of us are known within the industry for being built for reliability and durability. Through our partnership, our customers will benefit from an even broader product portfolio, particularly in the high-volume segment. This is in line with both of our goals of reliability and innovation.”
Agata Duliniec, CEO of GT Trailers, added: “The partnership with Schmitz Cargobull benefits our customers because it opens up new opportunities for innovation in our products, services, and market development. We can now boost our commitment to quality and sustainability even more effectively and secure our strong market position.”
High-volume vehicles and other specialities
GT Trailers was founded as a family-run company after the change of regime in Poland in 1989 and now has its headquarters in Kurznie in the south-west region of Opole. In the areas of truck bodies and full truck body and trailer combinations, they specialise in high-volume vehicles in particular, including a range of customisation options.
In general, customers can choose between curtainsider and box bodies in the specification packages “Basic”, “Prestige” and “2504”. While the Basic version has a galvanised steel frame, the Prestige model has an extra low unladen weight with a frame, floor and body made from aluminium. The 2504 range is made up of body variants with an extra-large interior width. Other options available include various load securing systems, tail lifts, forklift truck holders or even through-loading equipment.
GT Trailers also manufactures complete swap body combinations (also known as BDF combinations in Poland), including the truck body, central-axle trailer and swap bodies with a durable galvanised design.
When it comes to trailers, the Polish company offers specialist models, including semi-trailers with a tapered chassis for the beverage industry, as well as lightweight single-axle models featuring either a curtainsider or box body. These models provide up to 98 m³ of loading volume and over 10.5 tonnes of payload, with a permissible total weight of 16 tonnes. Additional areas of activity include the development and construction of specialist vehicles and project-based work.
It also takes on customised solutions, such as dry freight box body semi-trailers with a tail lift and side door fitted to a battery-powered eActros.
As part of the partnership agreement, the company will use tried-and-tested Schmitz Cargobull components, like the Schmitz Cargobull axle, Ferroplast bodies for temperature-controlled transport and tarpaulin or box bodies for city trailers with a steering axle. Both companies will also tap into synergies in project work. In the next step, customers from GT Trailers will also be able to use Schmitz Cargobull services, such as financing and used vehicle sales.
As part of its growing international presence, GT Trailers already produces up to 2,000 vehicles per year for the European market. “Our partnership with Schmitz Cargobull will put us in a good position for ongoing success over the coming years,” Duliniec concluded.