Schmitz Cargobull has announced the addition of several new trailer ranges to its UK and Ireland product offering. The introduction of the new models, which will all be made at the company’s UK production facility at Harelaw, County Durham, allows Schmitz Cargobull to enter and compete within sectors of the UK and Irish trailer markets where until now, it has not been active.
All three new ranges have been introduced to complement the curtainsided and refrigerated models for which Schmitz Cargobull is best known in the UK and Ireland.
The new products are the M.KO COOL – a rigid refrigerated box unit for trucks; the FW Folding Wall trailer – which can operate as both a reefer and a dry freight vehicle; and the S.CS BULK – a robust curtainsider developed for use in industries where bulk loads of loose materials such as, wood chippings, are transported.
The M.KO COOL will be offered in 14, 18 and 26 tonne versions. The refrigerated box unit is aimed at the growing market for urban food retail deliveries and is likely to prove popular with leading commercial vehicle manufacturers who want to deal with a supplier capable of building a product that meets all relevant Vehicle Type Approval standards.
The box unit itself has a sealed aluminium floor and a steel sub-frame while it’s side and roof are made from Schmitz Cargobull’s FERROPLAST® modular steel-skinned panels to keep loads at the desired temperature.
FERROPLAST® panels are filled with high quality expanded polyurethane foam and, importantly, their closed cell structure means that even if the steel skin gets pierced, water will not be absorbed.
Schmitz Cargobull’s S.KO COOL with foldable walls is designed to operate as both a reefer and, when required, a dry freight vehicle.
The trailer features a series of panels along one of its sides that can be opened to allow loading down the full length of the vehicle. When operating in refrigerated mode, the trailer is fully sealed and goods are loaded and unloaded using the back doors in the traditional way. However, the folding wall concept allows the user to transform the trailer into a vehicle suitable for the haulage of dry freight goods that can be loaded and unloaded through the side.
On the continent folding wall trailers are popular among logistics specialists that operate frozen and chilled distribution contracts. The ability to load through the side and carry dry freight as well as chilled products means that the user is not restricted in the type of goods carried. As a result, the number of empty return journeys made once the refrigerated load has been delivered can be reduced.
This type of trailer has operated throughout mainland Europe for several years and is becoming increasingly common in the UK. It is worth noting that Schmitz Cargobull’s folding wall trailer opens along the full length of the trailer – over 13 metres.
The Curtainsider S.CS BULK is a curtainsided trailer with reinforced sides that has been specifically developed for use in industries where large amounts of loose materials – are to be handled, for example, wood chippings in the timber trade.
The trailer’s curtain has been bolstered by a series of metal ribs which bring greater rigidity to the load. Loose material is loaded into the S.CS BULK through the sliding roof and, because of its robust design, the trailer retains its shape when fully laden. The curtainsider’s extra rigidity reduces the ‘bulging’ effect often associated with this type of trailer and, as a result, the driver’s rear visibility from his wing mirrors is improved and the load is far more stable when in transit – an important health and safety consideration.
The availability of the new product ranges follows a major overhaul of Schmitz Cargobull’s UK production facility at Harelaw, County Durham. The changes to the factory saw the introduction of what the company believes is one of the most advanced multi-product trailer production lines in the world. As well as enabling Schmitz Cargobull to build a wider range of trailer models in the UK, the new line will double the company’s UK trailer production capacity.
Tom Macallan, managing director of Schmitz Cargobull (UK) Ltd, commented: “The standard procedure is to build one product per production line – but we can build five or six different trailer models down a single line which is far more cost effective. The ability to build these new products at our Harelaw factory will allow us to develop our presence in a number of markets where, in the UK, we have not been strong. As a result, we expect our already significant overall share of the total UK trailer market to increase noticeably in the coming months.”
Schmitz Cargobull (UK) Ltd
Sarah Baggott
Tel: 01207 288432
E: sarah.baggott@cargobull.co.uk
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