Visit of the Economic Chamber Presidium to Kässbohrer Transport Technik GmbH - a leading company in Salzburg's industry

On 25.09.2023 the President of the WKO Salzburg, KommR Peter Buchmüller and Director Dr. Manfred Pammer visited the company Kässbohrer Transport Technik in Eugendorf. On the one hand, it was about getting to know the new management of Kässbohrer with Dr. Markus Guggenbichler and Mag. Alexander Pirker personally, and on the other hand, it was about an exchange on economic policy issues in the region.

After a total of four very difficult years in the wake of multiple crises - from massive sales slumps in the automotive industry from 2018, a global chip supply crisis in 2019 and 2020 to the pandemic and exploding steel costs since 2021 - the company Kässbohrer Transport Technik GmbH is now back on the road to new shores: "Thanks to high-quality and Europe-wide leading products, we currently have a very well-filled order book with a historic high of around 300 million euros for the Eugendorf site alone. This gives us, our employees and our suppliers and partners a very good basis for the challenges of the next two to three years," says Markus Guggenbichler.

In order to be able to handle such a production volume, the right employees are needed. The new Kässbohrer management is focusing more on in-house training and qualifications. In view of the necessary tripling of production within a very short time, new employees are of course also being sought and qualified, especially for the production area. Like many companies, Kässbohrer is also looking for motivated skilled workers, especially in the areas of vehicle construction, mechanics, electrics and painting. "The in-house apprenticeship training and the focus on 'women in technology' have been pushed in our company for a long time, so that we are currently benefiting from this," says Alexander Pirker.

The topics of 'sustainability' and 'innovation' were of course also topics during the visit and the exchange with the Chamber of Commerce delegation. In the experience of President Buchmüller and Director Pammer, Salzburg as a business location stands and falls with the innovative strength of the companies. Despite various crises, Kässbohrer has always dedicated itself to the topic of future solutions and, by the way, Europe's first fully electric car transporter was launched on the market about a year ago. In the current business year alone, more than 30 so-called zero-emission vehicles, i.e. vehicle transporters with emission-free drive technology, are already planned in close cooperation with the leading truck manufacturers!

Future prospects

When it comes to the future of Salzburg's economy, there also needs to be an open dialogue with politics. The WKO Salzburg sees itself as a reliable partner of business and politics and a supporter when it comes to the international competitiveness of domestic companies. Dr. Pammer said: "Alongside the global player USA, thanks to the WKO Austria is one of the very few countries that operates its own trade representation network to support its own exporting economy practically worldwide! Speaking of the future: After the changes in the vehicle industry in recent years, but also the experiences from the pandemic and the so-called re-localisation in the sense that even in China or other procurement markets not everything works as one believed for years, Dr. Guggenbichler paints a very positive picture overall of the vehicle manufacturing sector, which is often attributed to the 'old industry':"In many industries, there are a few large manufacturers that determine the global market. Special vehicle manufacturers like Kässbohrer and also other medium-sized companies are characterised by the fact that they provide services that large corporations cannot. This performance is based on the experience and competence of our employees and our proximity to the user, namely the truck driver when it comes to Kässbohrer vehicle transport solutions, for example, or the food logistics specialist when it comes to food trucks from our subsidiary ROHR Spezialfahrzeuge, for example!" 

Due to the increasing technical requirements and also increasing legal regulations, the new management is convinced that the future of Kässbohrer lies in special vehicle construction - i.e. innovative solutions for the road but also for intermodal transport concepts. In addition to production, all competences, from product development to vehicle homologation, are needed under one roof. To ensure that this will also be possible in the future in Salzburg as a business location, the WKO, according to President Buchmüller, will continue to do everything in its power to promote a favourable location policy!

About Kässbohrer Transport Technik GmbH:

Kässbohrer Transport Technik is the leading European manufacturer of vehicle transporters. The traditional company, which is owned by the founding Kässbohrer family, produces at the Eugendorf site near Salzburg and looks back on a vehicle construction history of over 130 years. Together with its subsidiary ROHR Spezialfahrzeuge GmbH in Straubing, Bavaria, the company employs around 700 people. The company is characterised by high innovative strength, great performance and efficiency of its products. The product range includes car transporters in open and closed design, but also special vehicles and long trucks, high&heavy vehicles as well as rail vehicle connectors of the brand r2L in cooperation with Vega International, which is also based in Salzburg. At the Straubing site, box bodies for the food industry, tankers and airfield vehicles are developed and produced under the ROHR brand. Kässbohrer and Rohr vehicles stand for quality and reliability.

The topic of sustainability has always been one of the company's most important goals through the orientation of our products to the maximum load factor, and we are now increasingly adding solutions around alternative drive technologies. CO2-free car transporters are not a distant goal, but already possible today.

Information on project and contact:

Kässbohrer Transport Technik GmbH

Corinna Halwa;

Lead Marketing Services 

+43 6225 28100-209

Corinna.Halwa@kaessbohrer.at

www.drivenbyprofessionals.net