trailer world issue One 2009

Issue One 2009 29 Michael Löcker is transporting something really special. His car- go is quite intangible, but nevertheless represents the most val- uable thing that a technology company has to oﬀer. The 49 year old native of Germany’s Sauerland region drives the combined intellec- tual property of BPW all over Europe. Michael Löcker is the driver, event manager and host of the BPW Infomobil all rolled into one. No sooner had the ﬁrst presentation at the IAA Commercial Vehicles come to an end, this likeable character and his new, high-tech tractor/trailer combination set oﬀ on a three- week information tour throughout Germany. The idea was to bring the IAA highlights to those customers who had been unable to come to the trade show themselves. Michael Löcker therefore drives to workshops and large com- mercial vehicle dealers in order to present the trade show highlights to them on video and as presentation objects live and on the spot. His nationwide autumn tour started at the IAA, where the impres- sive tractor/trailer combination featured as an information point in the outdoor paddock, attracting lots of customers and fans. The show trailer with its roof that can be raised to a total height of seven metres, with slideouts on both sides, oﬀers the same ﬂoorspace as a two-room penthouse ﬂat. His tour of Germany is attended by customers – vehi- cle manufacturers, service employees and transport companies – who come to the information centre on wheels. Innovative products for the trade show such as the ECO Disc trai- ler disc brake or the BPW EBS from the ECO Tronic product range can not only be inspected inside the rolling pavilion, but some fea- tures can actually be demonstrated on the product directly. “Being able to touch the items is especially important for our workshop em- ployees,” says Rudolf Sedlmeier, a living legend in the workshop busi- ness in Bavaria. Rudolf Sedlmeier invited the BPW experts to visit his workshop premises near Munich in order to give a local information presentation for his 85 staﬀ and customers. Up to 200 expert visitors attend each day of the deployment. For a good seven hours, the BPW expert in technical sales issues, Christian Kosney from Munich, and his two colleagues will be ﬁelding ques- tions, explaining new techniques and passing on workshop tips. The elaborate product show is well received. “It is of decisive importance that we visit customers directly and are able to oﬀer them a technical highlight. The best results are achieved when you have experts there as well,” says Christian Kosney. Michael Löcker has been driving the Infomobil for BPW for ten years now, but even he has had to get used to the new truck. Since the IAA, the semitrailer has been pulled by a mighty MAN V8-powered tractor. “With a total weight of just under 40 tonnes, I need every one of its 680 horsepowers!” The Scania he had been driving prior to that had a 385 h.p. en- gine. It was a bit of a museum piece, but driver and truck knew one anothers’ foibles just like an elderly married couple ... The new Infomobil with its extending plat- forms takes more time for the peripatetic pro- motional professional to set up, but it does of- fer more space for each campaign. He drove all over the continent in its predecessor: “From Portugal to Moscow, from Palermo to Hel- sinki!” On two occasions, he even drove east of the Urals and once as far as Kazakhstan up against the Nepalese border. “This is my home,” says the expertise delivery driver and swings himself up into the driver’s seat. Today, he’s heading for the Brenner Pass and crossing over to Italy ... always on the move – with BPW axles, of course. (owi) »Being able to touch the items is especially im- portant for our workshop employees,« says Rudolf Sedlmeier En route In Munich, Michael Löcker set up the BPW Infomobil on Sedlmeier‘s premises. Info Further information about the continuation of the BPW European tour can be found on page 35 of this trailer world. Photos:Willms

trailer world issue One 2009

Pages