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trailer world issue Two 2010

    Issue Two 2010  33 Portrait When Franz Janka became Managing Di- rector at BPW Fahrzeugtechnik three years ago, he had one main focus: to become familiar with the company and all its strengths and weaknesses. And also to set the firm‘s tar- gets. What would we like to be proud of in ten years time? How can the strengths be strength- ened and the weaknesses eliminated? Today the direction for the future is well defined: trust among partners, a living vi- sion and an active approach. “Being mobility partners means thinking ahead, knowing the customers‘ needs and using them for orien- tation”, says Janka. Attention focuses not on developing copy-cat “me-too” products but on implementing the company‘s own ideas – and much more besides. “We‘re talking about so- lutions that surpass all expectations”, empha- sises Janka. This only works in close coopera- tion with the customer. “Innovative solutions can only be found by keeping abreast of the times with intimate knowledge of the market and by developing visions in dialogue with our customers.” Climate change and other exogenic fac- tors influence the mobility of the future. Ac- tive environment protection, regulated traffic policy and clean air restrictions - these are the new paths now being followed by the trans- port industry. “Shaping the future is always a joint venture, with development partnerships providing us with the driving force for new technologies”, says Janka. Creating added values as a learning organisation Company procedures are dictated essential- ly by day-to-day business. External influences soon make themselves felt as interference and additional workload. Surely this also applies to BPW Fahrzeugtechnik? “Actually, no”, says CEO Franz Janka. “We see ourselves as a learn- ing organisation that grows with the ideas and impetus coming from the market. Even if they can‘t always be put into practice.” Initiallythiswouldseemtobeanunconven- tional, philosophical approach for a business company. What makes BPW Fahrzeugtechnik with this attitude stand out from the competi- tion? Franz Janka sees this with all due clar- ity: “The philosophy of our market compan- ions is often based on the hardware that they produce. Consequently, jobs are frequently moved to cheaper production sites abroad. We on the other hand are convinced that busi- ness in the long-term has to look beyond this approach”, says Janka. Added value can be cre- ated in a committed and qualified team that acts in the best interests of the customers on the basis of mutual trust. Resulting achieve- ments go way beyond what is perceived to be feasible. The general motto is always to make top quality products just in time and at the lowest cost, using the BPW Fahrzeugtechnik Production System (BPW FPS) that was intro- duced in mid 2008. The production process is timed in coordination with the customer‘s requirements with the lowest possible use of resources and according to the pull principle. To avoid unnecessary surpluses and reduce costs, the downstream section always informs the upstream section what is needed and in which quantities. Information flows within the company and to customers and suppliers play an elemen- tary role in smooth production processes » Being mobility partners means thinking ahead. « Franz Janka, Managing Director at BPW Fahrzeugtechnik GmbH & Co. KG BPW and Kässbohrer cooperated closely in the development of the new chassis for the PistenBully. Photos:KässbohrerGeländefahrzeug,BPWFahrzeugtechnik

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