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trailer world Issue One 2014

16      Issue One 2014 Innovation er, “You ultimately get to the point when you’ve reached the top and you’re going really fast,” he continues. The next step is then as follows: “We’ve got to think about something new.” That is no problem for Röser and the Mack Rides team: “We’re well known for our innovative thinking,” says Röser. “We already know what we’ll be building in the future, or the direction in which we want to develop.” However, he does not think he has clairvoyant abil- ities. Instead, the trick is to respond to customers’ wishes. Usually, they already have specific ideas in mind. “It is our job to make sure that the track is as spectacu- lar as possible within the available space.” One prototype every year On average, Mack Rides produces one prototype every year. The company is re- garded as a problem-solver in the indus- try. It then takes somewhat longer, mainly about 2½ years, to bring it to series-produc- tion readiness. TÜV Süd is a regular guest at Waldkirch. For example, a newly developed lap guard has been certified together with the specialists for cantilevered structures, with the intention of replacing the classic shoulder guard. “Using the lap guard, it is now possible to perform the wildest manoeuvres,” says Röser. “A lot of people want this rollercoaster seat.” Inciden- tally, the innovation was also developed in cooperation with the technical department at Offenburg University in Baden-Würt- temberg. In this specific case, only two years elapsed between the idea (2007) and the fin- ished product (2009). “This gets rid of the problem of people’s heads being knocked from side to side on the shoulder guard, which can be unhygienic,” explains Röser. “That was a problem with loop-the-loop roll- ercoasters.” As a result, Mack Rides only en- tered this looping business at the same time as developing its lap guard. “The straightforward rollercoaster that stands out in the open and just runs will no longer be so popular within two and a half years,” says Röser with certainty. “We’re now incorporating multimedia and interactive stories into leisure parks to a greater extent,” he discloses, and continues specifically: “We assume that it will be possible to tell over the next few years who gets into the rollercoast- er,” believes Röser. The visitor will use his or her smartphone to log in, according to the principle: “Hello rollercoaster, I John Smith am going to take a ride in you.” That means the rollercoaster “knows” that this particu- lar person is there and can welcome and talk to him directly. “The customer will also be able to exert an influence on the ride, or to take contents from it, in other words: he can select things,” continues Röser. Fiction? No! “We’ll be doing that in the Europa-Park next year,” reveals the expert. “Then, every passenger will have a big button for choos- ing whether to ride forwards or backwards.” With true political correctness, the majority decision sets the travel direction of the fair- ground ride. Made in Germany The manufacturing is carried out close to home. “We produce in Germany,” em- phasises Röser. It seems clear that fair- ground operators appreciate this. They reg- ularly beat a path to Breisgau when it comes to retrofitting, i.e. renewing various parts such as cars or fairings. “Someone wanting a new section for a ride,” as was the case with Max Eberhard and his Wild Mouse XXL,” is something that we’ve never had before,” says the man from Nuremburg. This process was both exciting and challenging for the Mack Rides company which had first designed and built the “Wild Mouse” in 1950. The result is well worth looking at: both “Mice” still earn their keep – at every fair and every public festival. (tof) For more information about Mack Rides, refer to www.mack-rides.com Photo:Tim-OliverFrische »We already know what we‘re going to build in future, or the direction in which we want to develop.« Maximilian Röser, Head of Marketing

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