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trailer world Issue One 2014

None of our vehicles is like any other.

    Issue One 2014  17 Portrait Marko Pfaff has many associations with Christmas markets and fairs in both town and country. “That’s where my cus- tomers are, and at many places you find the vehicles and the stands that I have designed and were built in my company,” reports the boss of Pfaff & Co. Spezialfahrzeugbau GmbH. The small company from the Saxon town of Bad Lausick, located around 25 kilometres south-east of Leipzig, has built more than 2000 special vehicles and trailers over the past 20 years. The majority of these have been for fairground ride operators, although some were for television com- panies. They range from 750 kilogram lightweight constructions through to 60-tonne heavyweights. “I am certain that each of these vehicles is unique, not one of them has a copy anywhere in the world,” says the owner. Before him, his father built wooden bodies for vehicles, but Marko Pfaff was more interested in working with steel. He registered his business back in 1985 – during the last years of the GDR with its centrally planned economy. He started in a small corner of his father’s firm, and later em- ployed two people. In the meantime, the small Pfaff residence has not only been modernised but is also surrounded by several pro- duction halls which have been built one after another as the compa- ny grew. A 40 metre long assembly hall was added in 2007 – thereby completing the development of the property. “We’ve been booked up for the rest of the year since February, and we will be hiring new people again,” says his partner and managing director Maren Oswald, who is responsible for finance and bookkeeping in the company. Their son, Claudius Oswald, studied mechanical engi- neering and joined the company in 2012. “One day, we hope that he will take over the company together with his younger brother Wieland,” says the 52 year old Marko Pfaff. From the customer’s wish into CAD When customers come to Bad Lausick, they generally only have a rough idea of what they need: a mobile stall for a Christmas market or a caravan. As a result, the first conversation is all about the wish- es and options – both technical and financial. “At that time, I’ve al- ready got a fairly precise project in mind, whereas the customer »None of our vehicles is like any other.« Based in the Saxon town of Bad Lausick, Pfaff & Co. Spezialfahrzeugbau designs and builds individual vehicles, above all for fairground ride operators. BPW axles are also used here so that everything will roll perfectly. Photo:MarkoPfaff

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