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trailer world Issue One 2014

32      Issue One 2014 Portrait Support manager at Emons. Even at the time, the transport market was character- ised by tough competition and all margins were pared to the bone. “The decision to be- come a niche operator paid off. Of course, it is important to keep developing within these niches and to bring innovations onto the market.” What this looks like in practice is shown by Emons above all in the transport of flat glass. In this field, the company is today re- garded as an expert and reliable special pro- vider throughout Europe. Panes of glass are produced with lengths of up to 6 metres and heights of 3.21 metres, meaning that they cannot be transported using conventional vehicles – these can only be loaded with a maximum height of 3 metres. As a result, Emons uses special inloaders that also use the space between the vehicle wheels as car- go space, meaning that the overall height of the transporter is larger than in convention- al vehicles. This is made possible by having independent suspension instead of a rigid axle – and technically feasible because of the BPW axle stubs. To enter the market for flat glass trans- port and take ownership of the special ve- hicles, Emons bought the Dutch company, Van Huët, in 1995, this company already being known as a logistics provider to the glass industry and working with the special inloaders. The fleet for transporting glass comprised 40 vehicles at the time, today there are 270. “By now, we have managed to work ourselves up to the top three amongst logistics providers who can offer such spe- cialist glass transports in Europe,” says Rei- niers. In total, there are about 20 companies active in the market. Emons’ clients include the six largest glass manufacturers in Eu- rope, calling for deliveries all over the con- tinent. Emons’ activities are concentrated in Northern Europe, however, between Ireland and Moscow. Specialist German manufacturer incorporated into the group In order to expand its market position further, the Dutch company decided to purchase another firm last year. The Emons Group was boosted by the SME, Meierling, a special manufacturer of aluminium run- ning gear based in Hagen in North Rhine Westphalia. The decision was prompted by prior developments: in 2011, many logistics providers in the glass sector switched over to lighter transporters in order to reduce fuel consumption, thereby allowing less ex- pensive driving. “Emons set itself the goal of being even lighter than the competition. As a result, we decided to use aluminium instead of steel when designing the vehi- cles. We found a partner for the building challenge in Meierling,” explains Reiniers. The close cooperation produced an inload- er made from aluminium which can carry a particularly large payload every trip. “We can carry up to 30.8 tonnes when we are on the road in the Benelux countries and in France, whereas our competitors can only manage 28 tonnes with their technology. In Germany, the difference in volume is cur- rently at 27 to 25 tonnes. The objective is to get to 28 tonnes here.” The joint development work went so well that both companies decided to cooperate even more closely in future. As a result, Meierling was absorbed into the Emons Group. “In practical terms, Meierling is still Photos:MarcelAerts Under the umbrella of its subsidiary Van Huët, Emons made a name for itself throughout Europe in transporting flat glass. To do this, the special vehi- cles use the space between the wheel suspensions for carrying cargo.

Overview