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trailer world Issue Two 2014

Issue Two 2014 29 AgriculturePhotos:WeberMechanischeWerkstätte,Bodman Berthold Weber grew up sailing. He knows what is important – when sailing, during transport from A to B and also for secure storage over the winter. “It has al- ways been my life – and it remains so to- day,” explains the man from Bodman (“With one n!”, since most Germans would expect it to be written with two). The com- petitive edge achieved after building har- bour trailers for 50 years is what Weber describes as a significant strength of his company. Weber’s wife and three adult children help out in the family firm. “My two oldest children studied mechanical engineering and information technology, the third one is a prospective economist. One day, they could take over management of the com- pany, all together or individually,” says the father with conviction. In the here and now, the Weber company recently expanded its premises by 1,500 square metres to a total of 4,000. The out-and-out production area will be around 2,000 square metres when the expansion is completed. Sights set on future markets In ad- dition to familiar harbour trailers, system solutions for boatyards and port facilities throughout Europe are now being de- signed and manufactured. These include, for example, hydraulic lift systems special- ly designed for service companies in the boat transport and storage business. “Only by having these systems is it possible to offer efficient and cost-effective boat stor- age,” explains Weber. “We also offer special fabrications such as self-propelled trailers, which is a technology that is interesting for logistics terminals, amongst other clients.” The company boss does not have to worry about market saturation, however. Anyone who buys a boat will err on the side of cau- tion when it comes to transporting it. In- dividuality plays a decisive role here. “Har- bour trailers are tailor-made products for the particular boat,” emphasises Weber. On the subject of harbour trailers: Originally, the ones from Weber were blue, or more precisely: navy blue. Today, they are green, or more precisely: Reseda green, and to be even more specific: their colour code is RAL 6011. “The authorities in Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg wanted that,” remembers Weber. At the time, the boatyards set up their sheds on open fields – that was at the end of the 1960s. “Then, the governmental authori- ties requested them to be painted green so they would blend in better.” Weber com- plied with this request. And today? “To- day, we won’t shift from using the green colour,” says Weber. “It has become our calling card.” (tof) For more Informationen about the company, refer to www.weber-bodman.de Weber Mechanische Werkstätte  The company Weber Mechanische Werkstätte was founded in 1946 by Willi Weber in Bodman-Ludwigshafen. Even during its initial period, it de- veloped patented products such as seed drills and wheel hubs for trailers, and manufactured them in large quantities. Because of the company‘s loca- tion in one of the largest fruit growing areas north of the Alps, they started building the first spraying machines in the 1960s. The first harbour trailers were also developed during this period. After management of the company passed to the son Berthold in 1989, production of the harbour trailers be- came increasingly international. From being a company with two employees, Weber has developed into an internationally- oriented niche player with a workforce of 15 at present, earning annual sales of more than 3 million euros.

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