Schmitz Cargobull Honored by Global Production Benchmarking

At the Global Production Benchmarking, a benchmarking study conducted by RWTH Aachen on behalf of four leading German companies, 65 internationally operating companies from the German-speaking region participated. From this group, ten companies made it to the final selection. Five companies – Georg Fischer Piping Systems, Hilti AG, Kostal Kontakt Systeme, Weidmüller Interface, and Schmitz Cargobull – reached the finals. They will be honored for their best practice solutions at a closing conference in early May in Aachen.

(Horstmar/Aachen) On March 13, 2024, 18 production experts from the group visited the Schmitz Cargobull plant for curtainsiders in Altenberge to get a personal impression of the setup and development of the Schmitz Cargobull operations network. The international Schmitz Cargobull production network currently includes ten plants in Germany, Lithuania, Spain, England, Turkey, Slovakia, and Australia.

Dr. Günter Schweitzer, COO of Schmitz Cargobull, opened with a presentation on the development of the operations strategy and the realignment of the site roles within the network. “This award is an impressive and independent confirmation of our approach to internationalizing our production footprint,” said Günter Schweitzer. “Our decentralized, near-to-market value creation approach is unique in the trailer industry. We want to be globally close to the customer, meaning local production, local sourcing, being a local employer and local partner, but acting globally. This increases our resilience, improves our CO2 footprint, and strengthens customer satisfaction.”

The product line manager for general cargo, Ralph Kleideiter, presented the Schmitz Cargobull operations network for curtainsiders. Using the example of tarpaulin trailers, he explained the control processes for the five production sites through which Schmitz Cargobull ensures customer-oriented delivery to the European markets.

Image of axle manufacturing

At the Altenberge plant, participants were able to see the central Schmitz Cargobull axle manufacturing and the production of long beams and outer frames that supply the production network for curtainsiders. In addition to the automation aspects of production, the control aspects of network logistics were explored in depth. During the subsequent product presentation, experts from product management explained the technical modular system of the tarpaulin trailers. Its unique modular design and its finished individual parts enable flexible and reliable final assembly worldwide.

In the afternoon session, Schmitz Cargobull experts discussed with participants in a “World Café” format about cross-site approaches to the re-planning of factories, standardized networked processes for international order fulfillment, and current structural measures to increase supply security in an increasingly volatile business environment.

Incorporating into further network design

In the closing feedback, participants of the benchmarking visit expressed enthusiasm for the flexible Schmitz Cargobull network. The exemplary collaboration of the strategy process with consistent process-oriented implementations based on a strong network culture and employee motivation was highlighted. The valuable improvement suggestions from discussions with the experts will be incorporated into the further design of the network at Schmitz Cargobull.

Photo: © Schmitz Cargobull