Build and operate special units
In conversation with Dennis Leschensky, Goldhofer’s head of sales for Europe and North Africa. In his eight years at Goldhofer, Dennis Leschensky has overseen many a major transport project – and assumed increasing responsibilities. First he was a junior salesman, then an area sales manager for the English market, with more and more countries added, until he was appointed to his current position in 2022. He spoke to the ITJ about prospects in Rotterdam recently.
Which sales region are you in charge of, Mr Leschensky?
At Goldhofer our activities are divided between two major regions – ‘mine’, which includes all of Europe and North Africa; and all the other countries, which we’ve combined under the label ‘international’.
What products do you sell?
Goldhofer operates in two major business areas. One of them is the field of airport / ground support equipment (GSE), which also includes aircraft tugs, amongst other equipment. The other one is the transport division, which is what we’re talking about today.
This offers everything from smaller low loaders through to large combinations of units, where the sky’s the limit. 10,000 t is an oft-cited number, but even that can be surpassed.
We support shippers with their detailed route planning, through to the final execution of large projects. Don’t forget that the overall framework is becoming ever more complex, and wind turbines blades, for example, are getting ever longer –sometimes they’re longer than 100 m. Also, building such equipment is one challenge, but operating it a completely different one.
Can you tell us anything about your equipment’s capacities?
It depends entirely on the load situation. In the field of wind turbine blades we usually talks about ‘metre tonnes’. Our largest unit, the ‘FTV 850’, offers a maximum of 850 mt. For wind turbine blades we calculate the metre tonnes by measuring the distance from the start of the blade to its centre of gravity, and multiplying this by its weight.
I used this example because the wind power sector has become one of our strongest fields in recent years. We’ve invested a lot in it and have developed many new options. I believe we’re the market leader here, with a complete portfolio for every component transported.
How many competitors do you have?
Basically we face two or three other European market players. I’m leaving our Chinese challengers out for now, because they pursue different ideals and concepts. We’re ahead of them in terms of experience. Our customers are usually bound to complex and detailed contracts, so no one wants to take any risks and prefers to bank primarily on quality.
What enables Goldhofer to stand out from the crowd?
We’re in close contact with our clients and with manufacturers, so we know what transporting the next generation of wind turbines requires. This is a living portfolio that needs to be monitored and renewed.
Which sectors do you work in mainly?
Renewable energy and everything that goes with it, including cable lines. This accounts for a large share of our business.
How does Goldhofer support markets?
Through our strong local partners as well as through our own branches. We’re present in the United Kingdom, the USA and Dubai, and have a manufacturing facility in Ukraine too.
Tell us a little more about that.
Despite initial uncertainties, our local team has managed to maintain production in the west of the country and continues to manufacture vehicle frames there.
What else is new?
We’ve developed the ‘RA 3-100’, a new vehicle to transport tower segments. It’s not a world first, but updates an existing unit. It scores highly with safety, manoeuvrability, easy handling and price too.