Forging heavylift transport solutions
Interested parties made bids for the new Goldhofer FT series at Bauma 2022. The manufacturers of transport solutions for heavy road haulage have to anticipate any demands the markets might come up with. Thus the Goldhofer group of companies, which originated from Bavaria and operates globally with more than 700 employees today, brought a colourful bouquet of optimisation and innovations to Bauma 2022 in Munich. Christian Doepgen was on site.
Bauma in Munich is an ‘easy’ trade fair to attend –it only takes place every three years. All the more reason for the big suppliers of mining and construction machinery to pile it on thick, because no one wants to miss this opportunity to present technical innovations.
Goldhofer was also present at the event, with a spacious stand in the unroofed part of the fair, where it presented its product portfolio, including the latest innovations from its in-house development team. The corporation’s motto for the exhibition was no less than ‘the future of heavylift transport’.
There was no lack of improvements presented by the company at Bauma. Chief executive officer Matthias Ruppel presented the enterprise’s ‘Cargoplus’ low-profile tyres, specially-developed for higher payloads on one of the “lowest trailers in the market.”
A heavyweight on show
Robert Steinhauser, Goldhofer’s head of sales and services for transport technology, in turn, pointed out the advantages of the advanced ‘Trailstar’ semi-trailer and the new ‘Stepstar Z’ model. Elements such as mechanical forced steering, variability as well as remote radio operation increased the possible fields of application for the vehicles.
But the treat for technology freaks was saved for the new ‘FT Series’. This development combines the features of the semi-trailers in the heavy payload class with heavy-duty module combinations, especially for road transport.
This design is also modular. With a detachable and attachable 1-axle chassis, the payload can be increased, and a large and deep excavator handle recess allows heavy operational equipment to be moved.
The German family-owned company Hackl Spezial-Transporte, which specialises in heavy and special transports, placed an order then and there at the fair. According to their assessment the fact that even large excavators weighing 92 t can be moved was one of the decisive factors.
Past and future
When questioned Steinhauser said that Goldhofer coped well with the difficult phase from 2020 to 2022 with increased construction activity. Even the slowing economy doesn’t scare him.
“Wind power will remain a very big issue,” Steinhauser said, adding that “the volumes available internationally will triple.” In addition to Germany, France and the United Kingdom, he continued, wind farms
are growing rapidly in Japan, the USA as well as in Latin America. Goldhofer’s vehicles also provide the logistics basis needed for projects there. So there’s not expected to be a lack of demand.