Pushback to the future
People are travelling and flying again. GSE Expo Europe, which took place in Lisbon in September, made it clear what’s important again on the aprons at airports after the pandemic. ITJ editor-in-chief Andreas Haug spoke to Stavros Hatziiannou, the manager in charge of sales at Goldhofer, one of the world’s leading suppliers of ground support equipment (GSE).
How did your career path lead you to Goldhofer, Mr Hatziiannou?
I’ve been with Goldhofer for eleven years now. My previous employer, Schopf Maschinenbau, where I worked for seven years, was taken over by Goldhofer in 2013. So I’ve got 18 years of experience in the GSE field, and have all the necessary expertise with aircraft towing tractors, baggage and cargo tractors and cargo lifters. My very first contact with the GSE industry, however, saw me work for Neoplan / MAN, with its airport apron buses, for seven years.
Besides its airport / GSE division Goldhofer also runs its transport unit (see page 23 of ITJ 27-30 / 2024). How much of the company’s overall business does each unit contribute?
In the past financial year the company generated sales of more than EUR 260 million, with the ‘Airport Technology’ unit contributing around EUR 90 million. More than 80% of total sales are usually generated outside Germany.
What exactly does the ‘Airport Technology’ unit offer?
Goldhofer has its ‘Phoenix’ and ‘Bison’ series aircraft tractors, which are deployed for aircraft movements on the apron. Phoenix units are towbarless aircraft tractors that tow the aircraft by its nose wheel. The more conventional tractors in the Bison series, on the other hand, do work with a tow bar.
Our ‘Sherpa’ type cargo tractors are designed to transport cargo and containers at airports. Goldhofer is particularly well-known as a pioneer in the field of e-mobility, as all our products are also available as fully electric versions. Goldhofer’s main competitors in the field include the TLD Group, JBT Aerotech and Trepel Airport Equipment.
Where do you focus geographically? Where is there greatest potential?
Our vehicles are on the road at almost every major airport in the world. Our potential lies in constantly developing them further and making them even better and easier to use for our various customers. We also aim to further strengthen our position in existing markets.
How do you want to grow mainly – organically or through acquisitions?
At Goldhofer, we’re in the rather comfortable position, in terms of our future business activities, of being able to focus primarily on organic growth.
What do customers want? Why do you think they choose Goldhofer?
Customers choose our products for several reasons. Our innovative technologies are at the forefront of our plus-points, amongst other factors. Goldhofer offers advanced solutions, such as the all-electric, towbarless aircraft tow tractor ‘Phoenix E’, which has received awards for its energy efficiency and the fact that it goes easier on the environment. It’s been our flagship unit for years now.
Goldhofer’s products are known for their very high reliability and durability, which makes them particularly attractive in terms of TCO. In addition, Goldhofer offers comprehensive customer support and services to ensure that our products always perform optimally.
GSE Expo Europe has just finished. How did it go for you?
It was an extremely successful trade fair for us. The high quality of the discussions and the international audience showed us that we’re on the right track with our products and our approach as a full-service provider. Our e-mobility solutions, the Phoenix E and the ‘Sherpa E’, in particular, have elicited great interest and confirmed to us that we’re still on the right path with our new developments.
What trends have you ascertained in the markets?
The market for pushback vehicles is very strong, and we’ve got a feeling that the demand is constantly growing, especially for electric units. We’ve noticed the rapid recovery of the market after the measures to contain the outbreak of Covid-19, and are now experiencing steady and stable growth again.
What’s your latest news?
Goldhofer works hard to improve its vehicles’ service life and range, especially in the field of e-mobility. For example, we’re currently developing several new vehicle series that we believe will put us in a strong position in the market in future. This also includes the integration of the latest battery technologies to increase our units’ deployment capacities.
On top of this we ensure a high level of usability of our vehicles through the use of digital services. Connecting customers digitally to their Goldhofer vehicles enables them to be used more effectively and efficiently.