Schmitz Cargobull celebrates the production of its 2,000,000th axle

Schmitz Cargobull, Europe’s leading manufacturer of semi-trailers, has reached an important milestone. its plant in Altenberge produced its 2,000,000th axle. Since the Schmitz Cargobull axle was launched in 2004, the company has continued to invest in the optimisation and automation of its axle production facilities. Dr Günter Schweitzer, Board Member Operations at Schmitz Cargobull, took the opportunity to thank and congratulate the team on the axle production line in person.

“The fact that we have produced as many as two million of our own axles over the past 20 years highlights the quality and reliability of our technology and demonstrates that our axles meet our customers’ high standards and deliver an impressive performance,” explained Schweitzer. “This is also reflected in the results of the recent reader survey conducted by ETM publishers, which saw the Schmitz Cargobull axle being voted number 1 by readers and users.”

The axle plays a key role in determining a trailer’s running costs and economic efficiency. This is why Schmitz Cargobull has continuously enhanced its axles and running gears, along with the production facilities that build them. A key milestone in this process was the creation of a fully automated, digitally controlled axle production process, which was implemented at Altenberge in 2023 as part of the strategy to transform Schmitz Cargobull plants into “smart factories”. The axles produced in Altenberge also supply the company’s production sites in Vreden (D), Gotha (D), Panevėžys (LT), Adapazarı (TR), Zaragoza (E) and Manchester (UK). Around 95 percent of all trailers from Altenberge and over 90 percent of vehicles across the Group are equipped with Schmitz Cargobull’s in-house axle.

The Schmitz Cargobull axle has a broad range of products, covering almost every axle variant. In addition to the standard axle with 22.5” disc brakes, the range also includes a special axle for high-volume trailers that comes with 19.5” disc brakes and a self-steering axle, which impresses with an improved cornering performance and reduced tyre wear. Axles with drum brakes are also available to meet requirements from other markets.

One of the highlights in the portfolio is an electric generator axle, which is used in the all-electric S.KOe COOL refrigerated semi-trailer. This innovative axle regenerates energy while the trailer is moving, which extends the operating period of the cooling unit, further increasing the refrigerated vehicle’s efficiency. In the 2023/24 financial year, around 124,000 Schmitz Cargobull axles were produced in total.

Caption: Congratulations to the entire Schmitz Cargobull axle team from Günther Schweitzer, COO at Schmitz Cargobull.

About Schmitz Cargobull 

Schmitz Cargobull is the leading manufacturer of semi-trailers for temperature-controlled freight, general cargo and bulk goods in Europe and a pioneer in digital solutions for trailer services and improved connectivity. The company also manufactures transport refrigeration machines for refrigerated semi-trailers for temperature-controlled freight transport. With a comprehensive range of services from financing, spare parts supply, service contracts and telematics solutions to used vehicle trading, Schmitz Cargobull supports its customers in optimising their total cost of ownership (TCO) and digital transformation. =16pxSchmitz Cargobull was founded in 1892 in Münsterland, Germany. The family-run company produces around 60,000 vehicles per year with over 6,000 employees and generated a turnover of around 2.4 billion euros in the 2023/24 financial year. The international production network currently comprises ten plants in Germany, Lithuania, Spain, England, Turkey, Slovakia and Australia.

About Schmitz Cargobull 

Schmitz Cargobull is the leading manufacturer of semi-trailers for temperature-controlled freight, general cargo and bulk goods in Europe and a pioneer in digital solutions for trailer services and improved connectivity. The company also manufactures transport refrigeration machines for refrigerated semi-trailers for temperature-controlled freight transport. With a comprehensive range of services from financing, spare parts supply, service contracts and telematics solutions to used vehicle trading, Schmitz Cargobull supports its customers in optimising their total cost of ownership (TCO) and digital transformation. =16pxSchmitz Cargobull was founded in 1892 in Münsterland, Germany. The family-run company produces around 60,000 vehicles per year with over 6,000 employees and generated a turnover of around 2.4 billion euros in the 2023/24 financial year. The international production network currently comprises ten plants in Germany, Lithuania, Spain, England, Turkey, Slovakia and Australia.