A jury of journalists from 16 trade publications have determined the winners of this year’s Trailer Innovation awards.
This competition has been held annually since 2002 and shines light on innovations in trailer and vehicle body manufacturing.
For this year’s awards, 27 manufacturers from around the world participated and a total of 50 entries were submitted for review.
The spectrum of submissions range from smart, environmentally friendly solutions to highly complex vehicle concepts and systems.
The 2021 prize winners in the seven categories Body, Chassis, Components, Concept, Environment, Safety and Smart Trailer were determined October last year and celebrated via a digital format.
The award recipients received their physical awards at NUFAM 2021 which was held 30 September to 3 October in Karlsruhe, Germany.
The results of the Trailer Innovation 2021 awards:
Body
- Knapen (NL). Schubbodenauflieger Exside
- Kässbohrer (DE). Coil Swap Body K.SWAU.CC/45
- Schwarzmüller (AT). Doppelkeil-Tanksattel
Chassis
- Scheuerle (DE). Rotor Blade Transport System
- Schwarzmüller (AT). Schubbodenauflieger mit Alu-Chassis
- BPW (DE). Light-Tube
Components
- Kässbohrer (DE). RUPD-5K1
- D-Tec (NL). Extendable Side Protection
- Schmitz Cargobull (DE). S.KO Cool Smart
Concept
- Fliegl (DE). Swap Train
- Humbaur (DE). HTD Container Laxo
- Schmitz Cargobull (DE). Eco-Duo
Environment
- Schmitz Cargobull (DE). S.KO mit E-Achse
- Emons (NL). Solar-On-Top
- Van Eck Trailers (NL). Smart rollerbed vehicles
Safety
- Krone (DE). Light Safety Sandwich Floor
- Schmitz Cargobull (DE). Trailer-Connect-Türverschlusssystem
- Schwarzmüller (AT). Electric roller tarpaulin
Smart Trailer
- Thermo King (IE). Advancer A-Series
- Kässbohrer (DE). Advanced Driver Assistance System
- Feldbinder (DE). Silosattelauflieger mit SSCH
Recent commentary from the winners
Knapen Trailers took out the top spot for the Body category with its Exside trailer which is touted to be superior to all existing moving floor trailers with side doors. An increase in loading width and liftable upper rail above the side doors creates an additional 300mm of working height.
“We would like to thank the jury very much for this wonderful recognition,” Knapen said in a statement.
Kässbohrer achieved three victories in this contest.
“We are proudly the winner of Trailer Innovation 2021 Awards in the category Component with Kässbohrer Multifunctional rear underrun protection device RUPD-5K1,” the OEM said.
“Additionally, Kässbohrer’s first and only 45′ Coil Swap Body K.SWAU CC has taken the second place in the category Body and Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (K-ADAS) has taken the second place in the category Smart Trailer.
“We will continue to deliver the most cutting edge and innovative products and services to meet your needs.”
Dutch trailer manufacturer, D-TEC, won second place in the Components category with its newly developed extendable side protection for the Flexitrailer.
“We came up with this extendable side protection to save time and provide more flexibility,” said D-TEC Director, Gerrit van Vlastuin.
“Our slogan ‘lift up your profit!’ is clearly based on real expectations. The side protection is available as an optional extra on the Flexitrailers.”
The Flexitrailer is a multifunctional container chassis that is extendable in the middle and at the rear. This makes the Flexitrailer suitable for transporting all sizes of ISO containers.
The new extendible side protection from D-TEC is ideal for carriers that drive many short distances around a terminal, as it is no longer necessary for them to retract the trailer when it is unloaded.