More than 700 customers and partners from the transport sector gathered to celebrate the official inauguration of Schmitz Cargobull’s new plant in Figueruelas, Zaragoza, Spain, on 1 June 2023.
The new plant for curtainsiders, reefer semi-trailers and dry freight semi-trailers covers a total area of around 104,000 square metres. About 20,000 square metres will be used for production and logistics, office space and for the delivery of new and used vehicles. In the new assembly facility, Schmitz Cargobull produces curtainsiders S.CS, reefer semi-trailers and dry freight semi-trailers S.KO with a capacity of 60 units/day (20 units per shift) on just one production line.
Schmitz Cargobull invested around €16.6 million in the new production facility. A high-tech photovoltaic system supplies the energy for the new production site.
“More than 20 years ago, we laid the foundation stone for our success story here in Spain with our own production facility,” said Schmitz Cargobull CEO, Andreas Schmitz.
“Now we are setting another milestone with our new assembly production line. We are planning further steps, such as the assembly of tipper trailers, a project we started only a few months ago.”
Plant Manager and Managing Director of Schmitz Cargobull Ibérica, Jordi Romero, said: “In our new assembly line, we need only 150 minutes from the start of production of a semi-trailer to its completion. We can decide at any time which vehicle we want to produce. If we only wanted to produce refrigerated vehicles, we were limited to six semi-trailers per day in the previous plants. Today we can produce sixty semi-trailers per day. This makes us more flexible and versatile and allows us to better adapt to changes in the market and demand.”
Miguel Iglesias, Commercial Director of Schmitz Cargobull Ibérica, said: “We want to support our customers in the best possible way with our comprehensive range of reliable and innovative transport solutions. We can offer them a range of customised vehicles that contribute to a low total cost of ownership thanks to the high quality standard. We also provide the shortest delivery times, an extensive 24/7 spare parts supply and our proven range of services from financing to telematics and used vehicle sales. Ongoing development based on innovation and technology enables us to optimise fleet management and drive forward digitalisation.”
Schmitz Cargobull stands for reliability and innovation and guarantees consistently high quality standards worldwide, from vehicle configuration to delivery to the customer. The units manufactured in the new plant will be distributed in Spain, France, Portugal and North Africa, and in smaller numbers also in Italy, Belgium, Germany, Ukraine and Bulgaria.
When planning and building the new production facility, Schmitz Cargobull did not just focus on the production aspects. The European market leader in the semi-trailer sector placed special emphasis on environmental aspects, so that despite the increase in capacity and metres built, a 33 per cent reduction in energy consumption was achieved. In addition, the photovoltaic system installed on the roof of the plant generates more than 33 per cent of the total electricity consumption.
“With our commitment to the reduction of CO2 emissions, we are a benchmark in the industry. Schmitz Cargobull’s position in the Spanish market has been consolidated for years, but the new installations will undoubtedly mark a turning point in terms of efficiency, safety and profitability, which will be passed on to customers,” said Iglesias. “We have also recently expanded the customer service facility in Zaragoza by around 12,000 square metres.”
The Schmitz Cargobull workforce in Spain totals almost 330 employees. After reporting turnover of €160 million and annual production of 3,878 units last year, Schmitz Cargobull expects production in Spain to increase to 5,000 units in the 2023/24 financial year.
In other news, Germany-based OEM, Schmitz Cargobull has taken first place at the German Award for Sustainability Projects with its S.KOe COOL reefer.