Sporting trendy white New Balance sneakers with more formal business attire, Renners had an aura of approachability, eclipsed only by his passion for the company he has led for the last three years.
On stage at IAA Transportation 2024 he was clearly in his element.
Kögel’s Marketing Director, Maximilian Franz, says the passion is real and that Renners can’t help it because the Kögel Cool Liteshell is essentially Renners’ “baby.”
When asked, Renners laughs and concurs that after inheriting the project when he began as CEO in 2021 and guiding it to fruition, it has been his pride and joy.
“Thanks to the experience I’ve had, I know what it means to run a project including all the many stakeholders you have to deal with,” he said, taking time after a busy media conference to talk to Global Trailer. “Everyone has a different wish. The sales guy wants a product to be at the lowest price, technology wants it to be the most innovative possible. So, if you don’t have a proper management style, company culture and team, you’ll have a difficult time.”
Renners understand the industry from the bottom up. He is a qualified machine fitter and graduate mechanical engineer, who also holds a Master of Business Administration. He has held numerous managing roles in the industry, gaining experience in the automotive-adjacent industries and in transport and logistics.
For Renners, his job was making sure everyone was running in the same direction to get to the goal which was the Cool Liteshell and the green light to being manufacturing.
“I saw the challenge immediately and felt it was absolutely my responsibility to see it through to the end,” he said. “I think that is why I see it as my baby.”
His efforts and that of the team have paid off with the vehicle winning first place in the concept category, with the winning refrigerated vehicle aiming to address the cold chain’s stricter regulations for the transportation of sensitive and perishable goods, as well as growing market requirements ensuring quality and sustainability.
The Cool Liteshell
The Kögel Cool Liteshell uses an innovative panel technology that reduces the vehicle’s weight, while simultaneously increasing its resilience – offering economy and sustainability.
The award-winning trailer has been a long time coming and is something he is extremely proud of.
“The main standout we have here is the weight reduction. That is the main advantage,” he said. “We haven’t had an innovation or an opportunity like this in a century.”
Compared to the Kögel refrigerated vehicle, Kögel Cool Liteshell is, according to the manufacturer, 700 kilograms or more than nine per cent lighter.
The weight reduction is achieved through specially manufactured panels for the sides, the roof and the floor. Kögel dispenses with the usual steel top layer and instead uses milled hard foam blocks made of polyurethane and a top layer made of fibreglass mats with thermoplastic polyurethane. This material combination is also intended to eliminate corrosion on the structure.
Reducing the tare weight also positively impacts fuel consumption. According to the company, Cool Liteshell can save 0.30 litres of fuel per 100 kilometres, which leads to a reduction in CO2 emissions of 0.8 grams per kilometre. This could save every 32nd trip when fully loaded.
Kögel jointly developed its Axlepower system with BPW and Thermo King. This technology stores energy recovered during driving and braking in a battery, which powers the cooling unit both during travel and while stationary. This solution contributes to reducing fuel consumption and CO2 emissions and improves comfort for the driver.
One of the most exciting moments of the whole process was the final weigh-in. The trailer had to be 700 kilograms lighter and while they knew the weight of the components individually, there was still a little bit of trepidation.
“We were keeping Mr Humbaur (company owner Ulrich Humbaur) up to date all the time because this was a historical project for the company, he recalled. “So we went out to the scale with him,” he said. While the outcome was what they had all hoped for, it didn’t matter for Renners he was prepared to continuing fighting for and nurturing his “baby.”
Kögel Port 20
Another of Kögel new products, also unveiled at IAA Transportation in Hanover was the new Port 20, an expansion to its container chassis range. The three-axle, 20-foot chassis is one of the lightest in its class with a tare weight of 2,900 kilograms. It features optimal fifth wheel load distribution and a wide array of equipment options.
The Port 20’s chassis design features a rearward-offset wheelbase, which increases the fifth wheel load and enhances driving stability. For cross-border transport, an optional second loading position is available, which boosts the fifth wheel load by up to 30 per cent.
It can also be customised with various innovative and proactive features, including a rear ladder for easier access, and optimised rear design to provide enhanced protection for lightweight load carriers and an integrated toolbox in the rear.
Because we care
While the demand for products such as the Cool Liteshell are on the rise, Renners said the impetus stems originally from the nature and culture of Kögel as a company where sustainability isn’t just a market demand or a legislative imperative. Hence the company’s long-time slogan, “Economy meets Ecology – Because we Care.”
“We have a culture of sustainability and a culture of reducing weight,” he said, adding that Kögel has been in the unique position of having its own metalworks allowing it to be in full control of weight reduction.
“In the beginning it might have been about cutting costs but now the users can see that the emissions are lower, and this fits well with the innovative DNA the company has,” he said. “We also know that we are part of an important social movement within the industry.”
The market uptake doesn’t worry him, as he points out that companies were buying electric trucks when they were triple the price. The motivation to do right by the planet, especially among large retail corporations, is there and, he predicts will only get stronger and the pressure on transport companies to have sustainable vehicles will grow.
“No everyone wants this but there are people out there who so want these innovations,” he said. “In fact, there are more people out there than we have the capacity to service because we are in a growth phase.”
The dichotomy of the rapidly moving and exciting innovations in the industry are in stark contrast to the economic downturn it has faced in the last few years, but Renners says counteracting that is a long-term view and passion.
“You need to have patience in the industry and that is something our investor and owner does have.”
For Kögel the short-term future will be about production and while the company looked to other countries a local loyalty won out and it will be manufactured at the factory in Germany. Components are expected to begin being manufactured by the end of the year.
“We know what our steps are, and we are ready, the machine is ready, and we know it works.”
