Berger Fahrzeugtechnik GmbH and Schmitz Cargobull AG plan strategic partnership

Berger Fahrzeugtechnik GmbH and Schmitz Cargobull AG plan strategic partnership

The companies intend to pool their expertise to offer sustainable and efficient transport solutions in Europe.
September 2023 - Berger Fahrzeugtechnik GmbH, a specialist in lightweight vehicles from Tyrol, Austria and Schmitz Cargobull AG, supplier of semi-trailers, trailers and bodies from Münsterland, Germany have signed an agreement under which Schmitz Cargobull will acquire a 49 per cent share in Berger Fahrzeugtechnik. The companies intend to pool their expertise to offer sustainable and efficient transport solutions in Europe. The transaction is subject to approval by the relevant competition authorities.

Gerhard Berger, owner of Berger Fahrzeugtechnik, says: “The cooperation with Schmitz Cargobull is a win-win situation for both sides. As a specialist for premium light construction vehicles, we at Berger Fahrzeugtechnik are already active throughout Europe in a very focused segment and enable our customers to achieve cost- and resource-efficient transport through payload optimisation. Through the partnership with Schmitz Cargobull, we will have the opportunity to make BergerEcotrail even more widely known and marketed in the future. The use of the Schmitz Cargobull network in particular opens up a multitude of new opportunities in product, service and market development.”
 

BergerEcotrail vehicles will be offered through the Schmitz Cargobull network with the same services

“The strategic partnership with Berger Fahrzeugtechnik opens up new perspectives for product development,” says Andreas Schmitz, CEO of Schmitz Cargobull. “We also want to create tangible added values for the customers of BergerEcotrail by the seamless integration of trend-setting technologies, such as the Schmitz Cargobull TrailerConnect telematics. 

“The cooperation strengthens our position as a provider of sustainable and efficient transport solutions in Europe. It also offers good opportunities to further develop our product portfolio and find synergies for the use of common parts concepts or the expansion of trailer telematics.”

The BergerEcotrail vehicles will be offered through the Schmitz Cargobull network with the same services that are available for Schmitz Cargobull vehicles. 

Boris Billich, Member of the Management Board for Sales at Schmitz Cargobull, says: “We are planning to strengthen the Schmitz Cargobull service organisation in such a way that all services, in particular a comprehensive supply of spare parts for both product families, will be available throughout Europe.”

Both companies note that the transaction is subject to approval by the relevant competition authorities. Berger Fahrzeugtechnik and Schmitz Cargobull are confident, however, that the partnership will take effect shortly and are convinced that the cooperation will have positive effects for their customers.
 

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. Schmitz 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 2.6 billion euros in the 2022/23 financial year. The international production network currently comprises ten plants in Germany, Lithuania, Spain, England, Turkey, Slovakia and Australia.


The Schmitz Cargobull press team:

Anna Stuhlmeier:  +49 2558 81-1340 I anna.stuhlmeier@cargobull.com 
Andrea Beckonert:  +49 2558 81-1321 I andrea.beckonert@cargobull.com
Silke Hesener:  +49 2558 81-1501 I silke.hesener@cargobull.com