Chief Executive Officer (CEO) / Chairman of the Management Board, Schmitz Cargobull AG
Schmitz Cargobull Press Conference @ IAA Transportation 2022
Exclusive Press Conference with Andreas Schmitz, CEO, Schmitz Cargobull AG at IAA Transportation 2022.
About Andreas Schmitz
At the IAA Transportation Media Summit 2026, Andreas Schmitz discussed Schmitz Cargobull's global growth strategy and its expanding focus on the Indian market. He stated that the company is "beginning to become more and more of a global player" and outlined new products for the upcoming IAA Transportation show, including a Tapper Secure Trailer, ADR EX trailers, trailers for governmental and dual use, and a new cooling unit. Schmitz also emphasized the company's growing ecosystem of strategic partnerships, noting that partners will have a place at the company's trade fair booth. Regarding India, Schmitz described it as "a tremendous market" that is growing, while noting that the road network and food transportation practices are "still different" from other regions. He said that food security and proper cooling of food will "become more and more important to India," and that the company aims to grow in that area. Schmitz highlighted the importance of being a "reliable partner" and "innovative" as key factors for the company's approach to the Indian market.
Transcript (3 segments)
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Andreas Schmitz0:18
Finance, we have a positive cash flow. With 41 million, I think we can be happy we got through the year. Going forward, we'd like to guarantee our customer prices for three months. In this difficult time, long-term pricing is difficult, but we have the commitment of our purchasing team, suppliers, and sales team that we will guarantee prices for three months. If it's longer term, we will go to the customers and say we need to talk price three months before we produce and deliver. With all that, I'd like to focus on the innovations we are bringing to the market. Overall, we have 40 significant innovations and 10 have a patent. We have not reduced our R&D budget; we increased it, spending 26% more on R&D to ensure our customers get the best products and reduce their costs of ownership. And Roland, what are we getting for those 26%?
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Roland2:03
Yeah, looking on the chart, a lot of small prints, but this is related to the huge number of innovations. Keeping the R&D budget up during these past times shows a commitment from Schmitz Cargobull to drive innovation. Out of that huge number, we would like to highlight the innovations we think most important for efficiency. These innovations are a completely newly designed refrigeration cooling unit fitting in our modular structure, providing significant benefits. We have our electric river ready for series production and ready for sale on the fair with a generator axle to provide electric energy. Even for our tipper, the new generation was already presented at the pre-press conference with a completely new feature. What's important is that the trailer is beginning to be more persistent; it used to be a box on wheels, but now that's not enough. For example, on the reefer, we integrate the cooling unit and the customer expects to control it remotely from his desk and take the data, including temperature history, to give to his customer. So he needs our telematics Trailer Connect. The fact that we have a market share of 49% means we can develop the system further. It's an open system; we invite suppliers and even competitors to come into our telematics world, with clearly defined interfaces to make work more efficient. Coming to the completely new refrigeration unit based on the modular structure, we developed the technology on a robust four-cylinder diesel engine, which will be in the market for another decade. We increased efficiency, provide best cooling and heating capacity, improved reliability with investments in validation, and are best in class for power. For the customer, it means less maintenance - no belts or clutches to service, a maintenance-free generator, and all components easy to repair and available in Schmitz's service infrastructure. It has the lowest noise level due to reduced engine speed and scroll compressor. The unit is integrated in the telematics infrastructure, all features available, and we provide flash-over-the-air software updates not only for the new generation but for older units in the field, enabling reduced fuel consumption even for older units. It's integrated in the full service structure.
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Andreas Schmitz6:47
And Roland, you know, just saying we do a flash over the air update - there are very few companies that can do this, definitely in cooling units it's us. This is something you know from your cellphone, but for a trailer and a cooling unit, that's state of the art. Your team has done a great job. The same is valid for our Esco. Optimized functionality is only possible if you know customer requirements, monitor them together, then you have a basis for dimensioning the e-axle to provide best-in-class functionality: a well-optimized system out of a reefer, battery pack, and e-axle, and that's what we provide, ready for sale on the fair. This is already in the market, tested extensively, with customers running, and we are ready to sell. The third example of system integration besides the new tipper with 280 kg weight reduction: we show for the first time an onboard weighing system measuring weight during standstill with accuracy of about 50 kg in full laden condition. You can do the proof on the tipper, which again needs telematics data, electronics, sensor optimization - that's our core competency. To make these innovations, we must understand our customer and be close to them. This seems like a small innovation - a digital scale on a tipper - but what does it mean for the customer? When he loads sand into the tipper, he knows the weight and doesn't have to scrape anything off or go to a weighing scale. He can fully load to the limit, go straight on the road, send a delivery list to the customer, and invoice off that. He's faster, more efficient, uses the machine better. It's a huge benefit. Coming back to the small print of innovations: a completely new design vehicle for dry freight with significant weight reduction, a new functionality called immobilizer, and extensions of our data management center. The new vehicle uses a honeycomb structure proven in the UK market, providing 700 kg less weight, reliable sidewalls, load securing. It's ready for production in the UK and will be introduced in our plant in Zaragoza for the European market. The immobilizer allows braking the vehicle until released electronically by PIN code, safe parking, reducing illegal access. Everything controlled via the telematics and data management system. It's something that gets into the transportation process: customers doing shuttle business, leaving a trailer standing, someone else picks it up. We can leave a trailer at a yard, nobody has to stay. The dispatcher sends a code to the new transport truck, who finds the vehicle via telematics, gets the PIN, and drives off - secure, no mixing up, no theft. One key success element is our data management center. We provide the customer control of his data. We collect data from all different subsystems, collect them in the data management center, and the customer decides where to route the data and who gets access - fleet manager, freight company, ETA calculation algorithm. The customer is in control; we provide the infrastructure. We use all this digital information to improve our service package, whether tire service, fleet operation, full service contracts, getting more precise and customer specific due to detailed information. So with that, I hope we've sent the message that we've pushed the envelope, not only by improving trailers themselves - we mentioned 280 kg less in a tipper, enough - we're working on hardware, but also integrating systems with clearly defined interfaces. If we need to develop ourselves, we can. Then we integrate it all in the data management center where our customer has full control. It's not enough to just say he is the data owner; we have to give him more so he can use it to improve his processes. I think we've done a good job. Audience, thank you very much.