The course was charted back in September 2023, when the company announced that Schmitz Cargobull AG would be acquiring a 49-percent stake in Berger Fahrzeugtechnik GmbH. At the time, Gerhard Berger – a pioneer in lightweight construction and the company’s owner – made it clear that “Our cooperation with Schmitz Cargobull is a win-win situation for everyone involved.”
For the Austrian specialists in lightweight construction – better known under the brand name BERGERecotrail – the relationship is opening up new opportunities at European level thanks to Schmitz Cargobull’s network and extensive service portfolio. At the same time, Schmitz Cargobull is enhancing its product portfolio with specialist lightweight trailers and also benefits from synergy effects, shared parts concepts and greater integration of trailer telematics.
The next step then followed at the transport logistic trade fair in Munich, where BERGERecotrail presented the next-evolution generation. Developed in close cooperation between the two companies, the trailers stand out thanks to the Austrian manufacturer’s tried-and-trusted lightweight chassis combined with Schmitz Cargobull bodies. To ensure the greatest possible syncronicity, the Austrian lightweight construction specialists at BERGERecotrail have revised multiple aspects of their chassis.
Oliver Hoffmann, Managing Director at BERGERecotrail, goes into further detail: “We have modified the front and rear ends, the side frame and the body so that we are able to adopt the Schmitz Cargobull bodies on a one-to-one basis.”
“We have modified the front and rear ends, the side frame and the body so that we are able to adopt the Schmitz Cargobull bodies on a one-to-one basis.”
Oliver Hoffmann, Managing Director at Berger Fahrzeugtechnik
Matthias Muffert, Head of Product Management for General Cargo at Schmitz Cargobull AG, adds: “This means that our customers – drivers and shippers – can work with the body systems that they’re already familiar with. However, standardisation also means high levels of spare parts availability as well as the opportunity to add new options to the Berger product range. Not forgetting the wide range of certificates that we are able to offer with the bodies in question.”
“However, standardisation also means high levels of spare parts availability as well as the opportunity to add new options to the Berger product range.”
Matthias Muffert, Head of Product Management for General Cargo at Schmitz Cargobull AG
The next-evolution generation is available in the Performance and MEGA series as a standard or high-volume semi-trailer both with or without a coil trough and also as a platform trailer. Countless tried-and-trusted pieces of Schmitz Cargobull technology have now been integrated into the BERGERecotrail product environment. As a result, customers can opt for options such as the height-adjustable VARIOS system, the extra-weight-optimised POWER CURTAIN (support laths replaced by integrated aramid belts for certified structural rigidity), the Safety Roof, as well as anodised aluminium front and rear panels and galvanised corner posts for the semi-trailer body.
This creates a lightweight trailer that not only delivers the weight-optimised BERGERecotrail structure, but also offers the full range of Schmitz Cargobull equipment options and system solutions. The entry-level version of the new Performance generation starts from an unladen weight of 4.8 tonnes. The new generation of trailers are among the lightest lightweight vehicles on the market and are designed for maximum payload and efficiency. Thanks to the certified Schmitz Cargobull body, the vehicles are suitable for a wide range of areas – including transporting beverages, automotive parts, tyres, grains, chemical products such as octabin packaging, or steel and metal coils.
Berger has been specialising in innovative lightweight bodies for over 60 years. The latest generation of chassis is based on high-strength S700 fine grain steel, high-precision welding technology and an intelligent frame design with pre-tensioning and weight-reducing cut-outs in the shape of the Reuleaux triangle. This structural principle allows tension to be distributed for optimum results, but still with the same level of stability and a high level of robustness. “This enables us to take more material out of the l-beams than we would if we were using a circular shape, for example” explains Hoffmann. Even Gothic-era master builders appreciated the stability of this shape – as did the engineers behind the distinctive rotors in a Wankel engine.
The S700 fine grain steel gives the chassis a particularly high level of elasticity. Thanks to its unique material properties, the chassis is not galvanised and instead features high-quality paintwork that is specially tailored to the lightweight chassis and its attributes. As a result, the chassis is reliably protected against rust and can also be sprayed with a zinc coating on request.
As the first model from the next-evolution generation, a BERGER PerformanceCoil celebrated its premiere at the transport logistic trade fair. With an 8,220-millimetre-long coil trough for steel and metal coils that are 800 to 2,100 mm in diameter and a POWER CURTAIN body, the vehicle meets the highest of standards when it comes to payload, efficiency and turnaround speeds.
The next-evolution generation is embedded within Schmitz Cargobull’s comprehensive eco-system: with TrailerConnect telematics, bespoke financing solutions, 24h spare parts supply and a Europe-wide service network with over 1,400 authorised service partners.
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