Entering new markets with mobile transport and loading system
With xetto – an innovative, mobile transport and loading system that assists tradesmen, industrial enterprises, and logistics businesses with lifting, moving and loading heavy cargo – HOERBIGER Automotive Komfortsysteme GmbH is launching a worldwide innovation … and not just technologically. For the company headquartered in Schongau, Germany, the first shipment of a xetto unit to motor vehicle technology firm Schurath in Freital near Dresden also signified the entry into a promising new market segment and another innovation for niche markets.
The xetto allows HOERBIGER to occupy an attractive market niche in the loading and transport aid segment for tradesmen and small businesses. The compact system makes it possible for one person, using a single piece of equipment, to load and unload up to 250 kilograms of cargo into and out of small work vehicles without special installations, and without the use of forklifts and pallet trucks. The xetto was developed in Schongau and is being produced according to the highest automotive quality standards at the Bolesławiec site in Poland.
The operating principle of the xetto is as simple as it is ingenious: Thanks to powerful electrohydraulics and cleverly designed kinematics, the system picks up the cargo like a transport cart. It then turns into a pallet truck, lifts its freight into the vehicle, climbs in behind it, and stows itself beneath the cargo. The entire procedure is effortless for the operator. During unloading, the xetto extends out of the vehicle, creates a solid footing for itself, and turns into a pallet truck again, allowing users to transport their cargo safely and easily, without straining their backs.
“The versatile use and clear added value of the xetto® for the customer impressed us,” explains Gerd Schurath, Managing Director of motor vehicle technology firm Schurath. His company is known for expertise and customer benefits in the loading comfort segment. Schurath comments: “We are convinced that our customers will be able to operate more safely and quickly with the xetto, while also saving costs.”
With the xetto, HOERBIGER is tapping new market and customer segments. “Our goal is to evolve into an expert and solution provider for compact power,” comments Gerhard Messmer, Head of the Hydraulic Systems Business Division, adding: “With the xetto, HOERBIGER is not only establishing a new brand and a new product, but for the first time is also showcasing a complete value chain.” From Development through Production and several distribution channels to Service, everything related to the xetto comes from a single source.
The sales strategy for the product is also a first for HOERBIGER: End users from the trades are able to purchase the xetto directly from retailers, since HOERBIGER established a network of certified distributors. Concurrently with the market introduction, a dedicated website – www.xetto.de – was launched and a TV ad is being aired on the television station DMAX.
HOERBIGER plans to roll out the xetto initially in German-speaking countries before selling the product in other European countries.
Practical testing by regional salesman
Prior to the market launch, the xetto was extensively tested in tough practical application by tradesmen from the Weilheim-Schongau district and the region. Prante Drucklufttechnik, a pneumatics firm, in Schongau was one of them: “We sell, install and service compressed air systems, compressors, and high-pressure cleaners, primarily between Augsburg and Garmisch-Partenkirchen,” explains Andreas Prinzing, who runs the business together with his mother. “Lifting heavy equipment? That’s a thing of the past,” says Andreas Prinzing. The xetto provides the compressed air systems specialist with physical relief and considerably more efficiency, leaving him time for what matters: the installation and repair work for the customers.
Willnecker GmbH in Germaringen also finds the benefits of the xetto compelling. “Asking someone for help at the site of an installation job is no longer necessary,” says owner Andreas Willnecker. The machine manufacturer considers the xetto to be a worthwhile investment given the tremendous time savings it offers in everyday installation situations.
Shipping provider “24 You Synergy” from Memmingen in the Allgäu region uses the xetto for logistical purposes. “In the past, we had to manually lift heavy boxes out of the car,” owner Andreas Fiebig reports. This was a time-consuming undertaking, not to mention physically challenging, especially during night-time trips. “With the xetto, we can now conveniently reload the shipments.”
