Is Germany’s dual work-study system a flagship or a rust bucket? This was the question posed by education and business experts in Engelskirchen on 14 September. The trainees of BPW Bergische Achsen KG in Wiehl hosted the evening with presentations and a series of short video interviews conducted among themselves.
Every two years BPW Group, which ranks among the pioneers and innovation leaders of the transport and logistics sector, invites high-ranking experts and decision-makers to its industry congress Wiehler Forum. Records tumbled at this year’s upbeat gathering, headlined “Harnessing curiosity as a motivational force”.
BPW is also an innovation leader in the industry when it comes to training: for around a year , BPW has been putting on workshop seminars in an industrial loft with space in which to park an entire trailer. Instead of slide presentations in conference rooms, the focus is on practical work and motivation. Among the latest to experience the impressive facility was a team from EWALS Cargo Care.
BPW has already revolutionised operation, maintenance and servicing of trailer axles with its popular 9 t ECO Plus bearings. Their enclosed design prolongs service life and achieves maximum availability. Following their introduction in 2000, ECO Plus bearings quickly became a best-seller and redefined the benchmark for economy within the industry.
Best brand, best employer, best training company, GreenTec Award, and now a top-100 innovator among SMEs – the transport specialist BPW has certainly been scooping up accolades recently. These prizes are the outcome not of good fortune, but of a rigorous innovation strategy, as the company’s managers outline below.
Competition in the commercial vehicle industry is tough, and there are no stricter judges than the professionals who work with its manufacturers, products and solutions every day. It was by no means to be taken for granted that these industry experts would recognise BPW as the best brand for the 11th time in succession.
BPW Bergische Achsen KG has initiated series production of a forged aluminium hub targeted at lightweight semitrailers, and tankers and silo vehicles in particular. The hub can reduce axle weight by 18 kilograms and therefore curtail the weight of a three-axle unit by 54 kilograms. Customers in Germany and Sweden are already harvesting the benefits of this new solution.
BPW is now supplying its air suspension ECO Air COMPACT HD (EAC HD). Featuring the familiar two-part cast trailing arms, this modular air suspension has been further improved for the challenges encountered by nine-tonne axles with drum or disc brakes, and to withstand the greater stresses that arise in standard off-road operations.
Intelligence, energy and outstanding connectivity are some of the most important traits of successful decision makers in the transport and logistics industries. The same attributes now rank among the most significant attributes of modern trailers as well.
Digital connectivity is radically changing the significance of the trailer in the supply chain. No longer a mere appendage of the tractor unit, the trailer has advanced to become an integrated and intelligent contributor to goods flow management. The BPW subsidiary idem telematics has therefore extensively refined its online portal cargofleet.
The news magazine FOCUS has again determined the best employers in Germany. A grand total of more than 100,000 employer assessments were received in response to a survey by Hamburg statistics company Statista, a survey of Xing members and based on kununu employer assessments.
