BAUMA 22: Market leader BPW wants to continue growth with running gears for special vehicles

• World's leading trade fair, bauma, will exhibit the best vehicles - on running gears from BPW
• Growth market: Special axles from BPW enable excellent transport
• Digitalisation, mechatronics and lightweight construction are changing the commercial vehicle industry
• Peter Lindner: "BPW is the systems and development partner for all leading manufacturers"

Wiehl 18/8/2022 --- Ever larger, heavier loads are being transported by road: trailers that move 80-metre-long wind turbine blades, entire drilling rigs or concrete bridge sections weighing up to 1,000 tons attract all kinds of people to bauma in Munich, not just experts. And the common denominator on the most impressive vehicles? The BPW logo on the hub cap. The market leader expects a sustained trend of growth.

Special vehicles are among the developments bound to draw a crowd at bauma (24th-30th October 2022 in Munich). It is, above all, the highly specialised heavy transporters that captivate visitors' - sometimes they are designed to lift liquid steel or iron ore, sometimes they bring huge construction or mining vehicles to sites, or they mill and shred road surfaces using their own axles. There are many exhibits that the layman would normally never get to see because they are used underground, on large construction sites or in mines. However, attention-grabbing special transport vehicles are becoming increasingly common in Germany as well - even on public roads, predicts BPW Bergische Achsen KG. The market leader in mission-specific axle and chassis systems is a partner to almost all manufacturers of special vehicles and is observing a sustained growth trend: "Due to the expansion of renewable energies, drivers will increasingly encounter trailers transporting wind blades up to 80 meters in length along motorways" says Peter Lindner, Director Sales of Customised Solutions at BPW in Wiehl (North Rhine-Westphalia), "The industry is also being spurred on by the overdue renewal of dilapidated motorway bridges in Germany. Today, they are increasingly delivered to construction sites as prefabricated reinforced concrete modules. Transporting the modules, which can weigh up to 1,000 tons, is quicker than building new structures on site, saving drivers months of construction work."

200 heavy-duty axle lines with 1,600 wheels were used by specialist Hareket to move two passenger ships. For this purpose, the company relied on heavy-duty modules from Goldhofer, which are equipped with BPW swing axles, among other things. More on motionist.com (Photo: Hareket - Goldhofer)

Even in industrial plants, the trend is moving towards prefabricated complete modules, which also require custom-made vehicles. Sometimes several hundred wheels are used on special swing axles from BPW, the steering angle of which the driver can control individually by remote control to manoeuvre the freight around traffic islands or other tricky bottlenecks. This haulage is usually preceded by months of planning and official approvals, so nothing can go wrong on the day of operation: the reliability of all chassis components is crucial. Even a flat tyre can have expensive consequences. BPW running gears are known for their sturdiness with a low dead weight: all parts can be dismantled and spare parts themselves are available for 20 years or more. (A digital DNA of all components, corrosion protection processes and systems that always keep tyre pressures in the optimum range, preventing punctures, are also successfully used by BPW on standard vehicles).

From horticultural vehicles to the mining sector: each vehicle can go its own way

Even without visiting BPW's stand (Hall FN, booth 827/9), visitors to BAUMA will meet BPW solutions at every turn. The family-owned company (6,800 employees in the BPW Group, 1.37 billion euros in consolidated sales in 2020) has been able to solidify its position as the preferred partner of manufacturers of special vehicles. The spectrum of the "Customised Solutions" business area ranges from solutions for compact municipal horticultural transporters to heavy industry and the mining and quarrying sector.

The axles of special transporters are usually individually sophisticated designs. They not only enable transport from A to B. Anyone who admires modern steel and glass architecture, for example, usually has no idea that special wheel ends on stub axles play a key role. This is the only way to construct trailers with an open floor in which nearly four-meter-high glass panes can be fixed and transported to sites without breaking. A similar clamping method enables the transport of large-sized concrete slabs. Although the usual continuous axle beam is missing, high axle loads are still possible and even up to 30 t axle loads can be realised for special applications.

Heavy hauler Hermann Paule from Stuttgart transports a 100-ton locomotive on a Goldhofer THP/UT with BPW axles. More on motionist.com (Photo: Hermann Paule)

Low loader trailers, as mobile as a shopping trolley with app-controlled reverse steering

Even in comparatively common transport methods, innovations are making their way in - although invisible to the layman - to ensure greater safety and economy. For example, BPW presented an electrohydraulic auxiliary steering system for the first time at BAUMA 2019, which is combined with self-steering axles. The caster of the steering axle works in forward motion like a shopping trolley or swivel chair. When reversing, the steering function of the self-steering axle is prevented by means of a steering lock. However, BPW's "Active Reverse Control" now also turns the low loader trailer into a manoeuvring miracle when reversing: even on narrow construction sites, construction vehicles can manoeuvre quickly and safely, both forwards and backwards. The hydraulic system with its integrated sensors is so compact that it restricts neither the installation space nor the ground clearance of the vehicle. A new and typical BPW feature is the Active Reverse Control system configuration via smartphone: an app connects to the auxiliary steering system via Bluetooth, thus simplifying initial commissioning, function checks and diagnostics. With the right authorisation, the driver can also adjust the reactivity of the steering via app according to their own driving style or to special driving situations.

 In the summer of 2020, COLONIA Spezialfahrzeuge brought 14 new tanks to the Früh Brewery in Cologne. Each of them weighs 13.5 tons and has a diameter of 5.63 meters. The heavy haulage specialist used two tractor units and two 2-axle low-bed semi-trailers with BPW axles. More on motionist.com (Photo: COLONIA Spezialfahrzeuge)

Co-engineering with the vehicle industry

Special vehicles and running gears are developed in close collaboration. Close cooperation with vehicle manufacturers and operators has been part of BPW's core business for around 125 years: Shortly after the company was founded in 1889, BPW launched the first self-lubricating truck axle on the market - trucks equipped with it did not require constant maintenance and literally sold "smoothly". Since then, BPW has been developing and producing individual running gear solutions for vehicle manufacturers and also supports the assembly process with customised logistics concepts.

BAUMA 22: BPW is looking for new challenges

Through innovations in mechatronics, digitalisation and the endeavour to achieve an optimal running gear solution for every possible application, BPW has, together with its customers, significantly developed the performance and economy of transport vehicles. At BAUMA, BPW is calling on the vehicle industry to join forces to tackle new challenges - for special vehicles that once again push the boundaries of what is possible. The motto: "Challenge us". Because as we all know, nothing is too difficult for an engineer.

The spectrum of BPW's Customised Solutions business unit ranges from running gear solutions for compact municipal horticultural transporters to heavy industry as well as mining and quarrying sector: From front to back: 30 t heavy-duty axle for the heaviest transport goods, cranked axle (here 6 t) for car and boat transporters, air-suspension steering axle for special vehicles with steering knuckle, swing axle for low-loaders and modular vehicles.