Of all German prizes for innovation, the ‘Top 100’ award plays a unique role: it’s the only competition to honour mid-sized businesses for their innovation management. BPW head of development Dr Markus Kliffken explains why he’d like to give the prize awarded by science journalist Ranga Yogeshwar straight back to the commercial vehicle specialists’ customers.
The BPW Group is driving innovation in transport and logistics with Industry 4.0, digitisation, e-mobility and networking. At the same time, the family-owned company is managing to gain customers, partners and employees for the transformation – and the brand strategy plays an important role, too.
BPW is giving cargo a voice using sensors and digital connectivity – the iGurt indicates whether it is correctly secured in the drawbar trailer during the journey, while the CargoTracer connects it directly with senders' and recipients' merchandise management systems. And these solutions already contain key technologies required for autonomous transport.
BPW Bergische Achsen KG has been ranked by respected institutes and media firms as one of Germany’s top employers and training providers for years. A further study has now confirmed that the family-owned company is among the top one per cent for quality as an employer, following an analysis of around 70,000 companies for the title of ‘Leading Employer 2019’.
What exactly is ‘good design’? To many people, this primarily means an aesthetically pleasing product design. The iF DESIGN AWARD 2019, on the other hand, illustrates that good design is above all a matter of purpose and concept – and recognised the international mobility and system partner BPW for a product that consumers will probably never see
25 per cent more traction for the trailer on wet and difficult ground conditions and higher loads with smaller towing vehicles: these system benefits provided by the ‘AGRO Drive’ hydraulic drive axle have given BPW a bestseller among farmers and contractors. As a result, the drive axle has now won the most important public choice award in the agricultural industry.
Improperly secured cargo is frequently the cause of wobbling and tipping lorries on the road – and accidents and cargo damage cost transport companies millions every year. In future, an innovative, intelligent cargo securing system from BPW will prevent this from happening. Yet the development methodology used is also a remarkable aspect of this innovation.
BPW can once again celebrate its win of an important innovation prize – twice over. A jury of 16 international trade journalists and experts from the German Association of the Automotive Industry (VDA) selected two innovations from BPW for the ‘Trailer Innovation 2019’ award. Both innovations combine a significant gain in safety with substantial cost savings for vehicle operators.
The ‘digital seal’ from idem telematics has been awarded the Telematik Award 2018 at the IAA Commercial Vehicles 2018: the expert jury selected the Munich-based company as the winner of the special prize for the ‘Best innovation’ of all 278 solutions that were entered.
If you want to find out about quality in the spare parts service, ask the professionals. Every two years, the editors of the professional journal “PROFI Werkstatt” ask their readers to rate the quality of the most important products and services. BPW has become the frontrunner in a key discipline - and is announcing the next service innovations in time for the Automechanika and IAA trade fairs.
Among German SMEs, no company can claim to have more loyal employees than BPW Bergische Achsen KG. In the latest round of the independent and anonymised TOP JOB survey, the family business’s employees give their employer top marks for communication, development and prospects. Compared with their counterparts in other companies, the employees of BPW are especially loyal.
eTransport, the electric axle drive developed by BPW, is thought to have won more innovation prizes this year than any other concept in its category. BPW has now added the European Transport Prize for Sustainability to its trophy cabinet. The company ranks among the heavyweights in the true sense of the word, not only in view of its multiple awards.
About BPW Bergische Achsen Kommanditgesellschaft
BPW Bergische Achsen KG is the parent company of the BPW Group. With around 1,500 employees, including around 100 trainees, the family-run company has been developing and producing complete running gear systems for truck trailers and semi-trailers at its headquarters in Wiehl since 1898. BPW’s technologies include axle systems, brake technology, suspension and bearings. BPW’s trailer axles and running gear systems are in use in millions of vehicles around the world. An extensive range of services also provides vehicle manufacturers and vehicle operators with the opportunity to increase economic efficiency in their production and transport processes. www.bpw.de/en
About the BPW Group
The BPW Group researches, develops and manufactures everything needed to ensure that transport keeps moving and is safe, illuminated, intelligent and digitally connected. With its brands BPW, Ermax, HBN, HESTAL and idem telematics, the company group is a preferred system partner of the commercial vehicle industry around the globe for running gear, brakes, lighting, fasteners and superstructure technology, telematics and other key components for trucks, trailers and buses. The BPW Group offers comprehensive mobility services for transport businesses, ranging from a global service network to spare parts supply and intelligent networking of vehicles, drivers and freight. The owner-operated company group currently employs around 6,830 staff in 27 countries and achieved consolidated sales of 1.745 billion euros in 2023. www.bpw.de/en
