All-terrain vehicles Kässbohrer Geländefahrzeug

ALL-TERRAIN VEHICLES

Leading supplier of all-terrain vehicles Kässbohrer Geländefahrzeug is well-known for its Pisten Bully snow grooming vehicle brand. Industry Europe looks at the latest from the company.

German all-terrain vehicle manufacturer Kässbohrer Geländefahrzeug AG was established in 1968 by the owner of Karl Kässbohrer Fahrzeugwerke, a leading company in the speciality vehicle industry, who decided to create a new type of oversnow vehicle for the grooming of ski slopes to add to its portfolio of buses and trailers. By 1969 the first snow vehicle had been built and sold, and by 1972 Kässbohrer was preparing the slopes for the Winter Olympics in Sapporo!

A company representative told Industry Europe how the rapid development of the company and its leading brand continued from then on. “The success of our Pisten Bully brand has carried on in a manner that

we’re very proud of because we’ve built on the technological capabilities as well as our reputation for creating high-quality allterrain vehicles.”

Excellent reputation for quality

By 1992, Kässbohrer Geländefahrzeug added a beach cleaning machine to its offer. The company is widely known for its snow grooming vehicles, which are all built in Germany to very strict standards, so the introduction of a new product helped to promote the brand in new industry sectors.

The company experienced some financial difficulties in 1994, which led to a management buy-out. It is now an independent company, listed on the Stuttgart Stock Exchange, and acquired two smaller Finnish companies, Paana and Formatic in 2007 and 2008 respectively, creating a solid two-brand strategy of Formatic and Pisten Bully that has gained them considerable market share. Unique solutions

Pisten Bully is the leading brand of slope grooming vehicles, with Kässbohrer Geländefahrzeug offering standard vehicles, winched models and park models that can be used for all sectors of modern slope grooming, from standard ski slopes to the steepest slopes, including the creation and maintenance of slopes for snowboarders.

The company representative continued, “Our Pisten Bully 600 Polar is one of the most powerful machines in the market and the Pisten Bully Green Tech line has been adapted for alternative use such as harvesting silage, mowing and mulching duties right up to fish and shrimp farming. So you can see just how flexible our machines are, while still retaining that core quality of being built for hard work.”

In 2011, the company introduced its unique Dual Fuel Concept. A world first, this is the first series-production snow groomer with a diesel-gas hybrid drive. With this solution pollutant emissions, particularly NOx and fine dust particles, are substantially reduced. And despite the mix of natural gas or biogas there is no difference in the drive behaviour and performance of the PistenBully 600 Dual Fuel Concept.

A further breakthrough in sustainable vehicle technology – under the name GREEN

IQ – came in 2012 with the PistenBully E+ and the SNOWsat slope management system. The E+ is the first snow groomer with a diesel-electric drive working in the Alps. This engine technology consumes up to 20 per cent less fuel and emits less CO2.

Customer oriented

The Kässbohrer Geländefahrzeug production facilities and headquarters are located in Laupheim in the south of Germany close to Ulm and Stuttgart. This region is highly regarded as Germany’s largest vehicle building and engineering centre, so the company is able to utilise the fact that many of its suppliers are based locally. This strategy is also reflected in its belief in staying close to the customer, too, with a strong sales operation, after-sales provision and technical support available to all.

The company representative continued, “Our philosophy is that our customers should be the focus of our efforts on every level. We try to make them feel as though they are part of the worldwide Pisten Bully family and I’m pleased to say that our customers really identify with the Pisten Bully brand. It’s not only a brand name for slope grooming vehicles – it’s come to mean that we’re a reliable partner, too.”

Great online presence

This positive marketing strategy is also evident in Kässbohrer Geländefahrzeug’s online presence. Its website is fresh and easy to navigate, with a lot of technical support available. The brand is also maximising its strong image by offering Pisten Bully merchandise as well as a facility to order spare parts online. Furthermore, a customer-focused magazine is also being published and delivered to over 13,000 people, with up-to-date product information, details of new product launches and the latest company news.

With regards to the future, Kässbohrer is committed to maximising its potential in the growth sector of tourism by targeting expanding tourist areas in important markets, especially as it provides seasonal products for both summer and winter, making it a strong year-round business. n