Built to go further Niesmann+Bischoff

BUILT TO GO FURTHER

Niesmann+Bischoff are market leaders in the design and manufacture of luxury motorhomes. The company continues to see strong growth due to its innovative, award-winning models and a buoyant market. Philip Yorke reports.

From the outset, Niesmann+Bischoff was different in its approach to manufacturing and clearly more innovative than its competitors. Founded in Polch, Rhineland Germany in 1981 and in contrast to most manufacturers who generate their sales through mass production and a low number of premium models, Niesmann+ Bischoff began with a very large and luxurious model it called ‘Clou’. This took the market by storm and, with a weight of around 10 tonnes and based on a MAN chassis, it was one of the largest and most luxurious motorhomes on the market at the time.

It was not until 1994 that ‘lighter’ and more affordable models were introduced by the company, by which time its reputation for luxury and high-quality engineering had been well established. Since the launch of the new generation of motorhomes in 2013, which combined an automotive exterior design with a unique living concept, Niesmann+Bischoff has doubled its sales.

In 1996 Niesmann+Bischoff became part of Europe’s largest motorhome manufacturers, the Erwin Hymer Group, and the company currently employs more than 200 people.

Award-winning designs

From its early beginnings, Niesmann+Bischoff captured the imagination of the motorhome press and as a result has been awarded countless honours. More recently, both its Arto and Flair motorhome models have won the ‘Red Dot Award’ for well executed design and in 2015 in the United Kingdom the company’s Flair 920LF model was awarded the coveted ‘Motorhome of the Year’ by the UK’s largest circulation motorhome magazine: ‘Motorcaravan & Motorhome Monthly’. In addition, last month, Niesmann+Bischoff was also honoured with a special mention at the German Design Awards, which is an independent institution dedicated to design excellence in all fields of manufacturing.

“To celebrate our 35th anniversary we will launch a completely new range of products, which will be very innovative and unique in the motorhome industry. We have clear ambitions and we don’t subscribe to normal standards when it comes to developing new motorhomes. Niesmann+Bischoff are always looking for something special which makes us stand out from our competitors: this is the legacy of our first large luxury model, the ‘Clou’. However, this project remains top secret and the first pictures and detailed information will not be published until the summer of 2016,” said Hubert Brandl, Niesmann+ Bischoff’s managing director.

Integrated luxury

Niesmann+Bischoff is the only motorhome manufacturer in Europe that is focused on fully-integrated luxury designs. The flagship model and its best-selling motorhome is the ‘Arto’ range, which is built on a Fiat chassis with a weight of between 3.5 and 5.5 tonnes. This compares to the company’s top of the range ‘Flair’ models based on an IVECO chassis, which can weigh as much as 7.49 tonnes.

At recent trade fairs in Dusseldorf, Paris, Utrecht and Birmingham, under the banner, ‘Built to go further’, more than 200,000 visitors had the opportunity to see the latest Niesmann+Bischoff models with their unique interiors and stylish automotive exterior designs.

Brandl added, “In 2012 we started offering a unique and most innovative concept which continues to be very successful to this day. The concept offers the freedom for customers to choose from hundreds of possibilities to customise and personalise their own motorhome models. This can include a wide range of options from the colour and shape of the couches and the finishing of ceiling cupboards, to the design of surfaces out of real stone material or ambiance lighting with genuine blades of grass. Other features include central locking, warm water underfloor heating and heated screens. In addition to first-class workmanship, comfort and innovative technology, our models offer excellent road-holding and engineering, which enables us to stand out from the competition.”

Increased production capacity

In order to maintain its high quality specifications and to meet the increasing demands of the motorhome market, Niesmann+Bischoff moved into new, state-of-the-art facilities in 1993 located close to Koblenz. This new facility was designed with the provision for additional capacity to meet the growing demand for its products. Production has been steadily increasing by 10 per cent per year and, according to the company, the entire production of 2016 models is already sold out. It is therefore planning a further expansion for 2016–2017.

Niesmann+Bischoff’s main market is Germany, which represents approximately 50 per cent of its volume sales. This is followed by the French market, the United Kingdom and the Scandinavian countries, which highlights the importance that the company attaches to offering a high level of insulation and unrivalled heating efficiency. Brandl commented, “Our dealer network and service partners are focusing on central Europe and although we have enquiries from different countries outside the EU, our production capacity would not cover this additional volume of sales. We grow step-by-step and have set limits to ensure that we are able to maintain our high levels of engineering and quality finishing.” n

For further details of Niesmann+Bischoff’s luxury motorhomes visit: www.niesmann-bischoff.com