1,000 Kögel trailers in just five years

Kögel Managing Director Massimo Dodoni handed over a Kögel Cargo Rail of the NOVUM generation with FlexiUse body, featuring a specially labelled tarpaulin, to Domenico De Rosa, Managing Director of SMET, as part of a small celebration of their five-year partnership.

"SMET is not only one of the large, well-known forwarding companies in Italy, but also throughout Europe," says Massimo Dodoni, Managing Director of Kögel. "Over the past five years, Kögel and SMET have found common ground in healthy and steady growth, as well as a unique and friendly partnership."

"The high quality of the semi-trailers and the excellent expertise of the sales were and are the reasons why we very much value our partnership with Kögel and look forward to future cooperation," says Domenico De Rosa, Managing Director at SMET. "With the introduction of the NOVUM generation, Kögel has further improved its already very good semi-trailers, which is especially beneficial for our drivers when it comes to daily use."

Kögel Cargo Rail with FlexiUse body and RoRo equipment

The Cargo Rail semi-trailers come with the optimised external frame profile and improved body – innovations that distinguish the trailers of the NOVUM generation. As well as making the semi-trailers even more robust, these features simplify handling in daily use. In addition, the Kögel Cargo Rail of the NOVUM generation scores with a very high degree of customisation and can thus be adapted to the requirements of SMET. The new trailers also make a significant contribution to protecting the environment and reducing CO2emissions. Thanks to their versatility – they can be used on roads, railways and ships – and let the customer take optimum advantage of ferry and rail transport on main routes, and benefit from the truck's flexibility for both pre-carriage and onward carriage.

The gripper edges integrated into the frame, a gripper jaw tarpaulin protection made of aramide fabric and special axles in a rail design allow loading of the trailers onto rail transport. This design makes them ideal for flexible loading on the most prevalent rail pocket wagons and for a trestle height of 980 millimetres. The trailers are naturally also certified according to EN 12642 Code XL and therefore also designed for transport on express freight trains with a speed of up to 140 km/h.

The Kögel Cargo Rail trailers can be fitted with roll-on/roll-off (RoRo) equipment for unaccompanied ship and ferry transport. This includes a closed 8-mm-thick slide plate and four pairs of heavy duty lashing rings with 12,000 kilograms of test force. Mechanically reinforced semi-trailer supports in a ferry design with rollers completes the RoRo equipment.

The optional FlexiUse body of the Kögel Cargo Rail trailers includes eight front settings, each adjustable by 25 mm, and four rear settings, each adjustable by 50 mm, so the body heights can be independently adjusted by 200 mm at the front and rear. For SMET, this allows everyday goods transport with a clear internal height of 2,800–3,000 mm at the front and rear.

Additional SMET individual equipment

Other individual equipment includes four pairs of hinged, 600-millimetre-high drop sides, tarpaulin ropes with two brackets, a toolbox, mechanical/hydraulic lifting equipment, a display system for brake pad wear and much more.