Passionately innovative: The Wirtgen Group Technology Days 2011 at Joseph Vögele AG
During the Wirtgen Group Technology Days in September 2011, some 3,600 guests enjoyed an exceptional programme around the theme of recent innovations by Wirtgen, Vögele, Hamm and Kleemann. This year's event was hosted by Joseph Vögele AG in Ludwigshafen, which welcomed guests to visit the world's most modern road paver factory.
The world flocks to Ludwigshafen
From North Cape to Capetown, from Alberta to Tierra del Fuego, from Siberia to Sydney – customers journeyed to Ludwigshafen from more than 80 different countries to see the new machines and products and rub shoulders with decision-makers from construction companies based on all the continents.
They all leapt at the chance to get a glimpse of the world's most modern paver factory. As production continued, an excellent informative tour took visitors past high-tech processing machines as well as the birthplace of tamper bars, screed plates and screeds, through flow assembly and the high-performance, environmentally-friendly power-coating facility, among other attractions.
Four high-tech plants in Germany
Since the completion of the Vögele factory, the Wirtgen Group has been producing its range of 137 machines with 438 models and 6,157 options at four ultra-modern manufacturing plants in Germany. "From our bases in Germany, we can develop and build the high-end products the market demands in high-tech facilities," said managing partners Jürgen Wirtgen and Stefan Wirtgen, explaining their philosophy. And current results clearly show that they are on the right track. It looks very much as though "2011 will be the most successful year in the history of the company. We are expecting double-figure growth rates for all four brands."
50 years of Wirtgen
This news could not have come at a better time, coinciding with the company's 50th jubilee, an important milestone in the development of the company. The "50 years of Wirtgen" exhibition presented an impressive view of the company's dynamic development from a one-man operation to the worldwide leading Wirtgen Group with a workforce of 5,000. Pictures and quotes showed just what "Wirtgen means": the service-oriented approach, the quest to continually find new technical solutions and the passion for road construction.
Modern machines for all tasks
The brands presented their latest road construction and mining technologies on the "Wirtgen Group Avenue". Each and every visitor was able to make a new discovery here, be it the high-tech W 220 Cold Milling Machine or the Slipform Paver Autopilot from Wirtgen, Vögele's MT 3000-2 Offset Feeder, the new H 20i and H 18i Compactors from Hamm or the Kleemann Crusher with EVO technology.
The greatest attractions were the "i"-machines. This appellation designates the latest Wirtgen Group developments with pioneering Tier IV engines. This technology, along with specialist presentations by the Heads of Development for all four brands once again made one thing clear: the Wirtgen Group is tackling challenges and developing advanced high-quality solutions.
Passion for road construction
Wirtgen Group employees' passion for road construction is an important factor in inspiring innovation. This is particularly pronounced in the service domain, for, as Stefan Wirtgen says, "Services are our roots. That's why we know the needs of our customers." Substantiating this statement, customer services exhibits took pride of place at the centre of the machine exhibition.
Passion was very much in evidence at the live demos, too. Competent and likeable experts from the headquarters presented their machines and technologies for sub-base paving, for paving with subsequent asphalt compaction and for rehabilitating roads and reclaiming materials. As in Development, specialists from the Services and Applications Advice divisions of the individual headquarters worked hand in hand on the presentation, too. Jürgen Wirtgen summarized what it is that binds them: "The desire to create holistic solutions which span the four brands and permit our customers from around the world to operate successfully."
Wirtgen Group
Michaela Adams, Mario Linnemann
Press and Public Relations
Reinhard-Wirtgen-Strasse 2
53578 Windhagen
Germany
Phone: +49 2645 / 131-0
Fax: +49 2645 / 131-499
e-Mail: presse@wirtgen.de
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The market leader presented a selection of its wide range of products on the "Wirtgen Group Avenue". Customers can find the ideal machines and technologies for all applications. The "i"-machines with the new Tier IV engines attracted a great deal of interest.
Wirtgen Group machines cater to the entire road construction process chain. Even the very first live demo left no room for doubt in that respect. Rock was first crushed with Jaw Crushers from Kleemann. Then a KMA 220 from Wirtgen used it to produce the construction material for a hydraulically bound base course. After paving with Vögele's flagship Super 3000-2 and an MT 3000-2 Feeder, a Hamm GRW 280 Rubber-Wheeled Roller took care of the compaction along with the brand new H 20i and H 18i compactors.
The new factory of Joseph Vögele AG is the most modern of its kind in the world. The scale of the facilities was not the only impressive aspect to emerge during the tour. The clear, well-thought-out structures were another winning feature: "You can see that quality is being created here – in every step in the production process," said visitors to the high-tech facilities in Ludwigshafen.
On the first evening, the Wirtgen Group delighted guests with an "explosion of innovations". "Brand new" product innovations from Wirtgen, Vögele, Hamm and Kleemann were aesthetically showcased at a dramatically presented firework show.
