The history of Schmitz Cargobull

In 1892, Franz Heinrich Schmitz took over the small smithy in Altenberge in Münsterland from his father, thus laying the foundation for todays European trailer manufacturer. The town of Altenberge, with a customs post, lay on the "Dutch Chaussee" route. Bumpy roads led up and down hills. Today, these obstacles to trade would be the nightmare of every logistics specialist. They were very convenient for the original forebear of all "Schmitz Cargobull". Travellers had to rest and Franz Heinrich Schmitz - who was very service and customer-orientated even then - concerned himself with horseshoes and damaged iron tyres for the wooden wheels of horse carts.

Schmitz builds its first trailer in 1935. The commercial vehicle industry becomes increasingly important in Germany and Schmitz-Anhänger concentrates entirely on the rapid development of the body and trailer sector.

Sons Josef and August Schmitz take over the helm in the 1940s. Josef Schmitz heads up production, invents solutions for the most complicated problems and continually broadens the product range. August Schmitz takes care of sales and travels to appointments with customers and suppliers.

The third generation of the family plots the course at the start of the 1970s. Dr. Heinz Schmitz and Peter Schmitz run the company at first, the former as merchandiser and the latter as engineer and designer. For their ambitious company they require an expert for sales and marketing. It is at this point, in 1974, that Bernd Hoffmann joins the company and takes over sales.

The sales strategy is successful, sales figures are rising and so a larger production area is needed. The manufacturing capacity of the Altenberge parent plant is no longer sufficient. Production is relocated in 1980. Schmitz-Anhänger builds new production facilities to modern standards in the Altenberge industrial zone.

The company's sales figures are growing strongly and Schmitz-Anhänger becomes international. The German word 'Anhänger' is not understandable in other languages and is difficult to pronounce due to the Umlaut 'ä'. It is therefore replaced by the invented word 'Cargobull'. 'Cargo' denotes a load and 'bull' stands for the blue elephant. In December 1998, Schmitz-Anhänger officially changed its name to the new, internationally recognised brand name, Schmitz Cargobull.

At an early stage, it is essential to respond to customer requirements with innovative solutions, while constantly modernising production. One of the first large orders comes from Deutsche Bundespost and immediately requires new capabilities from Schmitz-Anhänger. Schmitz-Anhänger takes up series production for the first time with this order. The special trailers for the transport of telegraph poles are designed so that the poles can be stacked upright in pairs and assembled in railway wagons for onward transport.

Schmitz-Anhänger records double-digit growth year on year as the oil-producing countries order large fleets of vehicles from 1973 onwards. Hundreds of tankers, as well as refrigerated bodies, are ordered by companies in the Middle East. Series production is continuously extended. Up to the late 1980s, the Schmitz-Anhänger product range included tankers.

The 'Growth through sacrifice' strategy is implemented. The trailer manufacturer focuses on the four top-selling designs: curtainsider semi-trailers, box body semi-trailers, tipper semi-trailers and container chassis. This enables the company to cover 80% of the market with 20% of its original product range.

Schmitz Cargobull takes over the factory in Panevezys, Lithuania. This acquisition means that the company is now also represented in Eastern Europe. Panevezys is Schmitz Cargobull's largest site outside Germany. With 325 employees, the company produces box body semi-trailers, curtainsiders and FERROPLAST panels.

Schmitz Cargobull sends out a clear signal with its new factory in Zaragoza (Spain) following significant sales growth in the Spanish and Portuguese markets. We are there, wherever our customers are. Currently Schmitz Cargobull in Spain has a workforce of 161, producing box body semi-trailers and curtainsider semi-trailers.

In 2019, our factory in Melbourne (Australia) was opened. Here we have been producing our cooling units and box bodies.

In 2021, our factory in Manchester (Great Britain) was opened. In addition to our curtainsider semi-trailers, we have also been producing the S.KO PACE SMART since November 2021. The fully modular dry freight semi-trailer is particularly suitable for our British and Irish customers and has been adapted to their customer needs.

The new plant for curtainsiders, reefer semi-trailers and dry freight semi-trailers covers a total area of around 104,000m2. About 20,000m2 will be used for production and logistics, office space and for the delivery of new and used vehicles. In the new assembly facility, Schmitz Cargobull produces curtainsiders S.CS, reefer semi-trailers and dry freight semi-trailers S.KO with a capacity of 60 units/day (20 units per shift) on just one production line. Schmitz Cargobull invested around €16.6 million in the new production facility. A hi-tech photovoltaic system supplies the energy for the new production site.

Two market leaders combine their know-how: Schmitz Cargobull and the US trailer manufacturer Utility Trailer Manufacturer Company LLC have founded a joint venture - "Cargobull North America" (CBNA). As a first step, the partners have developed two transport refrigeration units (TRUs), based on the Schmitz Cargobull S.CU. The 625 Hybrid and 655 MT (Multi Temp) are specially designed to meet the strict emissions requirements of California. The units come equipped with Schmitz Cargobull’s TrailerConnect® telematics system, which is exclusively installed in Utility Trailer's refrigerated trailers.

Company founder Heinrich Schmitz celebrates his 80th birthday surrounded by the collected workforce. The company now employs around 75 people. In the meantime, his sons, August and Josef Schmitz, have taken over as managers of the business.

Low total operating costs make the S.KO COOL SMART box body semi-trailer highly economical across its lifetime. It offers maximum freight security, ensures the safe handling of temperature-controlled freight and short turnaround times at the ramp. The TrailerConnect telematics system, fitted as standard, provides for transparency and end-to-end documentation of the refrigeration chain.

Schmitz Cargobull and the US trailer manufacturer Utility Trailer Manufacturer Company LLC have founded a joint venture - "Cargobull North America" (CBNA). As a first step, the partners have developed two transport refrigeration units (TRUs), based on the Schmitz Cargobull S.CU. The 625 Hybrid and 655 MT (Multi Temp) are specially designed to meet the strict emissions requirements of California. The units come equipped with Schmitz Cargobull’s TrailerConnect® telematics system, which is exclusively installed in Utility Trailer's refrigerated trailers.