Kögel Trailer

Kögel Trailer GmbH & Co.KG is one of the largest manufacturers of commercial vehicles, amongst other things for trailers and semi-trailers. It had its headquarters in Gersthofen and was founded in 1934 by Franz Xaver Kögel.

On 1 May 1934 Franz Xaver Kögel took over the wagon making business of his apprenticeship employer in Neu-Ulm. Franz Xaver Kögel learned his trade in this small business and had just taken his masters examination. Motorised transport of goods had just taken off with the autobahns in 1934, thus F. X. Kögel, with his wagon making business located within easy reach of the forge for chassis and trailer manufacture owned by August Welte was able to begin a forward-looking collaboration. Kögel provided the floors for the chassis and the side walls, and both companies needed to expand their businesses.

The fusion of both tradesmen's businesses in 1956 in Donautal made Kögel one of the first businesses to settle in the new industrial area. The transition from a tradesmen's business to an industrial concern was completed when production started in the new generously dimensioned manufacturing workshops in the Donautal industrial area. Industrial production of trailers and bodies had begun and continuous growth was achieved. However, special projects were also handled in addition to this manufacture, e.g. a 9-seater cab for the 70 kW Kaelbletractor.

In 1968 Kögel purchased additional production facilities in Karlsdorf near Bruchsal (Kamag) and in 1973 they purchased the Faka-Kannenberg vehicle manufacturer in Bückeburg near Hanover . After the fall of communism they added the Werdau factory in Saxony and, in 1993, Kögel also took over the defunct "trailer manufacture" of the Karl Kässbohrer Fahrzeugwerke in Burtenbach. A part-share in the commercial vehicle manufacturer Orlican in 1991 in the Czech Republic was converted by Kögel into a take-over at a later date, and they were made into a sub-supplier until the foundation of Kögel a.s. in 1996 in the Czech Republic. Kamag, a subsidiary of Kögel (also in Ulm since 1969) is concerned with the manufacture of heavy-duty self-driven combinations having payloads up to 10,000 t, and their customers also include NASA. In addition, two joint ventures were founded in the People's Republic of China.

As the first and only company in the trailer and body industry, Kögel founded a limited company in 1991. In 2000 €25 million of investment was made in the factory in Burtenbach. The factory in Burtenbach became, with considerable investment, the most modern trailer factory in Europe. The Kögel Fahrzeugwerke AG in Ulm applied for the opening of insolvency proceedings in January 2004. This affected 1,186 employees.

In 2004 this resulted in the take-over by Trailer Holding GmbH, in Munich, with the founding of "Kögel Fahrzeugwerke GmbH“, and the new company headquarters was in Burtenbach. Kögel is one of the largest commercial vehicle manufacturers in Europe and its basic product, the semi-trailer, offers the largest selection and flexibility in the commercial vehicle market.