The German company Allspan produces bedding for horse stables, which they supply directly to end users. Kraker moving floor trailers are used to transport the sawdust and wood shavings. These trailers are specially adapted to Allspan's operations. At Allspan, Peter de Zeeuw is responsible for transport within Germany and for the procurement of transport equipment.
Two Allspan trailers are always positioned next to the production lines at various planing mills in Germany, which are filled directly during the planing process. It takes about 2 days for a trailer to fill up. Peter receives a message from the production manager that the trailer can be changed. What if production is ramped up at the planing mill? Peter and his group of drivers then immediately jump into action and make sure extra trailers are available for that production line.
"Do you want to continue using Kraker?"
Peter de Zeeuw is a driver at Allspan, and he is responsible for scheduling for the group of drivers that shuttles between the planing mill and the end customers, and he also has the authority to purchase transport equipment. Besides Peter, the other drivers are Thomas, Reiner, Oliver and Sergej, and together they form a close-knit group, Peter said. "We have a lot of freedom to arrange all kinds of things ourselves. If someone has to deal with something unexpected in their private life, we arrange among ourselves for someone to take over the work or we divide it among ourselves." Peter believes that it is important to mention this, because these days it is not so self-evident that people are there for each other, he explained.
Since Peter is authorised to purchase transport equipment for Allspan, he is in frequent contact with Timothy Wuyts, salesman at Kraker Trailers, in that capacity.
"Since 2019, Allspan has partnered with German Horse Pellets, under the name Allspan German Horse. One of the first questions asked was, “Do you want to keep using a Kraker?". This is not something we had to consider for too long. We have a good relationship with Kraker Trailers, and they build vehicles in Axel that meet our exact requirements. We did have a conversation with another manufacturer, but in my opinion, Kraker is the best option. The trailer being delivered now is our first K-Force [i.e. the first bolted trailer, ed.]. Timothy took all the time he needed to explain exactly what that concept entails. The explanation was clear and straightforward and I feel confident. But the relationship is not only good with Timothy, but also with Hans, who always handled the delivery when we picked up our trailers in Axel."
The drives to Axel are nearly a thing of the past, stated Peter. "We will still collect the trailer that has been ordered now in Axel. After that, purchase and delivery will be done through TrailerTec GmbH, Kraker's German dealer. I have already been in contact with Christian Lück from TrailerTec and I also have every confidence in him."
Peter is convinced that the role Kraker trailers play within Allspan can only grow. "We also have a number of container trucks that will eventually need to be replaced. There is already talk of replacing them with moving floors. The reason behind that is again wider employability, so you get more out of your vehicles."
Trailers are produced based on Allspan’s configurations
"Part of the special Allspan configuration is a blowing system with a blow/fill pipe in the trailer. The semi-trailers are loaded from the back with this system, which makes it easier to fill them completely," Peter said. "But that is not the only thing that sets Allspan trailers apart from a standard configuration.
K-Force comes as standard with 3 axles, but other compositions are also possible, such as K-Force with 2 axles. This customisation by Kraker Trailers is exactly what Allspan want. Allspan moving floor trailers are all equipped with 2 axles. The reason for this is that the trailers are used to transport sawdust and wood shavings, which is cargo with a low specific weight. A third axle is unnecessary even with a fully loaded trailer. The omission of this third axle in combination with a smaller tyre size means considerable cost savings for Allspan," Peter concluded his detailed explanation.
Growing up with Allspan and Kraker
The fact that Peter works at Allspan is no coincidence as the company has had a constant presence in his life, much like Kraker, as Peter's father used to work at Allspan for decades. The company and the product were nothing new to Peter and when his father asked him if he wanted to take on some of the transportation, it was an easy decision.
Peter does not regret this decision for a second to this day: "Our driver group has a lot of freedom to arrange things on our own, we drive good equipment and the work is good," concluded a satisfied Peter.
