The start of the relationship with Belgium's Bimatra dates back to 2004. Nearly 20 years and many moving floor trailers later, we catch up with Bart De Clerck, managing director of Bimatra. It is very striking how positive he talks about Kraker Trailers.
Moving floor transport of residual forest clearing
Bimatra is located in Ingelmunster, Belgium. The company specialises in forest management and the exploitation and transportation of associated products. This includes wood in all shapes and forms: from complete trees to wood chips and everything in between. Bimatra has its own storage areas for drying wood chips and from there they go to biomass plants, for example. Bimatra's 15 drivers and about five subcontractors transport those products with moving floor trailers to various locations in the Netherlands, Belgium and France. For transport to Denmark, drivers unload their Kraker moving floor directly into boats. The trailers are produced according to a specific Bimatra configurations to fully meet the requirements of this heavy-duty work.
"The Krakers are beautifully finished, which serves as a calling card for a carrier"
"At Bimatra, we are very satisfied with the cooperation with Kraker Trailers," Bart started out. That seems to be the case. We asked him if he could explain what he is so pleased about. "It starts from the contact with Jan Platteau, the Kraker salesman. He has been our contact person for a long time already, and he knows exactly what requirements our trailers have to meet. He also always acts quickly when we need new vehicles. But that's not all. We are particularly satisfied with the quality of the trailers." Bart continued, "The Krakers are strong and very nicely finished. I think this is important, because it serves as a calling card for us as a company. On the road, others see what you're driving with and when everything is nicely in order, that's good publicity."
Special Bimatra configuration
Bimatra selected several options to suit their work. "The flexi-lashing straps are invaluable to us. Our cargo collapses during transport. The flexi-lashing straps keep everything properly and firmly in place. Our trailers also include a tyre pressure system. That saves a lot of unnecessary downtime due to flat or punctured tyres."
Bimatra also opts for Alcoa rims as standard because aesthetics is also important in Bart’s opinion.
Bart also praises the standard spare parts available from Kraker. "All the controls are easy to use. The hinges and locks on the rear doors are robust. The swing-out top bar is ideal and turns smoothly. Everything about a Kraker is well thought out and beautifully finished."
Bimatra broke with tradition with the purchase of the latest vehicle: this time, the Belgian carrier opted for a short, 3-axle trailer instead of a 13.6m semi-trailer. The trailer has a weight of 6350kg, a length of 6600mm and a volume of 44.5m3.
Increasing demand for products
Bimatra, too, is finding that the market is changing, influenced in part by the energy crisis and changing regulations. "The demand for our products is higher than before. The energy crisis is creating a huge demand for firewood. Substantial commitments are also being made on biomass power plants." Bimatra products also have more applications.
Wood chips are widely used in and around the garden or as ground cover. Sawdust makes a good, absorbent bedding for livestock. Bimatra also supplies sawdust for wood chipboard production and wood pellet production. Bimatra also supplies products such as wood shavings, screen overflow, tree bark and logs to various branches of industry.
If it is up to Bart De Clerck, the relationship with Kraker will continue. Here at Kraker we feel exactly the same way!
