Express Trailers has just been appointed as HAMMAR's European base for the re-building, upgrading and customisation of HAMMAR sideloaders for the global market. HAMMAR MASKIN AB, is a Swedish company, considered to be the world's largest manufacturer of sideloaders with 80 % market share world wide.
Side-loaders, also commonly known as side-lifters, enable transport companies to load and unload containers onto trailer trucks without the use of cranes. Sideloaders can in fact transport a container to destination and unload it on the spot thanks to a hydraulic-powered mechanism installed on its chassis. These hydraulic structures can also be telescopic, adjusting to varying sizes of containers and can handle a minimum of 33 tons without any counter weight. HAMMAR holds the world record for handling 60-ton weight with 3,5 minutes of handling time single-handedly by one operator.
Express Trailers' relationship with Hammar Maskin AB goes back thirty years when in 1985, Express Trailers ordered its first side-loader for its local operations. Since then, Noel Vella, one of the third generation family directors, has been regularly contracted by Hammar to conduct modification and servicing works to existent sideloaders for Maltese clients and for re-export. Mr Vella is also responsible for the maintenance of all Express Trailers' fleet of trailers and trucks
"This new development is a big milestone for our company and one that fills us with pride but also with renewed enthusiasm towards building the Express Trailers brand into a stronger economic player. This new venture by Express Trailers will also entail internal restructuring of our operations, of our facilities and certainly more employment opportunities for skilled tradesmen," commented Franco Azzopardi, Chairman and CEO of Express Group following the signing of an official agreement with Hammar Maskin.
"Company director and head of fleet maintainance, Mr Noel Vella, has hands-on experience with our products since several decades. He has a flair for mechanics and engineering, and more importantly, a can-do-anything attitude. These qualities were instrumental for us reaching this agreement. Moreover, we needed a company with strong work ethics, skilled tradesmen and positioned with logistical advantages. Express Trailers team led by Mr Vella, coupled with it being situated in the strategically located Malta, were critical contributors towards our selection. Thanks to this collaboration with Express Trailers, we can offer a competitive high-end product to our global clients and hence our plan for the Malta operation is to double production in the coming year." said Tommy Tuong Nguyen, Sales Director for HAMMAR Maskin AB.
Express Trailers' new manufacturing arm will be working on side-loaders sent to Malta by HAMMAR and will be responsible for all the rebuilding and upgrading works including structure blasting, the hydraulics, modification of chassis, conversion of chassis to make it telescopic, braking and electrical systems and other alterations as per client specification. Express Trailers will also be in a position to work and conduct modifications and improvements on crane structures as well as converting vehicles to be radio-controlled and operated.
Given Express Trailers' logistics experience and its wide transport network, it will also be responsible for delivering the rebuilt units to the client, anywhere in the world as instructed by HAMMAR. Express Trailers has since many years captured Malta's strategic geographical location into the hubbing concept of logistics using both container and trailer offering. So far Express Trailers has rebuilt and upgraded side-loading trailers for HAMMAR and exported them to customers in the UK, Spain, Portugal, and the Caribean amongst other countries.
Express Trailers transport operations are supported by a fleet of over tractor units and trailers deployed on mainland Europe. Besides transport, haulage, customs clearance, vehicle transportation and groupage services, Express Trailers is also a strong player in the pharmaceutical temperature-controlled transport and warehousing as well as third party logistics including managed warehousing services.
"Express Trailers is now at a stage where it is ready to bring this operation under the company's wings and is willing to invest in growing the prospects further. With this latest venture in collaboration with Hammar Maskin AB, we are effectively diversifying also in the business of rebuilding, upgrading and customising side-loaders for a niche market," concluded Franco Azzopardi.