Schutz Fahrzeugbau: Experts in custom commercial vehicle solutions
Whether tipper, flatbed or box body, for vans, lorries or trailers—Schutz Fahrzeugbau GmbH offers a comprehensive range of tailor-made solutions for vehicles from all major commercial vehicle manufacturers, in a variety of designs and weight classes. The company’s success story as a market leader in custom vehicle bodies began in 1961 in a small forge. Over the following decades, demand for commercial vehicles and trailers grew. Schutz Fahrzeugbau GmbH expanded its product range accordingly and established itself as a provider of complete solutions in the transport and specialist vehicle construction sector.
Continually new body concepts, such as manufacturing airport ground equipment, cargo and luggage trailers, or buying and selling agricultural machinery, saw the company grow to become a medium-sized specialist in vehicle construction with around 100 employees. Today, highly customisable body solutions are offered for all common chassis and produced in large quantities.
“Schutz Fahrzeugbau has been a loyal and highly valued customer of ours for many years. Mutual trust, flexibility, and creativity on both sides are central elements that have shaped our collaboration from the very beginning. We are pleased to have been supporting the company for many years with our chassis and running gear components, not only in delivering smart transport solutions but also in developing unique special projects.”
Custom-built body solutions
Back in the late 1960s, the company developed its first body solution for transporting plants. Local horticultural businesses were looking for equipment to transport their products, and it didn’t take long for this initial support to lead to a complete range for the horticultural sector. Today, the portfolio includes box bodies, refrigerated box bodies, and curtain-sider bodies. These body solutions are manufactured specially for CC containers, created for transporting potted plants and flowers by trailer, van, or lorry. CC containers are an accepted standard within the horticultural industry for plant transport, and can be easily disassembled when empty to reduce storage and transport costs.
One product – unlimited possibilities
Over time, Schutz Fahrzeugbau GmbH went on to develop and produce an increasing number of body solutions and complete vehicles based on customers’ individual requirements. Every sector needs its own bespoke solution. Vehicles can also be equipped with a wide variety of options to suit different target groups. For example, for transporting horticultural products, you can order a heated box body with an insulated curtain at the rear. For other sectors, options such as integrated power supply, a partial refrigeration zone, enhanced ventilation, or energy-efficient LED lighting can be especially useful. Interior lighting, side doors or flaps, additional lashing rails, and much more can also be tailored to individual needs. These robust and durable body solutions benefit not only businesses in horticulture, landscaping, bakeries, laundries, and catering, but also cemetery gardeners, local highway authorities and municipalities, highway maintenance depots, construction companies, civil engineers and cable installers, furniture movers and haulage companies, as well as general freight forwarders—covering a broad cross-section of the courier and logistics sectors, the construction industry, and service providers.
User-friendly solutions thanks to AL-KO chassis
Schutz Fahrzeugbau uses tried-and-tested low-frame chassis from the AL-KO Vehicle Technology Group as a base for custom body solutions. Wheelbases are defined together with the end customer in advance and are then implemented accordingly in the chassis. Using the FIAT Ducato or Peugeot Boxer as a base, the frame height can be reduced by up to 218 mm compared to a standard chassis. Compared with the factory solution, this AL-KO specific low-frame concept offers additional user-friendliness thanks to the low loading edge. The shallow approach ramp means there is less of a slope, making it easier to load and unload roll containers smoothly and quickly from the loading edge. Fitting an optional rear step makes loading and unloading for staff even easier. This means the AL-KO chassis is the perfect choice for any business that wants to transport their cargo in a driver-friendly, gentle, and time-saving way.
The customer relationship: Developing ideas together
The partnership between Schutz Fahrzeugbau and AL-KO Vehicle Technology Group began several decades ago. By the mid-1980s, the two companies joined forces for their first joint project. The aim of this collaboration was to develop user-friendly body solutions suitable for a wide range of sectors. The focus was always on the individual requirements and specific needs of each customer. When it comes to their commercial vehicle bodies, Schutz Fahrzeugbau GmbH has always relied on the proven AL-KO AMC low-frame chassis as well as AL-KO components such as towbars and air suspension systems. At AL-KO Vehicle Technology Group, we always know exactly what we're working on, and that they are interested in innovation and keen to help develop new ideas right from the start. What’s more, the company is a solid and reliable partner—not just in terms of our collaboration, but also in relation to vehicle components and driving safety, where everything is thoroughly checked and tested. That’s the foundation of our long-standing partnership,” says Cord Wahlers, Sales Director of Schutz Fahrzeugbau GmbH.
