Kempf builds dump trailers – and progress – with Hardox® 500 Tuf

But Kempf doesn’t just build dump trailer and truck bodies that last longer. Hardox^® 500 Tuf has also enabled Kempf to use a 4 mm (0.157”) thick plate in the wall compared to 5 mm (0.197”) in the Hardox^® 450 trailer bodies. This allows for a payload increase of up 20%, depending on the body version.

The lower vehicle mass reduces fuel consumption and CO2 emissions during the truck’s entire active life. Thinner and lighter versions of the bodies also mean less steel is used, adding to the reduced overall environmental footprint of the truck or trailer.

To support its quest for continuous development, Kempf joined SSAB’s member program Hardox^® In My Body some years ago. The membership is a quality certification and is only granted by SSAB after a thorough review.

The Hardox^® In My Body sign on a product confirms that it is made with Hardox^® and designed and manufactured according to strict specifications. Hardox^® in My Body members also benefit from full access to SSAB’s state-of-the-art expertise in materials, applications and processing. All of this quickly translates into better and more efficient products. Thanks to the use of Hardox^® steel, Kempf’s customers also enjoy an above-average resale value on their used vehicles.

“Kempf is a long-time user of Strenx^® 700MC in its chassis and is now working together with us to manufacture lighter tipper trailers with Strenx^® 960 Plus," says SSAB’s Christoph Bednarz.

Strenx^® 960 Plus is a high-strength structural steel with a guaranteed yield strength of at least 960 MPa. Typical applications include demanding load-bearing structures such as in a trailer chassis. By using Strenx^® 960 Plus, Kempf is able to achieve a weight reduction of about 10%, which naturally is very important in this business.

This family business was founded in the early 1950s and is now managed by the second and third generations of the family.

The company started by converting old pre-war vehicles for use in agriculture. It later switched to manufacturing truck and tipper bodies and is currently the third largest provider of tipper vehicles in Germany. Fahrzeugbau Kempf employs around 300 people at three locations, two of which are in Germany – the headquarters at Bad Marienberg and a nearby repair shop for used vehicles. The third site is in Poland, where most steel production takes place and from where the Eastern European market with its special needs is served.