The list of manufacturers able to produce all the products needed for a turnkey waste, recycling and cleansing contract isn’t a very long one. But with compaction refuse collection vehicles, compact and truck-mounted vacuum sweepers, gully emptiers/liquid waste tankers and street washers, Czech Republic-based Kobit is increasingly being considered. Malcolm Bates reports.
 Flagship of the vacuum sweeper range is the K8 – available with rear-mounted ‘squeegees’ for high-specification highway cleansing, industrial and airport operations |
After all, considering the cost of compaction refuse collection vehicles (RCVs), vacuum highway sweepers, as well as street washers and gully tankers, might the savings not be even more pronounced? They could ... but there is a problem.
Very few of the leading global brands produce every item that is likely to be on that list. There are more than 10 leading manufacturers of compaction-type collection vehicles; some also produce specialized recycling units or satellite units; some also produce industrial rear-end loaders and/or front end loaders for trade waste. But most do not.
A challenge
It’s the same story with vacuum sweeper manufacturers: the best tend to be specialists. Some making compact or sub-compact machines, such as Hako, do not market truck-mounted units, while those with a wide range of truck-mounts (such as Faun Viatec or Scarab, for example) don’t sell such a diverse range of smaller machines.
 Brothers Peter (left) and Jaroslav Nozicka (right) outside the Kobit HQ; |
There are exceptions on the world stage, with UK-based Johnston Sweepers and parent group company Bucher Schorling being a good example. But when, some years ago, Johnston also tried to market Oschner waste collection vehicles, it was not successful.
And liquid waste, gully emptying and street washing water tankers? Well, it’s a similar story. Highway maintenance snowplough/salt-spreading units operated in winter are often used by the same authorities that operate highway sweepers during the rest of the year, so it does make sense for some manufacturers to sell both salt-spreaders and tankers – although providing specialist sales and service staff to handle a wide product range must be a challenge.
 The extended sweeper assembly hall; |
While all that is true, the simple fact is brothers Jaroslav and Peter Nozicka – who today manage Kobit s.r.o – don’t seem especially daunted at the prospect. In fact, judging by the recent expansion of the company not only in its home market but via a number of sister companies set up in other countries, Jaroslav and Peter seem to relish the prospect. This is, I suspect, where a certain amount of history comes into the story.
As a young man, Jaroslav Nozicka worked as an engineer in a huge state engineering institute. Today, he is director of a successful engineering group that distributes its products throughout Europe, Russia, North Africa, the Middle East and in the developing economies of Asia and the Far East. Exports are growing rapidly and last year amounted to €12.5 million (£11 million), and overseas production in expanding global markets is now part of the growth strategy. Not bad for an enterprise that was only founded in 1991.
 The Ausa Multi-Task 20-based Kobit K3 compact sweeper has full hydrostatic transmission |
Occupying a site on a business park development outside of Jicin, north-east of Prague, the main Kobit plant is spacious and modern with a recently extended assembly hall. And although clearly only an assembly operation, Kobit today employs over 200 staff and has a turnover of €400 million (£352 million) while keeping sub-contractors busy.
But I’m not here to inspect the plant or its production capability, I’ve come to the Czech Republic to check out the impressively wide Kobit product range, and in particular to see how Kobit-built vacuum sweepers and refuse collectors can add weight to the argument that this growing brand deserves it’s place on that turnkey supplier list we were talking about earlier.
A sound industrial heritage
There are two other bits of history we need to consider. First, the Czech Republic has an industrial heritage that puts it up there with the best. Forget about all the jokes about the Skoda cars produced during the Communist era; in the 1930s, domestic manufacturers Skoda and Tatra produced cars that were among the best in Europe and even while operating under the constrictions of state control – a range of trucks so good that many are still at work today.
And what about the world-famous Tatra product line? What made Tatra trucks so special was the use of a central spine to which all axle independent suspension was fitted. In addition, the ‘daddy’ of all modern vehicle suspensions systems, Dr Hans Ledwinka, was... you’re probably ahead of me here… also a Czech.
The other bit of useful history? In the 1990s Kobit didn’t start out to design and sell equipment into the waste, recycling and infrastructure maintenance markets – at least, not directly. My grasp of the Czech language is pretty useless, but I’m told by the energetic, English-speaking market development manager Nadia Hladka, that Kobit stands for Kommunal Bitumen Technology. In other words, the original core market for the company was to source and sell road-making equipment to help the newly democratic Czech authorities upgrade their highway network.
A wide range
That Kobit has progressed from what amounts to an importer of specialized products built by others, to a designer and manufacturer of its own wide range of products within little more than a decade, is a dramatic indication of the effort and resources put into the business.
 Kobit also manufactures smaller, less complex designs for global markets, including this satellite unit suitable for 7.5 tonne gross weight chassis |
Confirmation of this comes from a closer look at the 20-page Kobit product range catalogue. It illustrates products including winter maintenance, road repair and resurfacing equipment, vacuum sweeper/collectors, waste collection vehicles, liquid waste tankers, plus the most recent product lines: road tankers for the transportation of milk, petroleum and other chemical products. All applications, you’ll note, which require the utmost in terms of quality of build and accuracy in construction.
There are six main products within the waste collection vehicle product range, starting with the 3.5 tonne gross weight (3m3 airspace) Presko-3, and including Presko models at 7, 9, 12 and 15m3 airspace capacity, suitable for two-axle truck chassis. At the top end of the range are the Presko-20 models for domestic and commercial waste collection – at 20m3 airspace, these are suitable for three axle truck chassis, up to 26 tonnes gross weight.
During my visit, I also spent some time looking at the latest K8 vacuum highway sweeper as featured in the Trucks for Public Utility Tasks catalogue recently published by chassis manufacturer MAN. This is another convincing statement of Kobit’s reputation for producing quality products: Germany is a key market – with the city of Hamburg being one of the largest users of Kobit products in Europe. There are K-series truck-mounted sweepers with 4–9m3 hopper airspace in the Kobit range, with options for site haul road-jetting, airport runway sweeping and demountable units for 4x4 winter maintenance chassis.
Global potential
But the product that I’d really come to see was the recently introduced K3 compact vacuum sweeper, produced in conjunction with Spanish-based manufacturer Ausa.
 Jiri Blaha, product manager for the sweeper product lines, works with Vladimir Pavlis, who looks after RCV sales |
Based on the Ausa Multi-Task 20 hydrostatic chassis, the Kobit part of the partnership (currently) is to manufacturer the sweep systems and collection bodywork, while Ausa makes the chassis/cab and other types of bodywork, of which there are many. The Multi-Task compact truck chassis itself is not brand new – I recall having discussions about such a vehicle almost a decade ago with Ausa’s design-chief Enrich Pons. More recently, I’ve had the opportunity to test the Multi-Task 20 as a load carrier and mini-hooklift truck in both highway and off-road situations. It is very impressive and unlike some competitors, not unduly costly.
So what is the problem? I can’t see one, other than extreme caution on the part of Spanish-based Ausa in launching this product globally perhaps, because at present it has not been launched with any conviction outside of the Spanish market.
 Kobit manufacturers a range of compaction refuse collection vehicles (RCVs) of which this MAN-based Presko-15 is an example |
The cab design is especially good. Ausa has a good name for designing innovative products at a keen price, so the only issues to resolve are those of ‘branding’. And the need for a single warranty and service back-up package. The end product should be made available more widely as soon as possible, and judging by the enquiries already coming in from outside Spain, Kobit customers seem to agree!
It’s worth adding that Kobit also manufacturers snowploughs and salt-spreading bodies for a wide range of chassis – including the Mercedes-Benz Unimog – so it would also make sense to produce units to fit this compact multi-purpose chassis as well. And what about a small waste collection body? Such a unit would be ideal for rural areas or city parks where a light footprint would add to its sales potential.
To explain just how far Kobit’s aspirations go as a global supplier is still something of an unfinished story. Increasingly, Kobit are looking at growth markets and the setting up of joint venture companies as part of their business plan. But I’m still intrigued by that wide range of products. Because that’s where the big turnkey project contracts are likely to come as world banks try to kick-start the global economy.
Malcolm Bates is Transport Correspondent for Waste Management World
e-mail: wmw@pennwell.com
More information: www.kobit.eu
