When it comes to automation in picking, packing, palletizing, depalletizing, packaging, or conveying, customers from various industries rely on the expertise of TRAPO. The company has made an excellent name for itself in business sectors where a multitude of containers must be handled. Its clients include the food industry, manufacturers of pet food, the pharmaceutical industry, and the wheel industry.

Consistently towards being a complete provider

Since its founding in 1957, TRAPO has evolved from a manufacturer of conveying technology components to a provider of complete systems with pronounced innovation strength.

"The origins of TRAPO lie in conveying technology," says Managing Director Dr. Thomas Gutwald. "Because the demands here have risen significantly in recent years and can hardly be met by humans anymore, new solutions are now sought at the beginning and end of the conveyor belt. We offer complete solutions to synchronize the entire intralogistics with the performance of production machines. These solutions extend into the truck itself."

Concentrated Competencies

The basis of these system solutions is 67 years of market experience. Founded in 1957 as Karl Stumpf GmbH in Gescher-Hochmoor and operating as TRAPO GmbH since 1995, the company has grown with market requirements. Production capacities were regularly expanded, and the portfolio was adjusted. TRAPO developed, among other things, flexible palletizing systems, introduced driverless transport systems (TRAPO Transport Shuttle), and developed the TRAPO Loading System, a fully automated system for autonomous truck loading and unloading.

Above all, the company excels in gripper technology for various containers with pioneering solutions. Since 2019, TRAPO has been part of the Swiss Moovimento Group. Dr. Thomas Gutwald has been working for the group for 18 years, which originated from Habasit International AG, a global leader in drive belts and conveyor belts. At Habasit, he was responsible for global production sites, R&D and product management, was part of the group management and directly involved when the approach to TRAPO occurred.

"TRAPO's competencies were impressive," he emphasizes. "While Habasit has a large portfolio of belts, TRAPO focuses on project business, at the end of which a successful solution must be found. The business thus depends very much on the competencies of the employees, less on production machines like at Habasit. TRAPO's activity begins with consulting services, which can last for weeks or months. Here, we bring in our expertise to make production processes safe and more efficient. Ergonomic optimizations are also important."

Pioneers and Hidden Champions

TRAPO enjoys an excellent reputation among customers and throughout the industry and has been awarded multiple times in the past for its innovative products. At LogiMAT 2023, TRAPO received the award for best product. "We are not the biggest player in the market, but we set ourselves apart with our innovative power and are often referred to as a Hidden Champion," says Dr. Thomas Gutwald. "Customers appreciate our expertise in intralogistics. We always develop solutions together with them. Especially with system solutions, TRAPO acts as a Single Point of Contact; clients have one point of contact for all concerns." Customers are mainly from Germany, as well as from the DACH region, Scandinavia, the Benelux, France, and increasingly Eastern Europe. Since they often operate internationally, TRAPO installations are in use worldwide.

Always Close to the Customer

At fairs like LogiMAT, Fachpack, and Interpack, the company seeks to contact new and old customers - for TRAPO, trade fair presences are still the most important marketing tool; additionally, different digital channels are utilized. However, for TRAPO, the employees remain the most important asset to successfully establish itself in the market.

"Our focus is on automation solutions in intralogistics," says Dr. Thomas Gutwald. "With this, we are active in an industry that is continuously evolving; think of self-driving vehicles and robots. Digitization has made an early entry into intralogistics. Process steps must communicate with each other and with the customer's ERP system. That means, our solutions must be integrated into the customer’s existing infrastructure; for this, digital solutions are essential. In addition to mechanics and electronics, digitization is today one of the three pillars we offer."

With this offering, TRAPO feels very well positioned for the future. "The automation trend will continue in the face of labor shortages and the need for ergonomics at the workplace," believes Dr. Thomas Gutwald. "As a medium-sized company, it is now a matter of keeping up with the rapid developments and offering competitive solutions."