An innovation in the world of trailers

Hapert, 13-06-2022

Traditional wooden floors are making way.

Hapert – A trailer also needs to move with the times. With a recyclable composite trailer floor, Hapert Trailers is taking an important step towards a more sustainable trailer.

Built like a lasagne, from different layers of glass fibre and polypropylene. Lightweight, yet strong. The composite trailer floor from Hapert Trailers is an innovation in the industry.

The plastic material has already been used for some time in aircraft, boats, buses and trailers. The Dutch market leader in trailers believes the time is now right for its use in trailers as well. “We have started thinking more sustainably. The same applies to contractors and landscapers,” says director Ad Keeris.

According to Keeris, sustainability is an important topic throughout the entire transport sector. “In the long term, the wooden floor will therefore have to make way for composite. Wood is a beautiful material, but composite is half the weight, lasts longer, is more sustainable and is easy to recycle.”

At the moment, most trailer floors are made from wood combined with glue and a plastic, or chemical, top layer. The composite material, on the other hand, has the advantage that, thanks to its composition, it is easier and fully recyclable, explains Lenard Kuklewski, who is responsible for the supply chain at the company. “After grinding, this composite can be used through injection moulding to make plastic products, such as plastic caps. This floor is also not sensitive to weather conditions or temperature differences, and the top layer is easy to repair. The trailer can last a lifetime.”

The composite trailer floor is produced locally according to Hapert’s specifications by Compoform, which is based in Ospel with its new factory. For these floors, the company has set up a special production line of around seventy metres long.

The first trailers with the new floor have been assembled in Hapert. In July, series production of the floors for the first hundreds of trailers will start in Ospel. The trailer manufacturer does not expect immediate commercial success. The traditionally minded industry will need some time to get used to it. “We will offer the composite trailer floor as an option. We are not moving away from wood completely yet. We want to let the market experience this product and discover its benefits,” explains Kuklewski.

He is convinced that buyers will ultimately be better off with the composite trailer floor. The trailer will be a few percent more expensive to buy, but this is offset by the long service life and lower fuel costs. “Wooden material weighs ten to fifteen kilos per square metre, while composite weighs four to six kilos. The use of composite material can make an enclosed trailer around 250 kilos lighter in total and a tipper with a steel floor around 120 kilos lighter.” With a lighter trailer, you can drive more economically and generate fewer emissions.

The extra-reinforced top layer makes the floor extremely strong and could also lead to a lighter trailer construction. “Thanks to the properties and strength of the floor, we may be able to use less supporting steel.”

For the company, which has around one hundred employees, the composite floor is in any case the start of more innovation, director Keeris makes clear. Tests are already being carried out to see whether composite can also be used for the walls of the trailer.

The various current challenges in the supply of traditional materials such as steel, wood and plastic provide an additional boost in the search for alternative, sustainable solutions.

Hapert Trailers is also looking at whether it can find as many sustainably operating suppliers as possible. “We are already using aluminium from a supplier that uses only electricity from renewable sources during production. For example, this supplier uses energy from its own hydropower plant. We want to produce the most sustainable trailers possible. The composite trailer floor is a long-term investment. Ultimately, it will result in further growth for the company.”