MAN TGS a concrete success story for Winkler
The MAN TGS 41.510 owned by Johann Winkler Gesellschaft m.b.H. ensures the right mixture on the building site: With its ultra-lightweight 510 HP truck mixer pump, the Lion reliably supplies concrete to even the hardest to reach construction sites.
Working with concrete is a science in itself. Too much time cannot be allowed to elapse between loading and unloading, otherwise the material goes hard. One person who really knows what he’s talking about when it comes to concrete is professional driver Gerhard Kitzler. He has been driving for the construction company J. Winkler for 11 years and can unashamedly call himself an expert on the grey building material. He is well supported by his MAN TGS 41.510 with CIFA Carbotech 28 truck mixer pump, which he uses on construction sites in the Waldviertel region of Germany.
“It’s never dull”, he says seriously. Boredom is definitely not a word that you’d use to describe his daily work. Building never stops and without concrete practically nothing gets done. “I help them build new homes or agricultural buildings”, says the 48-year old, a brief insight into his daily routine.
Exactly where he and his MAN TGS and the truck mixer pump are needed is often decided on the spur of the moment and is not always set in stone. Construction sites are dynamic and things can always change. The dispatcher uses GPS to monitor where the company’s vehicles are currently located.
Special design for special jobs
Gerhard and his MAN truck mixer usually get called in where space on the construction site is particularly tight. This is because of the truck mixer’s design and especially its boom: “The concrete spreading boom is normally made of steel”, Tobias Winkler explains. He is responsible for organisational issues in his family’s company and also works as a driver himself. “But with our truck mixer pump, the last two boom elements are made of carbon fibre. This makes the pump much lighter and it doesn’t need a huge space to be supported on the building site, which means it is ideal for use on tight sites.”
The truck mixer pump delivers four to five cubic metres of concrete direct to the construction location. If more material is required, a second concrete mixer delivers additional concrete and feeds it into the truck mixer pump. When Gerhard arrives on a new construction site, he first inspects the location and decides where to position his MAN TGS. He has to consider the fact that space may be needed for another vehicle carrying additional material. To ensure that he uses the truck mixer pump safely he has to complete a pump machine operator course every three to four years. This is a three-day refresher course all about the machine, hazard areas on construction sites and current safety regulations.
He really enjoys working for the Winklers’ family company. “The management has to be right”, he laughs, “and they definitely are”. Not only fellow driver and organisational expert Tobias, but also his brother Florian, who also works for the company and looks after dispatching. Although the construction sector is anything but relaxing, the Winklers and their employees take a positive attitude: “We enjoy working together”, says Tobias Winkler. “We call each other a lot and in the evening we often get together in the team room and talk about our day.”
Working with the state-of-the-art MAN vehicles certainly helps with the team’s enjoyment. Tobias got his first MAN TGX in 2019. He was particularly delighted with the seat position:
“I really enjoy driving the MAN TGX. The seat is so comfortable”
He also values his Lion’s many features – it has everything that MAN can offer. And the positive working environment transfers over to customers too. With his calm and level-headed personality, driver and concrete expert Gerhard is really popular on the construction sites. And he is always working flat out: No sooner has he unloaded the concrete on one site, he drives back for cleaning and loads up the mixer again.
All day, everything for him and his MAN revolves around concrete.