Pichler
12 April, 2023
Pichler is a family-run business founded in 1928 in South Tyrol, northern Italy. The company got its start by building and repairing animal-drawn vehicles. The company’s growth journey began in its second generation, when the two sons of the founder took over the business and built Pichler’s first production plant in the 1970s.
The current owner, Christoph Pichler, represents the third generation of family entrepreneurs, and the business has grown to 15 employees serving the whole of Italy. Today the company builds its own truck bodies, crane assemblies, and mounts equipment onto heavy machinery. The company established its current path in 2014 with the construction of a new production plant and headquarters in Neumarkt, near Bolzano.
A competitive fire and access market
Pichler has been Bronto Skylift’s official representative in Italy since 2004, serving both the firefighting and industrial segments.
“My initial contact was the firefighting unit in Bolzano, which is an excellent customer of ours. Their purchaser told me about an interesting company who were searching for an after-sales organization. I met the Bronto sales director at the time, and the collaboration started immediately,” says Pichler.rnrnIn the north of Italy, Pichler’s clients use taller Brontos in the wind and gas industries, painting and maintaining the steel structures. For the mid-sized units, the applications become more diverse.rnrn“In Italy, the mid-sized units are used for nearly any purpose, any work at height,” says Pichler. “From chimneys to building access and anything you can imagine. The Italian market is one with many rental companies, each working in quite a small territory. The market is very segmented and diverse.”
On the firefighting side, too, it’s mostly smaller aerials that are in demand, and many fire stations still use other methods, like ladders. Italy, Pichler continues, has the highest density of aerial platform producers in the world, each with ample after-sales service points. This means competition is stiff. Pichler’s recipe for success is focusing on access applications 165 feet and above while concentrating on autonomous regions for firefighting units.
Reaching greater heights in Italy
The higher the market goes, says Pichler, the better. He sees the greatest potential in the wind market.
“Where is the market going? That depends on the future of wind turbines. Where the wind turbines go, the platforms will follow.”
And although – outside of wind turbines – smaller units are more popular in the country, there are some exceptional cases.
He recalls one operation where a Bronto was called on to perform maintenance work on the bell tower at Florence cathedral – a case that gave a 295-feet Bronto a chance to stretch its neck and was broadcast live on television.rnrnThe aerials’ solid construction and in-house electronic systems enable Pichler to service Brontos that are 20 years old and more, and the reliability of the units is appreciated by their customers.
“The units themselves are easy and reliable to use and stable at heights. Those are the first things we hear – there are no vibrations. Our customers feel safe. With Bronto Skylift, I’m able to speak directly to decision makers and get answer quite fast. When there are any issues, we’ve been able to resolve them quickly. It felt like joining the Bronto family immediately. I felt it quite intensely.”
Contact:
Pichler Nutzfahrzeuge GmbH
Industriezone “Obere Insel”, S. Menestrinastraße 6
39044 Neumarkt (BZ)
Email: cp@pichler.bz