Views: 1 Author: Site Editor Publish Time: 2025-05-26 Origin: Site
The Swedish company Kalmar Motor focuses on the research and development and manufacturing of aircraft trolley trailers. Its product line covers seven different models and is suitable for ground towing operations ranging from small regional aircraft to very large wide-body passenger aircraft.
Founded in 1969, Kalmar Motor has always been at the forefront of the industry with its rich historical accumulation and technological accumulation. As early as the 1980s, the company was the first to develop towbarless trolley trailers, becoming one of the pioneers in this field.
At present, the trailer products provided by this company include the clueless models TBL50, TBL100, TBL180, TBL190 and TBL800, as well as the traditional clueless model FB150. Among them, the smallest TBL50 can tow ATR, De Havilland, Embraer, SAAB and Airbus A320 aircraft; The largest TBL800 is specifically designed for giant passenger aircraft such as the A380 and the Boeing B747.
In terms of power system selection, the TBL100 and TBL800 are only available in electric versions, while the TBL50, TBL180 and TBL190 can be powered by batteries or diesel. Furthermore, Kalmar Motor has equipped multiple models with "range extenders", which can charge the battery during the operation of the equipment and achieve continuous operation almost all day long.
Sean Bryan, the company's technical sales manager, said that Kalmar Motor was ahead of the industry trend in the electrification of ground support equipment (GSE), and its first lithium battery-powered trolley trailer was put into use as early as 2009. Nowadays, about 60% to 70% of the company's production capacity is used for manufacturing electric vehicle models, while most of its competitors have only started to introduce electric solutions in the past two or three years.
Despite the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the aviation industry, Kalmar Motor maintained its operations without halting during the pandemic. Due to abundant orders, the company still operated as usual when most enterprises around the world came to a standstill, despite facing some supply chain challenges.
Bryan stated that 2023 and 2024 are among the strongest periods he has witnessed in the GSE industry over the past 35 years, with global equipment demand rebounding rapidly. But he also pointed out that the industry often experiences cyclical fluctuations, and the pandemic in 2020 was one of the troughs. He concluded, "Approximately every four or five years, there is a shock, and this time it's the epidemic."
