Dr.-Ing. Ulrich Esterer Julia EstererHarold Esterer

Right from the start, Esterer intended to be a pioneering innovator when it came to the development of refuelling vehicles. Thanks to an eye for detail and smart engineering, Esterer now sets global benchmarks. All of our employees, from the engineers to the welders, are passionate about re-thinking refuelling vehicles, and about cleverly redesigning them to meet customer-specific needs.

Dear Customers, Partners and Friends,

The history of our family-run company started in 1955, the year the business was founded. Looking at where we are today makes us very proud of our success. This success story is inextricably linked to two topics:

firstly, the key role of medium-sized businesses in our society and secondly the character of the personalities who lead their companies with competence, expertise and above all with passion and idealism through good and even bad times. This is the spirit that has made Esterer strong – our vision, personal willingness to take risks and unbounded enthusiasm not just for the cause, but for the work of a lifetime.

A high degree of flexibility and extremely high quality standards are in the Esterer DNA. Esterer has been the leading innovator in the business for many years. Our success in the market and the feedback from our customers confirms that we are always one step ahead. We develop today the solutions our customers need tomorrow. We promise, to remain this enthusiastic in the future. That is what we, as second and third generation of the Esterer family, stand for.

Sincerely yours,

Harold Esterer Julia Esterer

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Dr.-Ing. Ulrich Esterer was in the right place at the right time when he took over the Esso repair works in Helsa in the summer of 1955. Due to its proximity to the Iron Curtain, Esso had lost interest in this plant; for Esterer, it symbolized the realization of a dream. He had a vision of success with the development of new tank trucks. Even then, flexibility, easy operability and cost-effectiveness played a large role. This is due to the fact that while most products were easy to sell at that time because people needed them, Ulrich Esterer was already thinking about ways to increase benefits to the customer.

An initial staff of almost 40 people first built demountable tanks and carried out repairs. A few years later, at the beginning of the 1960s, a second business had already begun to operate in Eschwege and employed more than 270 employees.

The first duplicate parts were demountable tanks, which created delivery wagons for gas, fuel oil and liquids from normal flatbed trucks; with an on-board motor pump, they could even be used as mobile gas stations. These demountable tanks were soon to become a mainstay of what was still a young company.

With each new assignment Ulrich Esterer and his employees thought of ways to develop the product and to serve and surprise their customers with new and improved solutions.

The “Helsa C” multi-purpose tank design created markedly improved cornering by means of the tank’s low center of gravity when partially countersunk in the loading bridge. The flatbed surface vacated could now be used as storage space for vats, oil barrels and hoses. There was a need for this due to the escalation in petroleum product use.

A “typical Esterer” tank became recognizable by its shape, whose optimized geometry allowed for more capacity. Customers could transport larger quantities more cost-effectively. To protect the tank from vibration damage when traveling on bad roads – and at that time there were plenty of bad roads – a three-point support reinforced by rubber hollow springs was developed, in which the front tank lay mobile in a rocker.

With “Estromatik”, Esterer was the first company to bring a technique onto the market that allowed quiet electrical delivery of fuel oil to private households – at a time in which noise control was not yet an issue and other tank trucks‘ motor pumps made an enormous amount of noise. “Estromatik” equipment was so quiet that it was even welcome in health resorts.

Summer, 1955: Dr.-Ing. Ulrich Esterer took over the Esso repair works in Helsa and, with an initial staff of almost 40 employees, began constructing and repairing demountable tanks.

“Helsa C” on a Mercedes LP 322. The 6,700 liter elliptic tank protrudes through the flatbed. There is room for fuel oil vats in front and behind.

A few years later, Esterer owned a second business in Eschwege. With about 270 employees, he developed many standard-setting and well-conceived solutions.

“Helsa ES” road tank truck design with an approx. 3,600 liter capacity. The Estromatik full-hose measuring system is located in the plastic rear fittings cabinet.

1961 was the first time that Esterer had its own booth at the International Automobile Fair (IAA) in Frankfurt am Main.

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The he business experienced an unprecedented boom in commercial development. By 1963 Esterer had already become one of the largest companies in the industry and the leader when it came to the development of new technology. Along with proximity to customers, its success was due to consistent market observation, farsighted analysis and a sure instinct for trends. From the very beginning, Esterer was more than just a supplier of tank trucks. As a partner in development with its customers it was equally appreciated from Flensburg to Passau to Switzerland – its export business developed in a big way.

By 1963 Esterer had already become one of the largest companies in the industry and the leader when it came to developing new, practical technology as well as proximity to customers and customer service.

However, Esterer was way ahead of the others in more than product development. Esterer was already publishing a regular circular with tips and valuable information on new developments when no one had even begun to talk about dialog marketing and newsletters. Furthermore, while “Service” often ended with free delivery of goods, three Esterer service trucks were permanently en route taking care of customers throughout the country, inspecting vehicles and, if need be, replacing small parts free of charge. From the outset, Esterer was reliable in every way.

An “Esterer brochure” discussing operating costs and cost-effectiveness.

As if this were not enough, in 1972 Ulrich Esterer published a brochure in which he explained the topics of operating costs and the cost-effectiveness of tank trucks to interested readers.

Far from being a promotional piece, the pamphlet provided for transparency and, with its detailed analyses, reasoning and prognoses, became an industry handbook. It also set straight misconceptions, issues and that had been glossed-over and illusions by placing certain terms under a microscope and exposing the technical gimmicks that had run rampant.

Diagrams produced by the company illustrated complex connections in a simple way.

The qualities possessed by Ulrich Esterer and his employees back then are the same qualities that mark the business today: open, honest and trustworthy interaction with customers, innovativeness, constant attention to customer benefit and the search for the best possible solution to every problem. Esterer is a business that remains true to itself by consistently following its principles even when in conflict with current trends.

It is therefore a matter of course that Esterer tank trucks are always manufactured in accordance with the latest findings. Safety and dependability are as important as operator convenience and cost-effectiveness. From the outset, well-engineered designs allowed for high load capacity.

Regular circulars provided Esterer customers with helpful and interesting industry information.

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One of the refuellers that are deployed all over the world: a FTS 64,600 at Frankfurt am Main airport.

In the mid-1960s it appeared that Esterer was restricted in its operations due to its “peripherality”. Because of this, a repair works was built in Pfaffenhofen / Ilm. At the beginning of the 1970s, Esterer took over a company called Möhlmann in Stade and a little later on opened a branch in Neu-Ulm. With four locations Esterer was now more quickly and easily accessible from anywhere in Germany.

In 1974 Harold Esterer joined his father’s business and expanded production to international markets. The product range was further expanded to include refuellers. Despite strong competition, Esterer succeeded because of these technically advanced vehicles. Today Esterer is represented in almost every airport in the world.

In 1986, Dr.-Ing. Ulrich Esterer handed over the business to his son, Harold, who since then has carried on in his father’s spirit. At this point in time, the road tank truck had already made Esterer the market leader in Germany. The German Federal Armed Forces was one of its most important clients. The export share amounted to nearly 30% and was generated predominantly by refuellers.

Since summer 2008, Julia Esterer has been running the company‘s business dealings together with her father. Her reason for joining: extraordinary innovative capacity.

With technical know-how, innovativeness and technical ability, Esterer guarantees continuously high levels of quality.

For many years now a company, such as Esterer, that develops and builds products for the transport of dangerous goods has had to satisfy a multitude of national and international legal regulations and conditions. It was different in the 1950s and ‘60s. Esterer always maintained a consistently high level of quality in order to provide the greatest possible safety at the time. Technical ability, especially in tank welding, was always highly valued. Esterer has always guaranteed the cohesiveness of their welded joints and construction connections. While the quality of work is now monitored using radiography, in the early years, Esterer had to be particularly able to depend on their employees.

Manual skills are therefore part of the Esterer tradition. Most Esterer employees acquire their skills from the bottom up and later pass on their experience to the next generation. It is for this reason too, that employees are proficient in building geometrically highly challenging tanks and process both aluminum and stainless steel. Esterer is fully authorized to handle these metals.

Engine for pump and hose drum in an airfield hydrant truck from 1961.

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We still consistently work on developing solutions today. We pursue the optimization of vehicle concepts in dialog with customers and operators. Components, manufacturing processes and cost structures are cyclically inspected and adapted. We thus create a solid basis for developing innovations.

That was the case in the 1960s, when we made developments such as decoupled tank storage, and it is still the case: for example, in the development of special safety technology for refuellers, which must comply with the strictest requirements for transporting dangerous goods.

Technical ability in tank welding is highly valued – the cohesiveness of their welded joints and construction connections must be guaranteed.

All this explains our internationally recognized position as market leaders, which we wish to secure in the long term.

Our goal is to constantly optimize products and processes, increase our cost-effectiveness and bring onto the market innovations that are of use to customers.

With our type approvals we cover the entire spectrum of commercial tank trucks. Two approvals from the Physika-lischen-Technischen Bundesanstalt (PTB) allow us to calibrate measuring devices in house. With the quality management system, which is certified according to EN ISO 9001/2, we can prove that all vehicle bodies and technical details fulfill the strictest requirements. The EU‘s AEO award puts us in the comfortable position of being able to make use of the simplified customs process within the EU as a trustworthy trade partner.

The European market profits from the technical ability of our employees and from our knowledge of international markets and their demands. Knowledge that leads to action.

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Esterer customers know that we place maximum value on working load optimization and low construction weight, ergonomic operability, reliability and availability, and a good price/performance ratio when constructing road tank trucks. However, not everybody knows that they profit from our comprehensive experience in the development of refuellers that we manufacture for oil companies as a customized solution. The international requirements of the market are extremely high in this area.

However, we are not content to fulfill requirements; rather we investigate whether and where there is potential for optimization: our specialists identify problems and develop appropriate solutions for them.

With the tubeless hydrant dispenser, Esterer engineers have thus developed an innovation using which wide-bodied aircraft can refuel considerably faster than before. This reduces turnaround time and minimizes wear and assembly costs. This is excellent evidence of the company‘s innovative capacity and was awarded a prize for safety in the workplace and employee protection.

An FHW 8,400 tubeless hydrant dispenser in use at Frankfurt Airport.

Esterer has long since made a name for itself as a development partner with its customers. New vehicle concepts and ideas for optimizing already proven products originate in close dialog.

A low-profile FTW 27,180 refueller with matching FTA 34,350 trailer at Munich Airport.

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As technological change always influences construction, operability and appearance, we think holistically in the case of each development: technological innovation must increase safety, optimize processes, improve ergonomics, guarantee cost-effectiveness – and look good.

The fact that we achieve particularly good results in so doing was confirmed at the highest level in 2010: we received the world‘s most important award for outstanding design and advanced development, iF product design award, for our road tank truck.

Another example of sophisticated development is the EasyControl tank truck control system. Intelligent control is easy to operate, avoids errors and saves customers lots of time. The new EasyCount measuring device places value on precision, easy maintenance and efficiency. It is completed by the Esterer control cabinet with its predefined installation spaces for the necessary instruments and a flexible track system, using which all elements can be perfectly positioned.

Everything in its right place in the control cabinet. It is made particularly user-friendly by being positioned at the optimum working height.

Safety first: improved lighting in the working environment minimizes the risk of blinding.

The new Esterer combines modern design with well-conceived functionality.

The advantages for our customers are functionally identical vehicles, consistently high quality, customizable options, guaranteed parts supply and an unmis-takable look with high recognition.

Today Esterer is one of the most modern companies on the market. It is a certified trade partner and recipient of numerous awards with specialist vehicles that are made in Germany.

In order to secure this position we have invested large amounts in new facilities and switching to line production – with results that go beyond our set objectives and provide our customers with clear advantages.

The development of standardized modules and installation spaces also contributes to further improving the quality of the overall product. Our Esterer production system guarantees smooth production flow, during which material supply, tools and assembly aids have the optimum layout for every workplace. Our customers benefit from zero error tolerance and our employees benefit because everything runs smoothly. No searching, no waiting time, absolutely no friction loss.

All of this puts us in the position to better attend to our customers needs, including specific options, even more quickly and efficiently. Shorter processing times, consistently high quality, cost-effectiveness and functionality are guaranteed for all vehicles.

The Esterer production system guarantees smooth production flow, short delivery times and reliably high quality for all services.

Every contract is clocked based on the delivery deadline. The stand-ardization of individual modules generates product advantages and shortens the processing time to approximately 45 days.

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A company that wishes to be successful in the long run needs clear objectives, a realistic estimation of its own abilities and recognition of its strengths. However, the most important thing is motivated employees who all pull together.

Insofar we can be proud of our employees, because every one of them makes a significant contribution to the success of our company.

In order that things remain this way, we have committed ourselves to a common value system based on five pillars: consistency, with which we independently continue what we have started; swiftness, which maintains the balance of speed, quality and cost; environmental awareness, with which we pay attention to sustainable use of resources; respect, which is a precondition for open and trusting interaction with our colleagues and customers; and finally, the desire to simply be better for our customers in every area.

Alone, each of these pillars can merely stand; they only gains strength in combination with the others. As a graphic element of the value system, the wheel is a symbol of movement, progress and continued development.

We live this value system. It is a substantial basis for our success.

It is due to this that we have been number one in the German road tank truck market for a considerable time; we are also at the top of the international refueller market. Our export share has risen from 30% in the 1980s to 50% today. We deliver premium quality work in approximately 70 countries.

Ourvalue system

We are consistent.We are simply better. We are quick.We are environmentally conscious.We respect ourselves.

We transport reliability. Yesterday, today and in future.

Dr.-Ing. Ulrich Esterer GmbH & Co. Fahrzeugaufbauten und Anlagen KGBahnhofstraße 18 · 34298 Helsa, Germany · +49 5605 809-0 · info@esterer.de