2025_5-6_Powertrain_International

OFF-HIGHWAY
#BEV #CONCRETEMIXER #AUSTRALIA
RAMA GMBH
THINKING
BIG
Paolo Coccolini, CEO RAMA Motori GmbH: “The Open Day on
21 March turned out to be an exceptional day, exceeding all
expectations; everything worked out wonderfully, including the
weather. More than 50 people got to know about our product range
and services.”
Rama GmbH held
an open day on 21
March in Wängi,
Canton Thurgau. In
the Confederation,
as in Austria and
Liechtenstein, Kubota
and John Deere
enable Rama to
provide a full line
RAMA Motori has crossed
the Alps and from Italy has
established itself in Austria,
Switzerland and Liechtenstein.
In the Alpine countries lying
between Italy and Germany, John
Deere was also joined by Kubota. A
perfect match in terms of ratings for
the off-highway and beyond, in the
common mark of reliability for professional
applications. At the Wängi
site in Switzerland, we met with
Tim Köhler, Sales Manager Austria,
Switzerland and Liechtenstein.
What are the typical demands of final
users in Switzerland? Is there any mistrust
towards electronic controls (and
nostalgia for mechanical systems) due
to the orography and characteristics
of the terrain? “Switzerland is not different
than other countries from a demand-/usage
perspective. What makes
Switzerland special is the exceptional
position in the middle of central Europe,
but not being part of the EU.
There is still an OEM base, which produces
machines mainly for the domestic
market, but on top the machines are
also imported from all major brands.
Swiss customers are maybe even a
bit more focused on high-quality than
other Europeans. Especially in rural
and mountainous regions, machines
are used for a long time (+20 years
is pretty common) and therefore the
parts and replacement engine business
makes a good part of our aftermarket
activities. Another speciality
of the Swiss construction equipment
market are the site dumpers, which are
very common and often even branded
by the big equipment distributors.”
Would it be fair to say that both Kubota
and Deere engines are particularly
well-suited for steep terrain in various
applications, such as ditch mowing
robots, compactors, professional
mowers, specialized tractors, etc?
“The machines in this demanding environment
due to the topography, often
in combination with harsh winter
conditions, need reliable and powerful
engines, which attributes for both
brands. When size is constrained and
weight is a key factor, then Kubota is
more likely the means of choice.”
How are you approaching the power
generation sector? Are standby applications
needed for telecommunications
systems at high altitudes or for
ski slopes? “There are many remote
locations, particularly in the valleys
and on the mountains of Switzerland,
which need standby- and even primary
power supply. However, we as
Rama Motori GmbH are not selling
gensets, but we cover the service in
case the genset is powered by a John
Deere or Kubota engine.”
Which displacements and power levels
are most in demand? Are the V1505
and V3800 the Kubota best sellers in
this segment also in Switzerland? And
what about John Deere? How do you
rate the JD14 and JD18 in relation
to the needs of Swiss audience? “In
general, the complete Kubota engine
range is common in Switzerland. We
are currently working on a project for
the new flagship, the Kubota V5009
(5L, inline 4 cylinder, 157 kW). Since
very often smaller machines are in use,
a big portion is in the range below 19
kW, as there is also no aftertreatment
needed to be compliant for StageV.
On the John Deere side, we are also
working on projects in the higher power
range above 300 kW, mainly with
JD14. The JD18 is a nice fit for the demanding
railway industry, which has
a great footprint in Switzerland, especially
due its huge power/torque output
and being StageV certified without any
aftertreatment.”
Is there growing interest in alternative
solutions, such as BEVs, PHEVs, fuel
cells, and hydrogen ICEs? “Within our
current customer base, the demand
is still limited. However, also in this
aspect, Switzerland is again not different
than other countries, so these
alternative drive trains are gainging
interest. As a side note, just recently
the first HVO100 fuel station opened
in Switzerland.”
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