Hammar celebrates 50th anniversary

Over the years, Hammar has held just one single focus – sideloaders. And it’s been this primary dedication, backed by the relentless commitment of Hammar owner and Managing Director, Bengt-Olof Hammar, which has allowed the company to truly develop.

From just one small factory in Sweden to more than 50 service stations worldwide, five subsidiaries and an estimated 65-70 per cent share of the global sideloader market, Hammar continues to stand as an international success.

“I understood that the market in Sweden was too little, so I had to go and export immediately,” Bengt-Olof says. “I was sure that if I didn’t grow, I would disappear from the market. So, I worked very hard and I bought three other sideloader manufacturers along the way.

“By hard work, good staff and God’s blessing, the market was growing. I got orders from many different countries, and today we have sold in 123 different countries all over the world.”

Today, Hammar is focused on even further expansion. Bengt-Olof says it will achieve this by investing into the future.

“We will soon make a big step forward in New Zealand, and we are also growing in the United States where we have opened up with new service partners,” he says.

Hammar’s sideloaders of today, compared to the first Hammarlift one built in 1974, Bengt-Olof explains, are more versatile, faster and safer.

He says Hammar has ultimately achieved this by keeping all of its production in-house for complete control over quality, as well as by investing in the latest technology such as robotics and automatic cutting and welding equipment.

“We always try to get as much payload as possible, and we are also reducing weights all of the time,” he says. “When I started the weight of the equipment was 13 to 14 tonnes, but today we can make a 36-tonne sideloader with three axles under seven tonnes.”

Hammar is celebrating its 50th anniversary with the launch of two new models – Hammar 550, the ‘world’s first’ sideloader with a 50-tonne Safe Working Load (SWL) and the new flagship Hammar 500 model.

Bengt-Olof says Hammar 550 will be the world’s strongest sideloader. The lifter, initially being developed for handling large cable drums, is currently reaching the end of its testing phase and will also be usable for many more applications.

In 2011, Hammar set the world record for the heaviest weight lifted by a sideloader at 60 tonnes. According to the company, the new Hammar 550 Sideloader has broken the previous record by lifting 65 tonnes, although Guinness World Records wasn’t present to witness it.

On the other hand, the new Hammar 500 model is based on a range of proven technologies that have been merged and optimised.

With a crane reach of six metres and support legs that provide significantly increased stability, the unit can load rail cars and trailers. At that range, it can also unload empty 20’ to 53’ containers with ease, depending on the chassis length chosen.

As Bengt-Olof reflects on the success of Hammar and the giant it has turned out to be, he’s nothing but grateful for the opportunities and help he received along the way.

“I am very thankful for what I have got, and I’m surprised over the success too,” he says. “I am not smarter than anybody else. I’ve got some good staff that have been working for me for a long time, so I am very thankful to them and to my family who have accepted that I have worked quite a lot.”