The road-rail Unimog U 423 shows its efficiency in Bayer's factory traffic

But as things go when one reaches 40 – a little ache here, a minor ailment there. At the end of the day, those responsible had not choice but to look for a replacement. Production stops due to a broken down shunting vehicle – that is inexcusable. And because Bayer has been successfully using the Unimog for
over 50 years, an intensive test with a road-rail Unimog from ZAGRO was extremely positive, the end for the cherished diesel locomotive was unavoidable.

Grade one with a star.

„We carried out the test in mid-May and put the Unimog through its paces. It rained terribly, and the tracks were covered with pollen, so all in all it was very slippery,“ recalls Ulrich Klemp, Production Engineer in Plant Logistics at Bayer. „However, the Unimog has dealt with these adverse circumstances with ease. We were immediately impressed by the power that the vehicle brought to the track. The Unimog is clearly better Watch the video: than our shunting locomotive. A sensible solution.“ A 1a certification for the new addition to the Elberfeld plant.

At the Elberfeld plant, Bayer manufactures active ingredients for medications in areas such as oncology and cardiovascular devices, which are sold worldwide. For their production, chemicals are required, which are delivered in 2-axle and 4-axle tank wagons (25 and 65 tonnes payload). From the  Wuppertal freight depot, a Deutsche Bahn track goes directly to the plant. The Bayer team then takes over there. What makes this so special is that the plant has a gradient of 2.5% – a cinch for the road-rail Unimog to master. Even downhill, the return freight, a waste product from production, is safe.

Then and now: Unimog.

Thanks to the new Unimog, in-house logistics has also become more flexible: If the vehicle is not required for shunting operations, it goes onto the road and pulls the 30-cubic GOFA tanker trailer as well as a general cargo trailer, with which solids and drums are transported from A to B in the plant. The „treasure“ is well taken care of: a U 1300 from 1985. The Bayer colleagues don‘t part with it as readily as they do the diesel locomotive.