Case Studies

Pipjorke Waste Services

Pipjorke Entsorgungsbetrieb is the facilities management contractor responsible for airside winter maintenance and snow clearing at Düsseldorf Airport. Since October 2015 they have been using a Multihog MX 120 tractor with attachments (combi snow plow & brush, and de-icer) to clear around the aircraft on the apron as well as parking areas at Düsseldorf. In 2019, based on his experience with the Multihog MX, owner Matthias Pipjorke purchased further Multihog vehicles to enhance his winter fleet for the airport.

Having previously used both smaller and larger equipment to carry out this type of work, Matthias settled on the Multihog MX thanks to its ability to drive underneath the wings of the aircraft, allowing the operator to clear snow right beside the body of the airplane. Its superb manoeuvrability around aircraft and capacity to carry a high volume de-icing tank also swayed his decision.

The machine is currently used in the winter season, and Matthias is confident that the Multihog has already brought a lot of benefits to the table, including cost savings, better productivity and safer working conditions for the operator: “The risk of accident is absolutely reduced – the operator has a 360° view, which is brilliant for safety, especially airside on the apron where there are a lot of people walking around the machine, as well as a lot of pedestrian and vehicular traffic.”

He is certain that the Multihog has increased productivity too – it has impressed him with its ability to turn quickly, in tight spaces, saving valuable operating hours, but it also offers more flexibility in reacting to changing weather conditions. He considers the front-mounted combi snow plow and brush the most important piece of kit: “Not having to change the plow and brush attachments manually saves us a lot of time. We can react quickly to the snow conditions – if there’s too much snow for the brush, you activate the plow, and if there’s not enough snow for the plow you push a button and the brush comes down. The driver doesn’t even need to leave the cabin.”

As an airside winter maintenance contractor, he has a lot of hands-on experience with his Multihog tractor: “The after-sales care with Multihog has been very good. For the operators, the machine really is superb. Setting a continuous drive/work speed via ‘work mode’ is very practical, and it makes it incredibly easy for the operator; they can simply concentrate on what they’re doing and the environment around them, instead of being distracted setting and changing controls.”

  • Pipjorke Waste Services
  • MX

X