Keeping an eye on the megatrends: Dr. Richard Gärtner is the new Head of R&D at Probst GmbH

Gripping the stone layer, transporting it and depositing it precisely in the chippings bed. "Excellent, how well it works – and so quietly, too!" says Dr. Richard Gärtner excitedly sitting in the cabin of the VM-301-GREENLINE electric laying machine. For the new Head of R&D at Probst, it is a matter of course to get to know his working environment not only on paper, but to experience it "hands-on" himself.

Dr. Richard Gärtner – Head of R&D Probst GmbH

At the headquarters of Probst in Erdmannhausen (Germany), the test areas are located right next to the development office. This gives Dr. Gärtner, who holds a doctorate in mechanical engineering, excellent opportunities to try out all Probst products.

Close exchange for optimal results

Dr. Gärtner's new area of responsibility includes the new and further development of the Probst product lines as well as the special design of individual customer projects. He is also responsible for the service center, the testing department and documentation. Dr. Gärtner identifies great advantages in this merger: "The uniform management ensures an optimal exchange between the departments: The Testing team supports the Development department by providing direct expert feedback. Product requests and suggestions for improvements from customers are passed on by the Service department to Development. The developed products are delivered with comprehensive documentation. With clearly structured, easy-to-understand operating instructions in accordance with the EC Machinery Directive, we create the best conditions for customers to operate the products safely and as intended. In this way, we create an optimal customer experience step by step.".

Digitization as the future game changer on the construction site

Intelligent, connected and always up-to-date - this is how the new Head of R&D expects the Probst machines of the future to be. Dr. Gärtner has been active in the machine and tool industry for over 20 years and follows the megatrends with great interest: "Digitalization is an essential factor for increasing efficiency. The goal is the autonomous construction site for Probst machines - the construction site 4.0. Connected construction machines can transmit planning changes without delay. This avoids planning backlogs and enables a consistently sensible use of resources. If downtimes are reduced, road builders and civil engineers can plan more efficiently and accept more orders. So there's real added value in it for the customer."

Probst - a sustainable employer

What made Dr. Richard Gärtner choose Probst as his employer? "I was especially impressed by the environmentally conscious orientation that Probst has been pursuing for years with the GREENLINE series," answers Dr. Gärtner. "Developing resource-saving machines is an exciting challenge. Probst offers customers eco-friendly products whose running time and efficiency are impressive. I want to continue this construction machinery trend and at the same time help build up new business areas."  

"With Dr. Gärtner, we have been able to gain an industry-experienced and innovative expert for our team," Probst Managing Director Eric Wilhelm is pleased to say. "The strength of the Probst brand has traditionally been the development of clever products that make hard work on the construction site and in concrete plants easier. Dr. Gärtner therefore takes on an important task, also for the continuous and international growth of our corporate group."  

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making hard work easier

Whether in structural or civil engineering, whether in the garden or on the street: We are at home on all construction sites. Our machines and tools make life easier for everyone who works with paving stones, pipes and other concrete products. Because we put efficiency and ergonomics first, we have become the world market leader in the field of gripping and laying technology through numerous innovations.

Your expectations as a customer are clear: to simplify work, to make it more efficient - and of course the machines should do their job reliably. For these daily challenges, we offer customized and sustainable solutions, be it construction site equipment for all applications, for example paving stone laying machines, or machines for storage and material handling in building material plants. Our truck crane attachments facilitate transport and loading in the warehouse and on the construction site, while our professional hand tools for all purposes help with laying and inserting.

The well-known Probst quality also includes the Probst service: In our driver training courses we train your employees to become specialists for our equipment and machines. Our professional service takes care of all questions and problems that may arise in everyday work.

For more than 60 years we have been growing continuously and are reliably available for you worldwide with more than 1.700 sales partners. We have our own subsidiaries in Great Britain, France, Italy, Poland, Korea, Australia, Canada and the USA; worldwide, more than 190 Probst employees work daily to make your hard work easier.