Colonia Spezialfahrzeuge Gottfried Schönges

Name

Colonia Spezialfahrzeuge Gottfried Schönges

Legal name

Colonia Spezialfahrzeuge Gottfried Schönges GmbH & Co. KG

Website

https://colonia.info

Company type

Private

Founded year

1949

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Heavy lift and specialized transport services

NAICS

Support Activities for Transportation (488), Specialized Freight (except Used Goods) Trucking, Long-Distance (484230), Specialized Freight (except Used Goods) Trucking, Local (484220)

SIC

Construction, Mining & Materials Handling Machinery & Equip (3530), Industrial Trucks, Tractors, Trailors & Stackers (3537)

akta.pro primary industry

Port/Terminal Heavy Cargo Handling & Stevedoring (Heavy Crane Ops) (TLAIAKAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Heavy Machinery & Oversized Equipment (Cranes, Excavators, Presses) (TLACAIAH), Specialized Trailer & Heavy Transport Equipment Providers (SPMT, Lowboy, Multi-Axle) (TLADAGAM), Construction & Infrastructure Modules (Bridges, Rail, Roads, Tunneling) (TLACAIAD), Project Cargo Packing, Crating & Securing (Lashing/Dunnage) (TLAIAKAJ)

Keywords

• Heavy crane services
• Specialized heavy transport
• Industrial assembly services
• Commercial vehicle workshop
• Towing and recovery

Headquarters

HQ city

Köln

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Crane Services (Kranarbeiten): Project-based crane rental and lifting services covering telescopic cranes, crawler cranes, mobile construction cranes, and industrial cranes. Services include project planning, execution, and on-site assembly. Pricing is quote-based per project.
2. Heavy Transport (Schwertransporte): Specialized transport services for oversized and overweight cargo, including route planning, permit acquisition, and transport execution using Faymonville, Goldhofer, and custom trailer systems.
3. Industrial Assembly (Industriemontagen): Installation, assembly, and precision placement of industrial equipment including transformers, MRT/MRI systems, tanks, and production line components. Includes use of hydraulic pushing systems.
4. Towing and Recovery (Abschleppdienst): 24/7 breakdown and recovery services for trucks and commercial vehicles across the Cologne region.
5. Workshop and Maintenance (Werkstatt): In-house maintenance and repair services for the company's own fleet as well as third-party commercial vehicles. Includes TÜV inspection hall and wash bay.
6. Additional Services (Zusatzleistungen): Heavy cargo storage (Schwergutlager), mobile road plates (Fahrbahnplatten), training services (Schulungszentrum), and truck wash (Truck-Wash).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Colonia Spezialfahrzeuge Gottfried Schönges provides project-based crane work, heavy transport, and industrial assembly services using a fleet of more than 300 specialized vehicles, including mobile, telescopic, crawler, and industrial cranes with lifting capacities up to 800 tonnes and lift heights exceeding 200 metres. The offering is rounded out by 24/7 towing and recovery, a TÜV-certified commercial-vehicle workshop, project planning, heavy-goods storage, mobile road plates, and a certified training centre. Customers include chemical, construction, energy, wind power, healthcare/research, rail, and public-sector clients across the Rhineland, Germany, and selectively international projects.

Product overview

Colonia Spezialfahrzeuge Gottfried Schönges operates as a specialized heavy logistics and crane services company offering a comprehensive portfolio of equipment and services. The core offering includes Kranarbeiten (crane work services) with various crane types (telescopic, crawler, mobile construction, and industrial cranes) with lifting capacities from 30 tons to 800 tons, and Schwertransporte (heavy transport services) utilizing specialized trailers and self-propelled transporters like the Sefiro and Faymonville systems. Additional services include Industriemontagen (industrial installations), Abschleppdienst (24/7 towing), and Werkstatt (workshop services) at a modern manufacturer-agnostic facility. The company also provides supplementary services including Schwergutlager (heavy goods storage), mobile road plates, a certified training center, truck wash facilities, and project planning. The fleet comprises over 300 specialized vehicles including the Liebherr LR 1800-1.0 crawler crane (800 ton), Liebherr LTM 1750-9.1 mobile crane (750 ton), and Liebherr LTM 1650-8.1 mobile cranes (650 ton), supported by internal maintenance capabilities and an e-learning portal for employee training.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Kranarbeiten (Crane Work Services) Comprehensive crane work services for enterprise projects in construction, infrastructure, chemical plants, energy, and wind power, using mobile telescopic cranes, crawler cranes, mobile construction cranes, and industrial cranes with lifting capacities up to 800 tonnes.
• Schwertransporte (Heavy Transport Services) Specialized heavy transport services for oversized and overweight cargo, including route planning, permit acquisition via partner SABA Transportservice, and execution using Faymonville 4-axle Gigamax lowbed trailers, Goldhofer THP/ET axle systems, Sefiro self-propelled industrial rollers, and Mercedes-Benz Arocs heavy-duty tractors.
• Industriemontagen (Industrial Assembly) Installation, assembly, and precision placement of industrial equipment including transformers, MRI/CT systems, tanks, and production-line components, including the use of the proprietary hydraulic pushing/sliding system (Verschubbahn) for indoor placement of loads up to 300 tonnes.
• Abschleppdienst (Towing and Recovery) 24/7 breakdown and recovery services for trucks and commercial vehicles across the Cologne region, including via a 70-year partnership with ADAC, with dispatch handled by a dedicated Abschleppdienst & Bergungsdienst team.
• Werkstatt (Commercial Vehicle Workshop) Manufacturer-agnostic maintenance and repair services for trucks, passenger vehicles, cranes, trailers, and semi-trailers, with multiple workshop pits, an in-house TÜV inspection hall, and a wash bay, delivered under ISO 9001 quality management.
• Zusatzleistungen (Additional Services) Bundled supplementary services including Schwergutlager (indoor and outdoor heavy-goods storage), mobile Fahrbahnplatten (mobile road plates for temporary access), a certified Schulungszentrum (training centre for heavy-equipment operators), Colonia-Truck-Wash (vehicle wash facility), and Projektplanung (project planning for crane and heavy-transport operations).

Quantifiable outcome

• Projects executed across Germany, including complex international transport (e.g., UK to Germany MRI relocation)
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers15 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• SABA Transportservice GmbHcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 19 November 2018SABA Transportservice GmbH is COLONIA's dedicated partner for transport permits (Genehmigungen), heavy load and crane accompaniment (Schwerlast- und Kranbegleitungen), and traffic engineering (Verkehrstechnik). Located at COLONIA's Mathias-Brüggen-Str. 86 site in Cologne. SABA handles all regulatory and traffic safety coordination for COLONIA's heavy transport and crane operations, enabling COLONIA to focus on core execution. This is a long-term, operational partnership critical to COLONIA's service delivery.
• Förderverein Rheinischer Verkehrsinfrastruktur e.V.minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 November 2018COLONIA is a founding member of the Förderverein Rheinischer Verkehrsinfrastruktur e.V. (Rhineland Transport Infrastructure Promotion Association), established November 2018 at RheinEnergie AG. Frank Schönges (COLONIA CEO) serves as Chairman (Vorstandsvorsitzender). The association aims to improve the usability of transport infrastructure in Cologne and the Rhineland region, financing project management through member contributions and donations. Other founding members include ELBE Gelenkwellen-Service, Sparkasse KölnBonn, Manitowoc Crane Group Germany, KoelnMesse, and Amand Bau NRW.
• Liebherr (Liebherr-Werk Ehingen GmbH)coreTechnology or IntegrationLiebherr is COLONIA's primary crane supplier, providing the core of COLONIA's lifting fleet. COLONIA received the first LR 1800-1.0 crawler crane delivered to Germany in March 2020 and operates a large fleet of Liebherr mobile cranes (LTM series). Liebherr featured COLONIA's LR 1800-1.0 on the cover of its customer magazine 'Upload' in 2020. Liebherr presented COLONIA with an art gift for its 75th company anniversary. COLONIA is among Liebherr's most significant German crane rental customers.
• Manitowoc (Manitowoc Crane Group Germany GmbH)coreTechnology or IntegrationManitowoc, via its Grove brand, supplies COLONIA's GMK series mobile cranes. COLONIA and Manitowoc co-developed the first GMK 6300-L with a demountable main boom (demontierbaren Hauptausleger) to address bridge weight restrictions in the Rhineland region, working with Kranagentur Werner. COLONIA is a founding member of the Förderverein Rheinischer Verkehrsinfrastruktur e.V. alongside Manitowoc.
• Greiner FahrzeugtechnikcoreTechnology or IntegrationGreiner Fahrzeugtechnik supplies COLONIA's SEFIRO (SF 190.10 and SF 40.2) self-propelled industrial roller (Selbstfahrender Industriefroller) fleet. These hydrostatically driven axle lines with multi-mode all-wheel steering and pendulum axles form a core component of COLONIA's heavy cargo handling capability, enabling transport of loads up to 420 tonnes. COLONIA has been a repeat buyer of Greiner equipment across multiple years.
• Faymonville (Faymonville 4-Achs Gigamax)coreTechnology or IntegrationFaymonville supplies COLONIA's 4-axle Gigamax deep-bed trailers with movable swan neck and hydraulic axle equalization. The trailers feature variable loading surfaces (8-13m), integrated 1-axle bogie in the swan neck with pendulum axles, and hydro-mechanically steered rear bogie. This equipment is used for heavy cargo transport across COLONIA's operations.
• Goldhofer AGcoreTechnology or IntegrationGoldhofer supplies THP/ET axle systems used in combination with COLONIA's kettle bridges (Kesselbrücken) for cable drum transport. Goldhofer's axle technology enables flexible, modular heavy transport configurations.
• ADAC (Allgemeiner Deutscher Automobil-Club)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerCOLONIA has been an ADAC mobility partner for 70 years, providing vehicle recovery and breakdown services for ADAC members in the Cologne region. This partnership provides a steady referral stream of breakdown and recovery jobs while enhancing brand credibility.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves1 record

Direct peers

• Wiesbauer: German crane and heavy transport company headquartered in Siegen. Operates a large mobile and crawler crane fleet with lifting capacities into the 750t+ class, serving industrial, infrastructure, and energy customers across Germany. Comparable mid-sized German crane operator with overlapping customer base and similar fleet profile.
• Mammoet: World's largest heavy lifting and engineered transport specialist, headquartered in the Netherlands. Operates one of the largest fleets of heavy-lift cranes (including 750t+ mobile and crawler cranes) and SPMTs, serving energy, petrochemical, civil, and mining clients globally. Directly comparable to COLONIA in core offering, customer types, and project complexity, but at materially larger scale and global footprint.
• Universal Transport: German specialist in heavy and oversized freight transport, headquartered in Paderborn. Operates one of Europe's largest fleets of modular trailers (Goldhofer, Scheuerle), SPMTs, and heavy-duty tractors for industrial, wind energy, and infrastructure customers. Directly comparable on the heavy transport side of COLONIA's business.
• Sarens: Belgian heavy lifting and crane rental company with a massive crawler crane fleet (including 3,000t+ class). Provides crane rental, heavy transport, and engineered lifting for wind energy, oil and gas, petrochemical, civil, and infrastructure customers worldwide. Direct competitor in heavy-lift and project logistics with similar customer verticals and a comparable one-stop-shop service model.
• Felbermayr: Austrian family-owned heavy lifting, crane, and transport group with significant German operations. Provides crane rental, heavy haul, civil engineering, and waste recycling services across the DACH region. Closely comparable to COLONIA in ownership structure (family-owned), service portfolio, and geographic focus in the German-speaking market.

Others

• Liebherr-Werk Ehingen GmbH: Manufacturer of mobile and crawler cranes, including the LTM 1750-9.1, LTM 1650-8.1, and LR 1800-1.0 in COLONIA's fleet. Not a service competitor, but a critical supplier and technology partner; Liebherr featured COLONIA on the cover of its customer magazine 'Upload', reflecting COLONIA's standing among German Liebherr customers.
• Manitowoc Crane Group Germany (Grove): Manufacturer of Grove all-terrain cranes (including the GMK 6300-L co-developed with COLONIA). Equipment supplier and technology partner rather than direct service competitor, but shapes the heavy-lift equipment market COLONIA operates in.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/ColoniaSpezialfahrzeuge

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Colonia Spezialfahrzeuge Gottfried Schönges