“Discover the Excellence”: this was the motto for the three-day celebrations held by Magirus to mark its 150th anniversary, which were attended by some 7,000 invited guests from the world of firefighting, leading representatives of the global capital goods enterprise CNH Industrial (which Magirus has been a part of since 2013), and also customers and employees. “We want to celebrate this anniversary together with firefighters, as we see ourselves as their partner,” said Antonio Benedetti, CEO of Magirus, at the inauguration of the three-day celebrations on Thursday evening, which was attended by some 600 invited guests, including eminent figures from the world of politics and from the German and international firefighting sectors.
Pathbreaking product innovations
Magirus impressively demonstrated how it aspires to set standards in the world of firefighting - with both a brilliant gala show and five pathbreaking product innovations. This was something that the top executives at CNH Industrial wanted to see for themselves: Sergio Marchionne, CEO of Fiat Chrysler and Chairman of the Supervisory Board of CNH Industrial, and Group CEO Rich Tobin traveled to the anniversary event.
Magirus showcased its Magirus AirCore extinguisher, the RL 500 rescue loader for rescuing obese individuals, the new Magirus TEAM Cab and the new Magirus turntable ladder design featuring the newly developed ‘Magirus Edge Profile’ and an innovative LED lighting concept. All those innovations proved to be an immediate hit among the expert audience after being presented, and were tried out again and again by those in attendance.
Progress from tradition
“Progress generally thrives on innovation, and this applies to the firefighting sector too. We are grateful that there are companies like Magirus that develop technologies of this kind for us,” said Dr. Frank Knödler, President of the Baden-Württemberg Firefighters’ Association (LFV-BW) and head of Stuttgart’s fire department.
This is how Magirus follows a 150 years lasting tradition in the name of its founder Conrad Dietrich Magirus: Using the own experience to develop new firefighting solutions that enable the firefighters to return back safely from their missions.