Kalmar Motor is a specialist manufacturer of pushback tractors – its portfolio comprising seven different models that are designed to serve aircraft from the smallest regional planes up to the largest widebodies.
The Swedish company asserts itself as an innovator, boasting a proud history that dates back to its founding in 1969. During the 1980s, Kalmar Motor pioneered the development of towbarless pushback machines.
Its pushback offering includes the (towbarless) TBL50, TBL100, TBL180, TBL190 and TBL800, as well as the conventional FB150. Its smallest unit, the TBL50, can tow ATRs, De Havillands, Embraers and SAABs in addition to the Airbus A320. Meanwhile the TBL800, its largest model, is designed to serve the A380 and Boeing B747.
While the TBL100 and TBL800 are only available as electric versions, operators have the choice of battery or diesel engines for the TBL50, TBL180 and TBL190. Range extenders, which recharge the batteries while the machine is in operation, can also be fitted for the TBL50, TBL180, TBL190 and TBL800 – allowing for “almost 24/7 operation”.
According to technical sales manager Sean Bryan, Kalmar Motor was ahead of the curve on GSE electrification. The company’s first lithium-ion battery-powered pushback went into operation in 2009. Today, around 60% to 70% of its production line is dedicated to the manufacture of electric units.
“Most of our competitors, however, have only begun offering electric pushback solutions over the last two or three years,” he says. Since the coronavirus pandemic, GSE manufacturers have seen increasing demand for battery power.
But that was a “funny time” for Kalmar Motor, according to Bryan. While many governments put their countries into lockdown, Sweden was an outlier.
The company remained open right the way through the pandemic because it had a full orderbook to fulfil. It was business as usual, despite some difficulties further down the supply chain with parts.
But the orderbook has remained strong. 2023 and 2024 were “very good years” for Kalmar Motor.
“In the 35 years I have been in the GSE industry, I would say those years were the best ever for operators ordering equipment,” says Bryan. “All over the world [GSE manufacturers saw a recovery].
“However, in our line of business there are always peaks and troughs – and 2020, when Covid struck, was a low point for the aviation industry. Generally, something happens every four or five years that creates the lows – and the pandemic was one of those things.”
This interview is an excerpt from Airside International’s Spring 2025 print magazine edition. Click here to read the full article.
