From farmer’s son to entrepreneur

The roots of our company reach back many years before the firm was founded in 1995.
Walter Windegger, as the oldest child on his parents’ farm, was familiar with a variety of agricultural jobs from a young age. He realised the need to make the work easier and quicker by using suitable machinery. In 1988 he began with friends in Tscherms to develop the “Luan I” and “Luan II” machines. These were examined and approved by the Italian technical supervisory body (ISPESL).

“We had to work solidly for three days before the arrival of the inspector who was due to issue us with the final approval. We took it in turns to grab a quick nap and then afterwards continued working, welding, bolting, altering, sweating and almost despairing. The machine was only finished literally at the very last second. As the inspector arrived we were more than just a little flustered. The last test was to cut through the hydraulic hoses, because the machine needed to hold steady without collapsing in the event of a loss of oil pressure. I had volunteered to be the “guinea pig” that would stand on the working platform during the test. As my colleague cut through the hose, the oil sprayed out so that it covered the inspector’s clothes. What a sight! But everything went well! The machine did not move an inch and gained the necessary approval. The funny thing was that we had never tried the machine out beforehand! That was a crazy time!” Walter Windegger

In 1992 Walter Windegger was entrusted with the running of the sprayer testing centre by the South Tyrolean Advisory Board. An empty office building in Zollstrasse in Niederlana was rented for the purpose.

In 1995 after the purchase of a part of the Margesin premises in St. Florian Gasse in Lana, Walter Windegger’s sole trading company became the “Walter Windegger & Co. KG” private limited partnership.

The swift increase in lower growing trees in the South Tyrolean apple producing region and the associated increase in the amount of work needed to care for them resulted in new engineering challenges. As a result, from 1995, Walter Windegger constructed the Model K6 diesel engine driven elevating platform, which was produced and sold from 1997 to 2005.

Walter Windegger was always seeking newer and better solutions for his customers. He developed a smaller model, the K4, for the many smaller farming businesses. The smaller K4 has since 1999 been marketed alongside the K7, the successor to the K6. Electric motors have gradually replaced diesel engines, with such machines being indicated with an “e” in the model designation. The “neo” crate transporter has already proved itself and various versions are now available.

Model K7e - Self-Propelled Electrical Lifting Platform Brochure