Maurer AG to close?

[Thekingin64]

Just found this on Facebook. Don't know how reliable it is though.

[facebookpost]https://www.facebook.com/CoastingaroundtheUK/posts/1785876191654859[/facebookpost]

 

[TheCoasterCruiser]

Park World is a reliable source, but what has been said so far is extremely vague and I'd we should wait for the eventual official press release from Maurer to come out.

If it turns out to be true though, it's really sad. Maurer has made some great contributions to the industry over the years and especially their spinning coaster comes to mind.
It does not really come as a huge surprise either if it's true, though. Given that they haven't really seen a lot of coaster orders these last years. Also, as it's pointed out below by the company itself, the Chinese market plays a big part in this, a market on which a lot of Maurer's products also has been copied by Chinese companies, something I remember them talking about when I spoke to them back at EAS 2012... Sad to see that it has pushed them to this point now, and it is undoubtedly one of the main reasons for the closure.

Anyways, this is what it says in Park World:

“Maurer is to stop building rollercoasters, Park World understands.
In a notice to staff issued last month, management of the Munich-based steel specialist, which also produces bearings for bridges, noted a lack of new orders in spite of significant research and development into new products for the theme park and attractions industry. In particular, Drs Holger Tasmanian and Christian Braün singled out poor sales in the Chinese market, which they claim represents around half of the current global market for for rollercoasters. Maurer employees are to be consulted on terms and possible redundancies, it was suggested.”

Source: http://content.yudu.com/web/69r/0Aiy7l/ ... e.com%252F

 

[gavin]

I don't get the whole "Chinese market" thing though.

They've knocked off two ride types:the compact spinner model and the sky loop.

Maurer only EVER sold 4 of their compact spinner models - well, to parks anyway. Are they sold as traveling coasters? They were not a popular model at all. The Chinese parks that now have the Golden Horse model - along with a small number in other countries too - would never have got one from Maurer instead. If the knockoffs weren't available, they'd have just got another Chinese ride in the same price bracket. There'd be an argument if European parks were filling up with Chinese spinners, but they're not; parks just don't want that model.

They sold more Sky Loops in China than anywhere else. 5 of the 9 (10 if you include Abismo - such a success that nobody else bought one) are in China. Not a popular ride type. Premier are now offering something more substantial for the same footprint.

2 of their 8 X-Cars have gone to China. Again, not a popular ride type.

The fact is that they're not selling much of anything anywhere. They don't really offer as wide a range of products as other companies and, apart from a couple of concepts which don't even have prototypes, haven't developed beyond the X-Car which itself has never really taken off.

I'm calling bulls**t.

 

[SimonSays99]

I would hardly dismiss the idea of Maurer AG closing altogether. Building coasters is only a very small part of their operations. Here in Germany they are mostly known to built bridges as well as steel buildings.

I guess closing their amusement divisision - if they would decide to - would have only a very small impact on their revenues.

 

[gavin]

Yeah, definitely. If there's truth to this - and looking at how few coasters they've been selling, it seems very possible - it'll be the coaster division and not the company as a whole.

My "bulls**t" comment was aimed at blaming the Chinese market, not at whether they're closing their coaster division.

 

[Lofty]

Agree with Gavin about them blaming the 'Chinese Market' for the failure of their amusement devision (if it indeed turns out to be true) and not the fact that other manufacturers are creating revolutionary concepts and Maurer are somewhat left behind the times.

 

[Hixee]

Agree with Gavin about them blaming the 'Chinese Market' for the failure of their amusement devision (if it indeed turns out to be true) and not the fact that other manufacturers are creating revolutionary concepts and Maurer are somewhat left behind the times.

I agree too. I suspect they decided that it wasn't worth the continued investment when their other more infrastructure based markets seems to be holding well.

It's a vicious cycle I suppose. Reduced funding means reduced innovation, means reduced income, means reduced funding. It's a shame to see a manufacturer stopping their work either way.

 

[Ian]

I think a coaster manufacture has to produce a world class coaster to survive in this business. Can you name one Maurer world beater?

 

[Serena]

Not exactly a world beater, but I think Winjas at Phantasialand was pretty ahead of it's time. I mean, it was built in 2002 and it has a track drop, two different track tilts and a tilting elevator lift. And its duelling! Such an ambitious coaster.

Rip Ride Rocket isn't *that* far off world class either. It's a solid, fun, quirky number with a great gimmick. Love the non-inverting loop <3

Sure, I've never ridden one that has thrilled me to the core, but as far as fun, quirky coasters go - they do them really well. It'll be a shame if they don't get to build Maurer them.

 

[lachlan]

I also really liked Rip Ride Rockit's non-inverting loop, which Maurer were the first to build. The loop shaped lift on G Force at Drayton Manor was interesting as well, just a shame the restraints try to chop you in half.

 

[Ireeb]

Good News: Maurer AG is not going to close, it will just be split into Maurer AG and Maurer Rides GmbH, so now the rides will be marketed by Maurer Rides.
Source: (German)
http://www.parkerlebnis.de/maurer-achterbahn-hersteller-neuausrichtung_27001.html

 

[Ben]

Oh great we get more wonderful rides like Skyline's.

We can all relax there will be more mediocre **** pumped out.

 

[GuyWithAStick]

What is this, the third name change in the past 5 years?

Not too excited or disappointed.

 

[Ireeb]

"Maurer Rides GmbH" actually exists since 2003 according to that news article. I still don't get what is going on there though.