Innovations for the forest: the story of HORSCH PIRK
From developments for the family firewood business to the first forwarder trailer prototype to the founding of the company: Michael and Markus Pirkenseer tell the story of how HORSCH PIRK Forestry GmbH was born based on their drive to improve technology.
Already as young boys, Michael and Markus Pirkenseer helped their father prepare firewood, giving them their first touchpoints with forest equipment – initially with small machines, then with forwarder trailers and a small forwarder. "The corresponding equipment was financed either with private funds or with the proceeds from the firewood business," Michael recalls. With the objective of improving the technology, they built their first firewood splitter.
When the brothers finished school and joined the workforce – Michael at HORSCH, Markus initially in industry – the firewood business came to a standstill. In 2008, Markus also took over his uncle's part-time farm with 55 hectares of forest. After a few years, he too joined HORSCH where he has been working in R & D since 2012.
First forwarder trailer prototype
In 2012, Markus bought a forwarder trailer for his business from Martin Niedermayer, a forest equipment dealer. A few years later, they met again at the Interforst trade fair. "Martin wanted to launch his own brand and asked if we could help him," Markus explains. This inquiry sparked the idea of building machines under their own name. This led to the development of the first forwarder trailer prototype: the MP 19 with a novel lifting-steering drawbar. "We wanted to improve stability and develop a manoeuvrable yet robust product," Michael says. The first prototype was ordered directly by Martin Niedermayer, and the second is still used today at Markus's farm.
Feedback from the field came quickly. A local forest farm, impressed by the trailer's manoeuvrability, requested a version with a tiltable body. "That was the birth of the Muli," Michael explains. "At that time, it was a one-off, but we are very happy that the product is now in such high demand." Today, the model is called Pirk 20 TM and is a tiltable forest transport trailer that has established itself as a niche product.
Foundation of the GEPIMA GmbH
With the success of the first machines, the interest grew. The brothers spent the after-work hours and the evenings in the workshop developing technology and assembling forwarder trailers. They were often supported by family and friends. It soon became clear that this could not continue – the increasing demand could no longer be met on the side.
Therefore, in March 2022, the next step was a logical consequence: Together with Reinhold Rösel, an experienced tax advisor and long-time associate, the brothers founded the GEPIMA GmbH. Reinhold Rösel took over the commercial management, while Michael and Markus were responsible for development, design, and assembly. At the same time, they continued to work in R&D at HORSCH.
The first official appearance took place at the Interforst in Munich where GEPIMA received the jury's special award for innovative forest technology. As a consequence, the demand grew constantly, and it became clear that the small company's structures were no longer sufficient and that capacity limits had been reached. "That prompted us to start thinking about scaling up and about our professional future with the company," Michael says. "In our opinion, the optimum option was a co-operation with HORSCH." Quite early on, their commitment had always been supported by the company. Philipp Horsch gave them the key piece of advice: "Go for it!"
The step towards the HORSCH PIRK Forestry GmbH
In November 2024, the two mustered up the courage to openly discuss their idea with the Horsch family. The reactions to the initial conversation between Markus and Philipp Horsch were extremely positive. Shortly after that, a meeting took place with Frederic Horsch at Markus's company where all development and assembly work had been carried out so far. "We showed him our products, talked about our vision, what we can currently accomplish, and where we reach our limits," Markus remembers.
The discussions became increasingly concrete. "We ourselves conducted a more intensive market potential analysis – for the whole sector of forest technology, not just forwarder trailers," Michael states. This revealed significant potential. At the same time, it became clear that HORSCH's existing structures with production, logistics, and sales would be ideal to manufacture larger quantities of these machines and distribute them internationally.
Based on this, the decision was made to co-operate under the name HORSCH PIRK Forestry GmbH with regard to the development, production, and distribution of innovative, high-quality forest technology. Michael and Markus Pirkenseer are the managing directors of this company.
Further Developments
Development and prototype construction continue to take place at Markus's farm, while series production is carried out at the HORSCH plant in Sitzenhof. Purchasing, painting, assembly, and controlling are handled via existing HORSCH structures. Sales will be established gradually via the HORSCH dealer network.
The product portfolio currently includes the Pirk 16 MP and 20 MP forwarder trailers and the Pirk 20 TM dump trailer. All products feature the innovative lifting-steering drawbar and score with high robustness and manoeuvrability.
For the future, the MP series will be expanded to include options with lower capacity, and further technologies for the forestry sector will be developed. The development plan extends to forwarders and harvesters by 2035. The company also intends to include seeding technology in its portfolio, using well-proven HORSCH components, e.g. the metering technology.
While the original company structure now is changing significantly, the core principle remains the same: technology from practical experience for practical application. And that is precisely what Michael and Markus plan to continue working on – innovations for the forest that prove their worth in real-life use.
