Remote-Controlled SENNEBOGEN 8160 EQ Model: Apprentice Model-Building Project
550 hours of personal effort, a model weighing about 100 kilograms, and a grand debut at bauma 2025: With technical expertise, craftsmanship, and a great deal of passion, Paul Mannes built an impressive model of the SENNEBOGEN 8160 EQ balancer material handler while he was still an apprentice at SENNEBOGEN. This one-of-a-kind, remote-controlled model demonstrates how a hobby can turn into an extraordinary engineering project and how much initiative and enthusiasm for technology our young talents possess.
From the base frame to your own SENNEBOGEN model
During his apprenticeship at SENNEBOGEN, Paul Mannes , who had been passionate about technology and model building for many years, began his largest model-building project to date. The idea was to create a SENNEBOGEN Balancer material-handler as a fully functional model came about rather by chance.
“I got a base frame that I didn’t want to just throw away. So I decided to use it to build my own model version of a SENNEBOGEN 8160 EQ balancer-type material handler,” Paul explains.
About 550 hours of work until the model is complete
From the initial idea to the finished model, Paul handled nearly every step of the process himself. He researched and sourced the necessary components, designed the hydraulic and electrical systems, and handled the painting and wrapping on his own.
The hydraulics posed a particular challenge and required a great deal of experimentation. “The biggest difficulty was fitting the required hydraulic power into such a confined space. Finding suitable components that could withstand the required pressure was particularly difficult,” Paul reports. With perseverance and technical expertise, he ultimately overcame these challenges—qualities that also lead to success in his day-to-day work at SENNEBOGEN.
Paul invested about 550 working hours in his project over the course of four to five months. He built it exclusively in his free time, after work and on weekends, entirely on his own at home.
The result is a custom-built, remote-controlled model that brings the technology of the large SENNEBOGEN material handler to life on a small scale.
Grand Debut at bauma 2025 in Munich
A particular highlight was the presentation of the finished model at bauma 2025 in Munich. There, the one-of-a-kind model attracted a lot of attention in the lounge area at the SENNEBOGEN booth. The highly detailed model wowed numerous trade fair visitors – especially when Paul set the machine in motion via remote control.
“It was a great feeling to present the model I built myself at such a large trade fair. I was especially proud of how enthusiastic the visitors were,” Paul recalls.
The model was also a real crowd-pleaser at subsequent career fairs.
From Apprentice to Employee at SENNEBOGEN Vertriebsgesellschaft
Today, Paul Mannes works at the SENNEBOGEN Vertriebsgesellschaft following the successful completion of his apprenticeship. The model he built himself has also found a permanent home there in the lobby area. What once began as a personal hobby project has thus become a special exhibit at his workplace.
Paul’s story exemplifies the enthusiasm for technology, the craftsmanship, and the initiative that young talents bring to SENNEBOGEN. Those who develop ideas, take on challenges, and work passionately on solutions can move big things – even on a small scale.
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94315 Straubing