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CK: How long does it take this workforce to complete an average-sized ride?

KMG: “We only design the ride by producing the drawings and controlling the complete project. After the drawings are complete, it will take about three months before we see the parts at the factory.

“After then, we need about 3 to 4 weeks to build the ride together. So from beginning to a completely running ride will take about 4 months, of which we will only see 4 weeks.

CK: KMG’s Move It 32 debuted just a few weeks after Soriani & Moser’s Top Star Tour – do you think this is why only one Move It 32 has been sold, or do you think it is just down to showmen preferring the smaller version of the ride?

KMG: “To be honest, I think our ride is too expensive for most showmen. The ride is very easy to set up (4 hours) for a three-trailer ride, but this effort (about 50 hydraulic cylinders) has a price. Many showmen preferred the much cheaper and easier [Tivoli] Spin Out ride.

CK: Many ‘KMG’ Move Its were manufactured by Tivoli. Was this down to demand, or were there other reasons?

KMG: “In that time KMG could not answer the demand of rides requested by the US and UK. KMG in those years couldn’t afford so many workers to complete all the rides, so the manufacturing was outsourced.”

CK: How long has KMG been working on the new Afterburner XXL, and how does this compare to other rides?

KMG: “Normally it takes about one complete year to finish a ride from idea to finish, but this ride took a year and a half to complete. The building up especially required some attention. We even tested this system before we went any further in the progress to finish the ride.”

CK: What were the biggest challenges encountered while you designed and fabricated the XXL?

KMG: “Building up the ride. The huge structure erects without a crane. It folds on a special way which has a critical point in it, which requires special design of the trailers, which cannot be seen outside.”

CK: Do you think the future lies in such enormous rides, or was XXL the obvious direction to take following Afterburner’s success?

KMG: “I personally do not think there is a future for large rides, but for us it was a sort of goal to succeed in. We just wanted to see if we were able to assemble a structure without the use of an enormous crane that is as height as twice the length of the trailer, which is unique in the fair business.

“For us we needed a ride which has been a success to make our plan work. The Afterburner ride is quite simple for us and therefore was the best candidate for our new idea.”

I personally do not think there is a future for large rides Image: KMG

CK: What rides have KMG designed that have never left the drawing board, and why haven’t they?

KMG: “There are so many ideas that never made it to the drawing board, and others were near completion on the drawing board. We will of course never reveal these ideas, because they might once become reality.”

CK: What rides can we expect to see from KMG in the near future?

KMG: “To be honest, I don’t know. Building a ride and realising an idea is so much dependent on what the market wants and how many potential customers we can ‘lure’ with the idea. There are no concrete plans for the next year, but I’m sure it will be an easy ride.” Click here to comment...

MS 01 June 2006