Sturdy, slip-resistant and optically integrable. These are the words Ulrich M. Wilhelm uses to describe his slopesteps. His company is based in Neusäß, close to Augsburg. The products are suitable to be used in private, commercial, and public areas and offer a solution for building stairs on slopes of all kinds. The individual steps can be assembled to build mobile garden stairs that offer maximum flexibility.
But what exactly does the company Hangstufen.de offer its customers, which include professional landscapers as well as ambitious amateur gardeners? Ulrich M. Wilhelm, founder of Hangstufen.de, replies: “The metal footsteps for outdoor use have been developed by myself and are patented under European law. They are very sturdy because the brackets are riveted, and the material is 2 mm thick. You can currently choose from nine different sizes.” Most customers opt for slopesteps in crude or galvanised steel, but the company also offers products in stainless steel, aluminium, and powder-coated steel.
Laying the slopesteps is very simple as no construction work is necessary on the slope. Ulrich M. Wilhelm explains: “When installing the slopesteps, users have to make sure that every step is firmly fixed in the soil. The steel rod that comes with each step provides the necessary stability. It has to be inserted into the holes in the two front legs of the steps.”
The company’s background shows that its development is based on practical experience. “In 2016, I bought a beautiful house with a nice view on a slope,” Ulrich M. Wilhelm remembers. “But everything that has an advantage also has a disadvantage. My family and I quickly realized that gardening was not possible without aids. The slope area covers about 300 square metres – with a slope of up to 50 percent. Doing proper work was not possible, let alone gaining a stable footing.”
This is how the company Hangstufen was born. Ulrich M. Wilhelm built several prototypes and kept improving the product until its market introduction in 2018. To this day, he only cooperates with producers from Bavaria and Baden-Wuerttemberg. “Their quality is always spot-on and communication paths are short.”
Hangstufen is one of the exhibitors at the joint stand Young Innovators. This area is funded by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action and can be found in Hall 3C. NürnbergMesse offers companies in the International StartUp Area special conditions for participating in GaLaBau, the leading International Trade Fair for Urban Green and Open Spaces (www.galabau-messe.com/en). The fair takes places from 11 – 14 September 2024.
