An Inspiring Tale Against All Odds

I recently came across this inspirational story on the Yanmar Compact Equipment account on LinkedIn and it gives me great pleasure to re-present the article here on the Digger Man Blog.

Christof Schmit from Kulmbach has been paralyzed since he was 16 years old. Nevertheless, he managed to gain a stellar reputation as an earthwork’s expert. He is the first in Germany to introduce a unique ‘do-it-yourself’ business model, in which customers work hands-on with him to realize their project vision.

In rustic Kulumbach, Germany, Christof Schmit is forging a legacy in earth and grit. Surrounded by the hum of excavators since childhood, he has now cultivated an impressive reputation within his community as a ‘master of machinery’. What makes Christof’s story truly remarkable, however, is his indomitable spirit and unwavering commitment for his craft, despite his physical disability.

Growing up in the countryside in beautiful Bavaria, Christof’s path led him into the world of construction at an early age. His parents owned a small farm, where he learnt manual trades: “Even as a little boy, I was fascinated by diggers and tractors,” he recalls with a smile.

At the age of 16, however, a serious road accident changed the life of the now 37-year-old. His spine was so badly damaged that Christof has been paraplegic ever since. After a brief period in which he came to terms with his new life situation, Christof spent just four months recovering before he dared to make a completely new start full of energy: “I quickly realized that many things still worked in the same way as before - just in a new way,” Christof recalls today, “Back at home, I began to modify the first appliances so that I could use them despite my paralysis. And it worked amazingly well”. Shortly afterwards, Christof's first excavator arrived in the yard - a Yanmar SV26.

After training as a road builder, he worked in agriculture and forestry as well as in road and industrial construction. This allowed him to gain extensive experience and develop his skills.  In 2020, the time had finally come: Christof founded his own company, ‘Der Erdmeister’, meaning ‘The Earth Master’ specializing in landscaping and gardening. He mainly manages local construction projects, ranging from garden design to house, patio and pool construction to commercial civil engineering. He has remained loyal to Yanmar to this day: “For my purposes, they are simply the most efficient machines the market currently has to offer.”

Building together

A genius aspect of Christof’s business strategy for Der Erdmeister revolves around his unique ‘Do it Yourself’ model, though which he actively involves customers in the construction project - planning and establishing it together with them. Clients take on the role of construction assistant in their building project, while Der Erdmeister creates material lists, provides the machines, measures equipment and tools and takes care of the logistics. Christof, of course, takes on any tasks that are best left to the master, such as operating machines.

“Our clients are given the opportunity to learn the background and quickly finding their place on the construction site, which makes the tasks more meaningful for everyone involved” explains Christof. “They love being able to say to friends and family ‘I built that!’, while also identifying more strongly with our projects. Ultimately, they can lend a hand in turning their vision of a project into a reality.” he continues.

Christian meets Christof - manpower in a double pack­­

Christof's former neighbour Christian joined the company in April this year, after leaving behind his job as an IT manager. “Christof helped me build my garden four years ago, and we are now best friends. I was so impressed by ‘Der Erdmeister’ and inspired by the DIY model that I decided to get involved this spring. And it was the right decision,” he says with a grin.

­­­­Under Christof’s guidance, Christian has already learned a lot, and is now proficient in operating excavators and loaders like the Yanmar SV22 and the V7-HW wheel loader; his personal favorites. He performs earthworks, excavation and ballast planning, while also using measurement technology and various execution techniques. “I still remember how I spent an evening working on my first knot,” he laughs, “Thanks to Christof’s DIY concept, a really great community has developed here, where people help each other and complement each other's areas of expertise. The business model is unique, and just offers another way to build friendships and strengthen our local community”, he adds.

“There are many landscapers in Germany, but none of them work the way we do. Der Erdmeister is far removed from the usual run-of-the-mill construction business. We bring people together”. says Christof proudly. “At the same time, we have developed significantly in terms of content over the last two years. We build close to nature, sustainable and low emission, use battery-powered appliances and only use regional materials or quarried stone from our region for customized outdoor installations”.

Creativity is required here

Christof can typically use all Yanmar CE machines exactly as they are, but being a natural creative, he sometimes enjoys calling on his architectural spirit to tailor the internal mechanisms. “You'd laugh if you saw some of the customizations I've decided to make to my B95W recently,” grins Christof. “I've even taken the brakes off my bike handlebars, mounted them on a piece of steel and attached them to the pedals of the machine so I can easily brake and accelerate with my hands. It looks and sounds crazy, but it works!”.

The larger B95W wheeled excavator is Christof’s reigning champion, with its huge lifting capacity, ergonomically designed cabin and road speed of 36 km/h. “Sitting inside it is like being in a living room,” he laughs. “It makes what would typically be strenuous projects seamless, as does its Mechanical Quick Coupler, which enables me to single-handedly open and close the coupler from my seat to switch between attachments”­.

Christof rents all machines from KLMV GmbH (KLMV), which has been an authorized dealer of Yanmar CE since 2016. “The service I get from KLMV is truly unrivalled. The team is always there when I need support and they deliver the machines quickly and efficiently. Without KLMV, ‘Der Erdmeister’ would not have been so successful. They have cleared many obstacles out of our way and give us a boost.”  KLMV also carries out maintenance work and has a large stock of spare parts, which guarantees a quick solution to technical problems and minimizes downtime.

With a steel-like determination and true zeal for his craft, Christof continues to inspire those around him. His journey serves a reminder that limitations only exist if we let them, and that with courage, creativity and community spirit, no dream is out of reach.