Celebrating a half-century of Sunkid Heege

A leading provider of attractions for the entire family, Sunkid Heege was formed over 50 years ago in Germany.

From its beginnings as Gebr. Heege, the company has earned acclaim over the decades for its interactive family rides and for designing, manufacturing, and commissioning vehicles and roller coaster trains.

Michael Kalsch, CEO of Sunkid Heege GmbH

Image courtesy of Sunkid

In 2009, the company became part of the Sunkid group. With a global presence, the group offers a wide range of products for visitor attractions, ranging from “Moving Carpet” conveyors to “Mountain Coasters” and sustainable wooden play structures.

The acquisition unlocked Sunkid’s international customer base and provided a firm foundation for Heege to continue to thrive.

Now, as Sunkid Heege celebrates its 50th anniversary with a staff celebration at its Bassenheim headquarters, CEO Michael Kalsch speaks to blooloop about the company’s history of innovation and its latest products.

Tradition and innovation

Over the past 50 years, Sunkid Heege has evolved from a regional manufacturer of amusement rides into an internationally active provider of family rides and recreational facilities.

A pivotal development in this evolution, says Kalsch, “was undoubtedly the integration into the Sunkid Group. This allowed the strengths of both companies to complement each other perfectly.

“This partnership laid the foundation for numerous projects around the world.”

He adds that another important step was consolidating ride production at the Bassenheim site.

“We have continuously expanded our expertise in steel construction, welding technology, and the manufacture of complex recreational attractions.

“At the same time, we have broadened our business scope and, in addition to developing family rides, have established ourselves as a partner for replacement parts, assemblies, and the modernisation of existing facilities.

“We have made a name for ourselves with innovative solutions, particularly in roller coaster trains. In recent years, we have invested heavily in further developing our product portfolio.”

New attractions such as the Sundancer, Sundancer Galaxy, and Sunrider, as well as current projects like the Rocking Tower, demonstrate the company's continued commitment to innovation.

The Sunkid Sundancer Galaxy at Lotte World Adventure Busan in South KoreaImage courtesy of Sunkid

There’ll also be something exciting and new from Sunkid to see at the 2026 IAAPA Expo in Orlando.

“At the same time, we remain true to our principle of developing durable, safe, and cost-effective solutions for our customers.

“What connects all stages of development is our customer-oriented approach. We place great emphasis on quality, comprehensive documentation, long-term spare parts availability, and service-friendly designs.

“If I had to highlight one milestone, it would be the company’s ability to combine tradition and innovation.”

Celebrating 50 years

This ethos is reflected in a new web presence, launched to mark the 50th anniversary. Among other features, this details the company’s history, evolution, and key projects.

“While our rides continue to be built on the foundation of solid mechanical engineering know-how and high-quality manufacturing, customers today expect digital information and decision-making processes,” says Kalsch.

“With the new website, we present our products, projects, and innovations in a more transparent and international manner.”

As such, the website reflects Sunkid Heege’s commitment to being more globally connected, customer-focused, and responsive to market demands.

“Digitalisation will continue to play a key role in our customer communication as well as in development, service, and documentation,” adds Kalsch.

Anniversary celebrations also included a party for the company’s 25+ strong workforce.

The Sunkid Heege team celebrate the company's 50th anniversary Image courtesy of Sunkid

Kalsch was joined in the presentations by Sunkid group owners Emanuel Wohlfarter and Herbert Zopf.

“The celebration made it clear that Sunkid Heege’s success is not based solely on individual contributions, but on the synergy between design, manufacturing, sales, service, and administration,” says Kalsch.

“It was particularly well received that the management team, as well as Emanuel Wohlfarter and Herbert Zopf, focused on the employees’ achievements and highlighted the collaboration within the Sunkid Group.

“This understanding of teamwork is an essential part of our corporate culture and a key prerequisite for successfully implementing complex projects in the future as well.”

The group enjoyed a buffet, bar, live music, and races on a Sunrider family ride, with factory tours for colleagues from France and Austria.

Award-winning rides

Attendees could also try a prototype "Rocking Tower", winner of the 2024 IAAPA Brass Ring Award for Best New Product Concept.

“This is one of our most exciting development projects,” says Kalsch.

“Construction is well underway, key certifications have been submitted to TÜV, and the ergonomic tests with children were successful.”

Particularly important, he adds, was demonstrating compliance with the targeted safety and comfort requirements for the highest relevant passenger category.

Rendering of Sunkid's award-winning development project, the Rocking TowerImage courtesy of Sunkid

“The Rocking Tower combines a striking vertical presence with a novel rocking motion and is designed to offer families a ride experience unlike anything else.

“We are currently focused on advancing the development, certification, and market launch in collaboration with potential early-adopter customers.”

Notably, this expands Sunkid Heege’s portfolio alongside the growth of its partner parks, ensuring the company's offering remains aligned with the needs of its existing client base.

Other recent launches have focused on making established rides bigger and more interactive, carefully balancing innovation, quality and reliability.

“Our strategy is to continuously refine proven products rather than recklessly replacing successful concepts,” Kalsch says.

“New attractions are built on many years of operational experience, high manufacturing quality, and comprehensive safety standards.

“At the same time, we closely monitor how visitor expectations are changing. Interactivity, higher capacities, and more immersive experiences play a greater role today than they did just a few years ago.

“Our goal is to create innovations that will function just as reliably in the long term as the products on which our reputation was built.”

Bigger capacities, same small footprints

Sunkid Heege’s product extension strategy is shown by the Sundancer Galaxy, which expands the original single-cabin model into a 4-cabin system.

The new version was awarded the IAAPA Brass Ring Award for Best New Product in 2025.

“The biggest challenge was to significantly increase capacity without losing the Sundancer’s characteristic ride qualities,” says Kalsch.

Suitable for guests aged 4 and older (accompanied), the Sundancer puts riders in control of their speed, rotation direction, and ultimate swing intensity.

“In the transition from one to four cabins, load distribution, drive systems, dynamics, and control had to be completely rethought.

“We also wanted to retain the compact design and family-friendly accessibility. From a market perspective, the four-cab version opens up new possibilities.

“With its significantly higher theoretical capacity of around 480 people per hour, it is particularly appealing to larger amusement parks and heavily visited attractions.”

Similarly, the Loopster is now available in a higher capacity version.

The Loopster ride is now available in a high capacity version, accommodating up to 480 people per hourImage courtesy of Sunkid

“Many operators want higher capacities and greater visibility within the park without having to invest in significantly more space,” says Kalsch.

“At the same time, we’re pursuing an overarching strategy to make family attractions more emotional, interactive, and distinctive.

“Take the Rocking Tower, Sundancer Galaxy, and Loopster, for example… The goal is usually to ensure that, despite the higher capacity, the rides remain as compact and versatile as possible.

“This makes them attractive to both larger amusement parks and operators working with limited space.”

Customisable experiences

In the Loopster, riders can control the cabin's thrill level, direction, and speed.

“Interactive rides are technically much more challenging than traditional attractions with a fixed, predefined ride sequence,” says Kalsch.

“We must take every conceivable user behaviour into account as early as the development phase and ensure that each of these scenarios remains within safe operating limits.”

To achieve this, Sunkid Heege uses extensive simulations, safety analyses, and proven control systems. The goal is to provide each visitor with a personalised experience without compromising on comfort or safety.

“Guests should be able to decide for themselves how intense they want their ride to be,” says Kalsch, “while the technology in the background ensures that every ride remains controllable and runs smoothly at all times.”

The Sunrider vehicle can be themed to the operators requirements, from wild mustangs to bunnies, caterpillars, and moreImage courtesy of Sunkid

Sunkid Heege’s rides feature extensive customisation options.

“The theming concept is always developed in collaboration with the client. We typically start with the technical specifications and use them as a foundation to develop initial design ideas.”

Because its rides have modular construction, Sunkid Heege can bring a wide range of themed worlds to life, from technical and scientific concepts to imaginative, family-oriented scenarios.

“It is important that design and technology work hand in hand. The theming should enhance the ride experience without negatively impacting functionality, maintenance, or safety.

“Especially with products such as the Tower, the visibility of the attraction opens up many creative possibilities.”

Looking forward

In this landscape of rapid technological advancement in amusement rides, Kalsch shares his vision for how the next 50 years of Sunkid Heege will build on the past 50.

“The goal is to accelerate the pace of development. Topics such as digitalisation, intelligent control systems, energy efficiency, and forms of interaction are becoming increasingly important,” he says.

“At the same time, the fundamental requirements remain unchanged: safety, reliability, and cost-effectiveness.”

Kalsch sees the increased customisation as a key trend, as rides become more and more integrated into highly themed experience worlds.

Sunkid Heege is renowned for its work in manufacturing roller coaster trainsImage courtesy of Sunkid

“Nevertheless,” he adds, “we are convinced that high-quality engineering, long-lasting quality, a positive work environment, and satisfied employees will remain the foundation of our success in the coming decades.

“50 years of company history mark a special milestone. At the same time, we view this anniversary not as a look back, but as a starting point for the next phase of our development.

“We continue to invest in our employees, new technologies, and innovative products. We are particularly proud that we have retained our character despite our growth.

“Our close relationship with our customers, the passion of our teams, and our willingness to break new ground will continue to form the foundation of Sunkid Heege in the future.”

Decades of expertise

Kalsch emphasises that, while the company’s history is shaped by its products, none of those would be possible without its exceptional team.

“When you look back on 50 years of company history, you naturally think first of successful projects and reliable products,” he says.

“For me, however, it is above all the people who have made this success possible. Many colleagues have been part of Sunkid Heege for 25 or 30 years.

The Sunkid Heege team combines extensive expertise with an inspiring cultureImage courtesy of Sunkid

“This loyalty, the tremendous expertise, and the sense of belonging to our company are anything but a given. It is precisely this sense of unity that has made us strong.”

This ethos extends beyond the Heege branch to encompass the wider Sunkid group, which employs more than 150 team members across its eight subsidiaries.

“At the same time,” Kalsch says, “it fills me with confidence that we are able to inspire young people to join our company today. They bring new ideas, digital skills, and fresh perspectives.

“The blend of long-standing experience and a new drive to achieve is what defines Sunkid Heege and, in my view, is the best foundation for the next 50 years.”