Tjard Ludwig Garrels, who has been with the company since 1998, acquires all the shares and thus becomes the sole owner of the company. In order to set the business on a successful course into the new millennium, he first conducts a comprehensive analysis of its situation and prospects. The aim is to bring out the traditional strengths of the company more strongly again. In other words flexibility, speed and the ability to supply moderate batch sizes in line with individual customer requirements. This requires a shrinking process in production and workforce, and makes redundancies inevitable. The remaining workforce is trained and the machinery is modernised. This enables the company to return to profitability, allowing further investment to be made: one interlinked planing line is replaced and another newly purchased. Garrels also completely rebuilds the office wing on the site – not only in terms of construction but also in terms of infrastructure: new IT systems make office work easier, ERP software optimises the handling of goods and significantly increases efficiency. The company also gradually modernises its mobile vehicle fleet. In 2018 a flexible sawing line is added, which optimises the planing process and opens up new possibilities for surface finishing.
In 2020 Garrels is better positioned than ever before: From Leer, Garrels supplies excellent timber from the best cultivation areas in Europe as well as planed goods of all kinds and quantities. A strong team of over 20 reliable employees are committed to their customers and to their company, which has now stood for quality and reliability for over 261 years.
