trailer world issue One 2010

The family-owned, Hamburg based company, Pfaff pull together where “heavy and difficult transports” are concerned.

RubrikPortrait “For heavy, difficult transports” – that‘s the slogan of the family transport company Pfaff. trailer world visited a quite normal family in Hamburg. A family for special cases Photo:Bergunde,Pfaff Ajob that‘s too difficult? A problem that can‘t be solved? Not for Ernst Pfaff. After all, difficult cases are his daily business. “If we can‘t do it on our own, we do it together with partners”, says the 68-year old founder of the special transport company Pfaff in Hamburg. Relocating a beverages factory to Ireland, conveyance of a pa- per production line to India or, as now, moving a chip company from Bielefeld to Kulim in Malaysia: two to three times a year, the SME company deals with this kind of special global assign- ment. Smaller company relocation jobs in Germany are handled on a monthly basis. Otherwise, the company transports almost anything that is too complicated for anyone else: whether it’s an oversized power generator or a dismantled dismantled lathe for railway wheels, spread out over five trucks. Transporting forklift trucks, printing presses, machine tools and X-ray machines is the company‘s staple business. Nearly every job is different. “It‘s not only the equipment and fleet that count”, says Pfaff, who speaks as “we” rather than “I”. It‘s just as important to have decades of ex- perience and a reliable workforce. The closest confidantes come from the direct family. Wife Christa has always been responsible for accounting and controlling. Sons Carsten (47) and Thomas (39) have also long since joined the family business. “The firm is part of our home, it‘s where we earned our first pocket money”, says Carsten Pfaff. Three years ago, the brothers started to took over for responsibility for running the day-to-day business, while the whole family has shouldered overall management of the firm for the last twelve months. Meanwhile the senior boss concen- trates mainly on corporate strategy and investment. Even so, nothing goes unnoticed. “All the post and every order still goes over my desk”, reports the agile businessman. The desk in his of- fice has two screens monitoring what‘s happening on the com- pany premises covering 25,000 m². The shelf behind him displays numerous car racing cups. “Meanwhile I‘ve turned to golf, it‘s more relaxing”, he says, while turning his attention to what‘s hap- pening outside the window. One of the red-and-yellow low-level trucks bearing the Pfaff logo comes into the yard. The flatbed is lowered hydraulically to unload a forklift truck. “This makes us flexible when loading Together we‘re strong Innovative technology Carsten, Christa, Ernst and Thomas Pfaff: two generations, one task Issue One 2010 15

trailer world issue One 2010

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