Good by tradition
Traditions are usually built on reliability and consistency. This is precisely why for the past almost 30 years, beer has been transported from the Getränke Gefromm yard exclusively by MAN vehicles.
Jochen Gefromm stands in front of his “longest serving employee”, an MAN 18.232, which he purchased in 1992. Next to it is the newest vehicle – an MAN 18.420 which the company acquired in 2019 in addition to three further MAN trucks. The 52-year-old business graduate and director of the Getränke Gefromm GmbH & Co.KG family business knows every one of his 25 MAN trucks, right down to the last bolt. The technology-loving entrepreneur took on vehicle repairs in his parents’ company at the young age of 14. Even now, Saturdays are reserved for carrying out minor work on the vehicles.
“If MAN come out with a new engine, we buy it, even without an extensive test drive.“
Right after his studies, his father Jürgen had enough trust to hand over responsibility for the entire purchasing aspect of the company to him. Jürgen followed in his father’s footsteps, joining the family company (which was founded by his grandfather in 1919) at any early age – today he runs the company together with his son Jochen. As one of his first official acts, he switched the vehicle fleet to a fleet of MAN vehicles. “In 1990, MAN was the first manufacturer to bring an 18-tonne truck to the market – that’s the one we wanted,” says Jochen Gefromm, recounting how the purchase of the first MAN came about. “The truck featured a tilting cab and plastic maintenance flaps. This meant that all points which needed to be accessed by a driver or a fleet manager could be reached quickly and easily; this is a vehicle which still runs very reliably to this day.” A vehicle which was so impressive in the long term, that for the past almost 30 years, Gefromm has used MAN trucks exclusively.
A great deal of trust in quality
The trucks are maintained just like traditions themselves – they have also played a not insignificant role in the continued success of the company. 2019 will be the one hundredth anniversary of the company’s founding. Father and son also regularly find reasons to raise a toast – because even a beer together at the end of a work day in the establishments of existing and potential customers is tradition. This is the time to listen to where customers are experiencing issues, their wishes and concerns. Or to talk about topics for which there is no time during the day. And of course some discussion or another. The brand in which they put their trust, however, is one thing which they don’t need to discuss – it’s part of their tradition. True to the motto, “once an MAN, always an MAN”.
“If MAN come out with a new engine, we buy it, even without an extensive test drive. We trust the brand’s quality – it’s always worked up until now, and will continue to do so,” Jochen Gefromm is certain.