One thing is certain: The craftsmanship remains

2024/04/15   |   Ettlingen   |   Germany

Founded 10 years ago, the team at efbe möbelart is constantly reinventing itself, but they remain true to their excellent craftsmanship in Ettlingen. Now with 13 employees, master carpenter Fabian Brust manufactures furniture with design standards - both regionally and nationally. His wife Hannah takes care of marketing and finances when she is not driving one of the other companies forward.

Today efbe art includes furniture, real estate and construction. In addition to the classic joinery, Hannah and Fabian Brust also take care of the administration, marketing, conversion and core refurbishment of properties. He takes care of the technical side, while she, a business administration graduate, handles the commercial side. How did they set up the whole thing with their team? "It just happened over time," says the master carpenter with a smile.

There was nothing on his drawing board in 2013. There was only the desire for something of his own. The young founder spent almost eight years as an apprentice, journeyman and master craftsman in his uncle's joinery before taking the plunge - with a van, the necessary tools and in an almost empty hall that he rented in the industrial park. But: without customers.

The first steps. The first employees.

The young entrepreneur quickly gets his first orders through friends, acquaintances and family. In order to get his first, a washbasin, safely onto the wall, he needed the support of a friend - he simply couldn't carry it on his own. Because the washbasin was hanging securely in place at the end of the day and the other customers were also more than satisfied, word of mouth led to more and more orders.

In 2015, Fabian Brust takes on his first employee, a former colleague. In the same year, the first apprentice starts work. And the first HOMAG edge. The small company grows. In addition to individual pieces of furniture, the trio also takes care of flooring and classic interior fittings. Basically, nothing has changed. From kitchens to consoles, wardrobes and cupboards to complete room concepts, the still young team supplies everything that a customer's heart desires. Whether it's new builds or renovations, private clients or public and commercial projects, it doesn't matter.

CNC. And an unusual idea.

In 2017, Hannah Brust joins the company alongside a BHX (today: DRILLTEQ V-200). But she is not on site. She runs her own showroom in Karlsruhe. There, the people of Karlsruhe can find not only furniture designed and produced in-house with design standards, but also decorative items and other interior highlights. The concept is popular. But the time investment is immense. During the day in the concept store, then after work, bookkeeping and customer appointments in the joinery. Shortly before the Coronavirus pandemic, the couple decided to give up the store. But they wouldn't want to miss the time. They have learned too much in that time - and gained a number of loyal customers.

The idea is not yet completely shelved. In the future, Fabian Brust dreams of his own furniture store with efbe furniture and selected pieces from regional companies. Because - in line with the company's own slogan "living. interior. lifestyle." - many customers no longer perceive efbe as a traditional joinery, but as a furnishing consultant at eye level. The two are very satisfied with this, "but we are far from finished," says Hannah Brust. They want to continue to grow healthily with their team, establish themselves even more firmly and add structures in the near future. But even if they seem pretty satisfied at efbe at the moment, everyone - employees and management duo included - can look forward to seeing what they come up with next. It's rarely boring in Ettlingen.

Finally enough room for growth at all levels.

When a wide-belt sanding machine from former HOMAG subsidiary Bütfering was installed in the hall in 2019, space slowly ran out. Especially because an absolute highlight project is keeping the team busy: the redesigned VIP area of the Wildparkstadion. The Karlsruhe sports club's arena, which has been extensively converted into a pure soccer temple, relied on the Ettlingen carpenters for the implementation. And not without reason: during the construction phase, Fabian Brust and Co. delighted fans and officials alike with their pop-up box. And that is the main thing, because customer satisfaction has always been number one in the efbe table. The easiest way to ensure this is, quite clearly, with high quality.

For this reason, a SAWTEQ B-200 panel dividing saw (today: SAWTEQ S-200) has also been in the new production hall since 2021. There was no room for it in the old one. Today, the team designs, plans and manufactures on over 700 square meters - including sampling. Area Sales Manager Patrick Görner was also able to see this for himself. Together, they explored ways in which HOMAG could further support the young company. Initial ideas have emerged, but this should come as no surprise to anyone. After all, not many joineries of this size are as open, courageous and flexible as efbe möbelart.

What is important to Fabian Brust when it comes to possible machines, digital solutions and all the experiments - in Ettlingen they weld themselves in a specially equipped container, the team tests new materials on principle and if something comes up that is not possible, they try it until it works - is that he is a carpenter. And wants to stay that way. Craftsmanship with wood has top priority, also and above all in his own training.

Where there is family, there is a way.

In addition to passing on the necessary tools, the focus is primarily on working together. Fabian and Hannah Brust have little time for traditional hierarchies. Everyone tidies up, everyone cleans. "The work has to fit in with your life and your wishes," says Fabian Brust. "You also have to go along with the needs of the employees in the trade, because nothing works without the employees," adds his wife.

That's why the couple do everything they can to reconcile the different life plans in order to keep knowledge and skills within their own halls. And there are plenty of them in Ettlingen. In addition to Fabian Brust, there are currently four other master craftsmen working in the company - two in work preparation and two as workshop managers. It is not easy to reconcile all these skills - at efbe möbelart they have managed it. Everyone can get involved, express themselves and realize their potential. From the trainee to the foreman. Word gets around and potential applicants see this on the joinery's lively social channels. The result: unfortunately more applications than vacancies. And a pretty satisfied team that delivers outstanding craftsmanship.