„We offer waste management, demolition works and comprehensive services for the construction industry” explains Axel Schreiber, managing director of Meyer und Schreiber group, brief M+S.
The 46-year-old is sitting at the desk of his office, drinking tea while the winter sun is shining through the window. In Bassum-Kastendiek, less than 20 minutes outside Bremen, the business is booming. Trucks and tippers – almost all equipped with MEILLER products – constantly enter the premises, delivering valuable freight. Waste is brought to the modern recycling plant; excavators are breaking up debris and boulders prior to shredding. The site – once a sand pit in Bassum-Kastendiek – comprises an area of more than 15 football fields, 11 ha in total. Some employees still remember how company founder Heinz Schreiber used to supervise the works from the edge of the pit.
Heinz Schreiber’s company and the company of Bernd Meyer merged in 1973 in order to cover Bremen and the districts in the south. “It was not easy for them 40 years ago” says Axel Schreiber. But his father and Bernd Meyer never gave up. They built their headquarters in Bremen-Stuhr. The whole family was involved in the business. Axel Schreiber remembers doing his homework at the dining table while his mother coordinated the vehicles via radio. “Sometimes, one of the drivers took me for a ride on the truck”, he tells with a smile on his face.
Today, M+S Transportgesellschaft consist of several companies that became part of the group due to expansion. The GAR (Gesellschaft für Abfall und Recycling) for example was founded in 1992, when changed packaging ordinance opened new market opportunities. “Producers were obliged to take back their packaging material“, explains Axel Schreiber. Producers and distributors therefore founded the “dual system”, a system that takes care of collection and recycling of packaging material. Meyer und Schreiber invested in a new sorting plant for this kind of waste. “Back then, 14 employees were occupied with sorting the waste with their bare hands, between 800 and 1,100kg per hour”, explains Schreiber. Today, ten times more waste is sorted by the same number of employees. A lot of waste is sorted automatically by the modern plant.
Next to lightweight packaging, M+S also collects glass, waste paper and other materials and takes care of transportation and recycling. “Container services still remain our main business” explains Axel Schreiber. Since his father passed away in 1997, he manages the company together with his brother Olaf. M+S offers waste management, but also transportation services as well as earth moving and demolition works using MEILLER systems.
The company has about 290 employees and the fleet consists of 120 trucks. M+S rely on MEILLER products for all sorts of activities. “We’ve had good experiences with MEILLER and therefore use all different kinds of MEILLER tippers”, says Axel Schreiber. MEILLER’s on-site support as well as the company’s consistency convinced the manager. Furthermore, a MEILLER service partner is nearby. „A service center is located less than 150m from our headquarters, ready to help and support at any time”, says Schreiber.
Just like MEILLER, the M+S group stands for consistency. Many employees joined the staff 40 years ago. It is important to create a cooperative working environment, explains Axel Schreiber. Today, it is more difficult than ever to find qualified drivers. “We take care of our employees in order to ensure their satisfaction.” The personal contact with the staff is very important.
In order to remain successful in the future, Olaf and Axel Schreiber open up new business opportunities between the Middle Rhine, Mecklenburg-West Pomerania, and the Danish border. Referring to Bremen’s city arms showing a key they say: “Hamburg may be the gateway to the world – but Bremen holds the key to it.”
