FAMILY BUSINESS
33recyclinginternational.com | November/December | 2022
acquired in Nordlingen, south of
Crailsheim along with an e-scrap busi-
ness in Malaga, Spain, which was sold
in 2000.
All other side businesses have also
been sold and what remains today is
the headquarters and scrapyard in
Crailsheim which handles some 35 000
tonnes of materials, mostly ferrous and
non-ferrous. Gröger Entsorgung also
handles copper cables, plastics, tyres
and wood. Annual turnover amounts
EUR 14 million.
The lion’s share of the scrap is sourced
within 80 km of the facility. Gröger
Entsorgung has nine collection trucks
permanently on the road. After pro-
cessing, materials are shipped to end
users in Germany and sometimes
exported to Turkey or Italy.
INVESTMENT CRUCIAL BUT
TRICKY
For Gröger Entsorgung, being located
close to an urban area is full of chal-
lenges. The community would rather
the company moves out to an industri-
al area but that’s easier said than done.
Gröger had set his sights on develop-
ing a new industrial place near
Crailsheim but that hope has some-
what faded. ‘At this time, and with cur-
rent local regulation new scrap yards
can only be developed at industrial
sites. However, municipalities offer less
and less opportunities because envi-
ronmental regulations are stricter at
industrial sites compared regular com-
mercial sites.’
The alternative, expansion at the cur-
rent location, is almost impossible for
environmental reasons and a lack of
permits. According to Heiner, this lim-
its the family’s ambition to invest and
innovate. ‘There is no guarantee of
return of investment,’ he laments.
Even so, investment will ultimately be
needed to make the company future-
proof, either within Crailsheim or out-
side the town. ‘That lies in the hands of
Isabelle and Nathalie.’
Sisters Isabelle (left) and Nathalie are
eager to take over the business.
Gröger has nine trucks on the road for
collections.
KADERKOP
??
Daily practice at the yard. Isabelle Gröger’s office has great views of the yard
COVID-PROOF OPEN-AIR CANTEEN
PRAISED
During the Covid pandemic, Gröger Entsorgung
was challenged by restrictions affecting many busi-
nesses. Because it was an essential industry, scrap
shipments continued to come in. So the company
created an alternative area to serve as Covid-proof
lunch place and location to welcome customers as
well as truck drivers and small scrap suppliers. At
the entrance, next to the offices, a cabin was built
with chairs made of wooden pallets. Here visitors
could drink coffee at a safe distance from each
other.
After the pandemic, the terrace remained intact
and is now the company’s open air canteen. ‘It’s
become a very popular spot,’ says Isabelle Gröger.
‘We have 25 employees and they all love it.’
The cabin is even equipped with a music system,
heating lamps and a fridge to cool beers and wine
for company celebrations. ‘We’ve already had
some parties.’
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