In the mid-90´s the business consultant Bernd Capellen was commissioned to prevent several group companies from impending insolvency. His own analysis showed, that just one of the companies would be able to get reconstructed, the „Gesellschaft für technische Entwicklung mbH“. He took over the management ad intermin and succeeded in reconstructing the company as a whole. He soon started missing his home, his family and the Carnival of the Rhineland and decided not to get involved in day-to-day business. Instead, he founded the „gte Brandschutz AG“ together with a business partner. His former partner took over the management, while Bernd Capellen became chairman oft the supervisory board. In this position he was able to return home and guarantee the success of the company for the next years.
The gte Brandschutz AG has been very successful over the last years and established itself as a well known company in the logistics industry. Numerous international airports and logistics companies integrated conveyor system closures by the gte. The demand for the conveyor systems also increased in other countries, like Switzerland, for this reason the shareholders decided to found the gte swiss AG.
With yearly almost 600 installed conveyor system closures by the gte Brandschutz AG, the personnel capacities were not enough to perform the amount of yearly required maintenances. To split the field of activity and to solve this problem, the gte Service GmbH was founded in 2012. Genereal maintenances, maintenances measures and repairs got executed by the gte Service GmbH from this point on.
Discussions about necessary changes between the shareholders occured in the early months of 2014. To gain an experienced conveyor technology Sales Manager, it was decided, that Philip Capellen will move to the gte Brandschutz AG. As of 01.07.2015, he became head ot Sales and Marketing and is dedicated in optimization the sales and marketing processes. Only a few months later he became sole Managing Director.
While optimizing sales and marketing processes, several grievances were discovered by Philip Capellen and the supervisory board. Even the newly recruited experienced turnaround specialist as well as a technical leader could not figure out a proper solution. The reconstruction failed to get the company out of trouble. The purchase of the company shares following the attempted hostile takeover meant the end of gte Brandschutz AG.
In January 2018 the gte Service GmbH and gte swiss AG have activated together with motivated colleagues and new shareholders. The original service business will be implemented again and the customer is offered a comprehensive range of services around conveyor system closures.