GMA Europe General Manager Andreas Höfner celebrated 25 years of service with the Group in July last year.

Andreas is regarded as the twin of the company as he was the first employee in Europe in the same year the company was established.

He recalled some of the key moments over two decades ago:

I joined GMA in 1991 and the company was based in the premise of Jebsen & Jessen in Hamburg. During the initial years, I worked alongside Director Torsten Ketelsen and Director Wolfhart Putzier, and our goal was to promote Australian garnet to the European market.

In the beginning, nobody knew of our product, but many companies were very interested in trying this pink abrasive from Australia. Finally, we received our very the first order from German and Dutch shipyards.

Under the leadership of Andreas, the company has grown to become the market leader for the distribution of garnet abrasive in Europe. Furthermore, the team has also built the best possible customer-supplier relationship with partners from all over the region.

“Today, we are happy to supply many of our first customers and we see a steady growth in our business every year. In addition, we continue to build a closer relationship with our customers,” Andreas said.

“Success can be achieved if one believes in the product and pursues their goals,” Andreas added.  

By Kristina Kothe, GMA Europe