Made of wood and with a lot of tradition: Streif's medium-sized successful model

"Fair, honest, reliable" is the Streif Group's corporate motto. It is one of the industry leaders in German prefabricated house construction. Energy-saving wooden houses are their trademark. But the medium-sized company is also very well positioned internationally, for example in England. But what about a no-deal Brexit?

"There is no point in telling the customer something just for the sake of the contract," says Jörg-Achim Vette. "It is better to forego a contract and instead pour pure wine for the customer and tell him: 'You are not ready yet.'" What seems so unusual at first glance is a matter of course for Vette at second glance, because it gives him his company's credo is perfectly described: "Fair, honest, reliable". Vette is the managing partner of the Streif Group, the pioneer of the German prefabricated house industry.

Jörg-Achim Vette is the managing partner of Streif.

(Photo: Streif)

"The customer is entitled to the service we have agreed with him – without any ifs or buts. And whether we make a profit on this house is up to us," emphasizes Vette. "We also part with salespeople where we see that they sell well, but not honestly enough." Vette is proud of the company, the products, the employees and the working environment of the prefabricated house builder. And the almost 100-year company history – with all the ups and downs – proves him right.

From concrete formwork to catalog houses

The beginnings of Streif go back to 1929, when company founder Josef Streif made a name for himself in the field of concrete formwork construction and worked with construction sizes such as Hochtief. After the end of the Second World War, Streif was faced with a problem: concrete was scarce, a different business model had to be found. The idea: houses made of wood, initially from the existing concrete formwork. The rapidly increasing need for living space for families after the war plays into Streif's cards. "That was the beginning of today's company," says Vette.

The then Federal Ministry for Space and Urban Development developed the so-called prefabricated house directory. It was about getting people into their own four walls as quickly and cheaply as possible – at half the price of conventionally built houses. Post-war. Three companies, including Streif, were allowed to calculate six house types and summarize them in a prefabricated house catalog. The "catalog houses" were born. The customers of a catalog house renounced individuality, but if they chose one, it could be built on any meadow approved for this purpose – because the prefabricated house directory replaced a usually lengthy building permit.

"Josef Streif was the founder of the prefabricated house industry in Germany with two colleagues," emphasizes Vette. At the time, the company also worked with the Neckermann mail order company. "Business went well for a long time, even if the number of catalog house providers grew steadily." But when the subject of individuality became more important to customers in the 1970s and 1980s, Streif was quickly swallowed up by Hochtief, who were primarily interested in the company's concrete formwork division, which was still in operation. It was not until 2000 that the Essen-based construction company Streif sold again – to a small equity investment company, in which Vette again joins. Since 2003 he has been a 100% partner in the Streif Group.

A German medium-sized company discovered the island

The Streif Group with its headquarters in Weinsheim in the Eifel, which Vette still regards as a "small and medium-sized company", includes the two prefabricated house brands Streif and Schwabenhaus with their production sites in Weinsheim and Heringen in Thuringia. Streif and Schwabenhaus are roughly the same size and are represented throughout Germany – with a south-north divide. Around 300 to 350 prefabricated wooden houses are built each year under the two brands. "95 percent of the houses will be handed over to customers turnkey," says Vette. "The tendency to do it yourself has clearly decreased in Germany." It usually takes a year from the idea to the handover of the keys.

The group employs a total of around 600 permanent employees. There are also around 200 sales representatives. Vette puts the annual turnover at around 160 million euros. In addition to Germany, the Streif Group is also active in Austria, Switzerland, Luxembourg and England. One has an eye on the market in Russia, where it already has a stake in a production facility. In the future, it should relieve the Weinsheim location, which is currently also producing for construction projects in England – "an important pillar of the Streif Group," as Vette emphasizes.

"In 2006 they all went global," recalls Vette, "at that time our management traveled all over Europe." From the potentially large markets of France, Spain and England, only England remained after the financial crisis. "Here we already had more than one foot in the door," said Vette. "All in all, we got away with one black eye."

What the managers of the Streif Group quickly notice: The markets in France, Spain and also England tick differently than in Germany. In this country, business is done directly: B2C, building contractor – project customer. The magic word on the island is "developer". These "developers" buy land, develop it, have houses built on it, and then sell the entire package. The Streif group contacted several developers. "We had to do a lot of convincing, especially because of our high quality standards, which of course had an impact on the price-performance ratio," says Vette. "For many developers we were simply too expensive."

But Streif did business with a few developers. "Today we are firmly established on the English market, but not with one or two-family houses, but in the 'first and second fix' area, as it is called in England – in the area of ​​extended shell construction," explains Vette. "That means: closed building envelope, windows and front door inside, roof covered. That's it. Heating, plumbing, screed and so on are taken over by the developer." Streif in England works on around 70 projects of this type each year. Most of them are kindergartens, schools or boarding schools.

Don't be afraid of a no-deal Brexit

The advantage of Streif: "We are faster, we can put up a complete building envelope within three days to two weeks, whereas the Englishman needs several months with conventional wet construction," says Vette. "We are also doing well in England because we founded a company there: Streif UK. So the Englishman buys from the Englishman when he buys Streif!"

The subject of Brexit, even the UK's no-deal exit from the European Union, leaves Vette indifferent: "We are well positioned, we know the market. what we do at Streif. In other words: The English have to import one way or another – with or without customs, "explains Vette. "We are therefore very relaxed and see our business in England not endangered even by a hard Brexit."

Positioned for the future

In general, Vette sees the Streif Group well equipped: "The future belongs to the energy-saving prefabricated wooden house", he looks ahead. "Saving energy and protecting the environment and the climate are playing an increasingly important role. Wood is a renewable raw material and offers excellent insulation properties that conventional wet stone construction does not even come close to," he explains. "Almost all of our houses also have photovoltaic systems on the roof. I no longer know when we last installed gas heating."

Living space extension of a city villa in Weinsheim.

(Photo: Streif)

In the field of prefabricated wooden houses – around 22,000 of them are built in Germany every year – Vette counts the Streif Group among the "top five in the industry". The company still has a much larger market in mind. It is about the compression of living space in large cities, the increase of the previous three or four storeys. "This is a challenge that we will face in the future."

According to Vette, this is what distinguishes the Streif Group, that and the excellent employees, the very good working environment – and also the managers. "I am of the opinion that there are currently the best in Germany in this branch." That too may sound unusual at first, but in the end it only shows one thing: The Streif Group is an internationally successful medium-sized company that knows its market value – and does not rest on it.