Reliable partner for the speciality trade

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It all started with a pet shop opened by Joachim Böhme in Ludwigshafen, in the south-west of Germany, in 1960. 48 years on, JBL is one of Europe's leading manufacturers of aquarium and terrarium products. The company exports its products to over 65 countries and markets one of the biggest ranges of aquarium products in the world, comprising around 700 articles. Sales at home and abroad respectively account for 50 per cent of the company's overall sales. Apart from its home market, France, Austria, Belgium, Italy and Switzerland are among the company's key markets. Since 1984 JBL has been based in Neuhofen, close to Ludwigshafen. Communicative and open In the pet supplies sector, JBL enjoys a reputation as an innovative and highly flexible company that has a very flat hierarchy and in which decisions are made quickly. "We endeavour constantly to develop new products to help expand the aquarium and terrarium market," says Roland Böhme, outlining the company's mission. He cites the floating algae magnet designed by JBL, or the magnetic terrarium lock, which attracted considerable attention in the market, as examples of successful, pioneering innovations. Of the 160 people employed by the company, many have worked there for several years - not because of any lack of alternative employment, but because they feel at home working for JBL. The company's trading partners are also full of praise for the spontaneity and forthright approach adopted by the firm from Rhineland-Palatinate. Roland Böhme is keen above all for his staff to be communicative and have a high level of practical knowledge. The latest example of this is Dr. Ralf Rombach, the new head of the research department, who worked for many years in the pet supplies trade before joining JBL. Total invested: € 4 mio One consequence of the rapid growth of JBL in recent years, however, was that space was increasingly at a premium in its main production facility. It was only when a neighbouring company left its premises that an opportunity arose for JBL to expand further. Up to that point, the company was forced to improvise, which wasn't always easy. JBL invested the proud sum of € 4 mio in extending its premises, at the heart of which is the new 5 600 m² logistics centre with space for 10 200 pallets. The warehouse was previously accommodated in the old company building and external locations, meaning that direct access to goods was not always…