The family business Servei de Sabadell, with three generations in operation, celebrates 50 years with top-notch service. The firm, leader in Catalonia in the rental of forklifts and lifting platforms, has constant and consolidated economic growth. The general director, Sofía Gabarró, plans to close 2023 with a turnover of 9.5 million euros, 15% more than last year, when it was 8.3 million.
His father, Ramon Gabarró, founded the company in 1973 to support the family business of Maderas Gabarró, also in Sabadell, and then began renting forklifts to other industrial companies in Catalonia. Over time, Servei gained new clients who needed to work at different heights and with great safety. Its current fleet is 1,200 units (62% electric and 38% diesel) including forklifts, lifting platforms and telehandlers. Its tallest machine reaches 43 meters. They now have a portfolio of 5,000 clients, both national and international, from sectors as varied as industry, logistics, construction, entertainment, assemblers and painters. “We rent from one day to up to five years, both for specific and long-term needs. To guarantee safety, in addition to maintenance and repairs, we carry out annual and triannual reviews certified by an external audit.”
In addition to the headquarters, they have those in Vic, Girona, Tarragona and Lleida to enhance proximity. The added value to its customers is “a quick response, both in advising on the machine that best suits their needs, as well as in punctuality of delivery and immediate resolution of breakdowns,” says Toni Arauz, technical manager. They expect to go from 21,000 movements in 2022 to 24,000 this year (12.5%). In September it was recognized as the forklift company of the year by the Movicarga Lifting awards in Madrid, a benchmark in the sector.
The firm has made an important commitment to innovation. “Since 2008, our machines have been geolocated and connected with mobility applications, which facilitate the tasks of both the technical and logistics departments,” explains Arauz. The change has also allowed them to “improve processes and be more efficient.” In 2020 they incorporated new ERP management software. The improvement of the fleet is constant: “every year we invest an average of two million euros in machinery, despite the fact that with the latest crises – material, energy… – the price has risen by 20%,” laments Gabarró. .
At the party celebrating the 50th anniversary, Ramón Gabarró announced that his daughter Sofia will be the new executive president.
