“At the beginning we were sceptical whether we would be able to generate any real advantage through working together, but then we were surprised by the contractual terms and conditions GFL presented us with.” Alexandra Laufer-Müller, Managing Director, AP&S International GmbH

AP&S is a medium-sized engineering company located in the Black Forest. As is common in their industry, they often work with guarantees. As a result, AP&S have been using various types of guarantees for years, which until recently had been arranged directly through their bank. As there had always been adequate lines in place and the working relationship was good, the Managing Director didn’t see any reason to make changes at that point in time.  

AP&S is a leading provider of batch and single wafer wet process solutions for surface treatment of substrates under cleanroom conditions. Based in Donaueschingen, the company’s tools are used worldwide in the research and development sector as well as the semi-conductor, MEMS and micro-structuring industries. The company now has 150 employees, not just in Germany but also in China, Singapore, Malaysia and Italy.  

From scepticism to enthusiasm

The engineering company and GFL have been in regular contact with each other over a long period of time.  The working relationship began not from necessity but rather from AP&S’s growing business looking to further enhance its financing at which point the company management decided to set a test: GFL was offered the opportunity to present surety insurance company solutions and they were really well received by the company: “At the beginning we were sceptical whether we would be able to generate any real advantage through working together” said Alexandra Laufer-Müller retrospectively, “but then we were surprised by the contractual terms and conditions GFL presented us with. The breadth of market presence was also astonishing and ultimately convinced us.”

The working relationship has been in place for almost two years now. During this period, GFL’s experts have managed to impress AP&S through full implementation of their commitments resulting in the realisation of clear benefits. At present, the company’s management and GFL are working together to build further on the relationship. Ultimately it has been really successful, confirmed Andrea Adler, Management Assistant for AP&S: “Working with genuine professionals has really helped the business.”