The ‘rapid response team’

For smaller architectural projects that require a fast and uncomplicated solution, Deutsche Werkstätten has the perfect answer: an expert team of craftsmen at an external site that can be commissioned at short notice and deliver to tight deadlines.

What was originally referred to internally as the ‘rapid response team’, was once a group of highly-skilled cabinetmakers working for a small company in Ohorn Saxony. When the previous owner went into retirement in 2008, he was happy to hand over the reins to Deutsche Werkstätten.

Thomas Milkuhn recalls "The key term here is rapid response team. And that is exactly what we became. Ideal for small projects or some legwork. It turned out that there was a need for this both nationally and internationally: a bedroom in Berlin, apartments in Munich, Potsdam and Kaliningrad, a conference table in Shanghai.” Thomas Milkuhn remembers how exciting it was for him and his colleagues to work on construction sites all over the world.

“Whereas large-scale projects require numerous experts and consequently a greater division of labour, smaller projects have the advantage that the interfaces are limited to just one or two people. This saves time and costs. Quality is never compromised.” In addition to its own projects, the team also works for other units within the company such as Deutsche Werkstätten Lebensräume, also founded in 2008, and producing individual parts for yacht interiors.

The new production facilities in Großröhrsdorf © Photo: PR DW/Juliane Richter

In the meantime, an increased workload has made considerable expansion and a move to a new site necessary. Since mid-2020, the rapid response team which has now grown to 25 skilled cabinet makers has been working in the new DW purpose-built production site in Großröhrsdorf.

Editorial note: This article was published in 2020.