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Growth
through water sport
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In
April of 1950, an uninvited guest, a person whom most would prefer
to see leaving, entered the premises of Firma Ing. Karl Bernhardt
Apparatebau. It was tax inspector Carstensen, from the tax office
in Hamburg-Neustadt, who had come to carry out a routine government
audit. The head of the company, Karl Bernhardt, let out a sigh
of relief when the tax auditor submitted his report on the 24th
April regarding the company's first post-war years. In these times,
black markets and shady dealings were all too common. In Bernhardt's
company, however, there had been no unexplained increases in earnings.
Everything was in order, and accounting records were correct.
There was only a marginal note made by the tax official, that
"…expenditures slightly exceeded standard costs for
such a company, given the current post-war situation." With
understanding, however, he added "….it must be taken
into consideration that, currently, the German tax-payer is forced
to make many necessary purchases, in order to make up for losses
caused by the war." Such losses were the result of the post-war
currency reformation, and material losses from bombing.
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| Kaiser
Wilhelm II. on board of his yacht "Meteor". Although a big
sailing fan, he is not a good idol, because he never wore
a lifejacket. |
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Tax
inspector Carstensen's notes are more than entertaining anecdotes.
Here, small beginnings are documented, which, compared to today's
figures, reflect the constant upswing of the company SECUMAR.
The small staff then included only two businessmen, one master
craftsman, one apprentice, and four factory workers. Today, there
is a workforce of eighty-five people. The earnings of the company
have grown substantially as well. The company's gross earnings
in 1946 were exactly 86.471 Reichsmark. Today, however, the company's
annual gross earnings are over 8 million Euros.
The
growth of sailing as a leisure time pursuit contributed to positive
development within the company. Until the sixties the sport was
pursued by few people. When the sailing and yachting boom set
in, Jost Bernhardt was able to offer suitable, comfortable safety
with his BS 8 model lifejacket. This piece of equipment, constructed
for inland waterway sailing, was originally designed to bring
safety to boatmen without hindering their work. Yachtsmen, who
required freedom of movement when carrying out various duties
on board, were also very pleased with the compact BS 8 design.
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The
danish racing yacht "Sydjylland".
The professional crew need not be scared of wind or weather,
because they trust in SECUMAR. |
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This
basic BS 8 model was developed further. The chamber volume was
increased to ten liters to offer even greater safety reserves.
The overall look was also enhanced, as the outer part of the lifejacket
was made to look more fashionable. In 1970, the lifejackets were
complimented by a safety harness, to which safety lines could
be attached. This provided not only safety on board, but could
facilitate rescues and recovery during a man-over-board emergency.
With these products in its range, SECUMAR consistently built up
sales. Sales representatives constantly acquired new buyers. Since
then, water sports have played a large role in ensuring that the
annual number of life jackets manufactured by SECUMAR remains
in the six figures.
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The
economic upswing was not the only milestone during the seventies.
The company also moved from Hamburg to Wedel, a smaller town outside
of Hamburg. The original building in Vorsetzen, a part of Hamburg,
in the shadow of the famous St. Michaelis church, offered an ideal
site, as it was in close proximity to the port. These premises,
however, were constantly threatened by flooding. For example,
in the great storm of 1962, high tides caused floods that ruined
production rooms in the company. Furthermore, due to existing
plans by the city to build a second river Elbe tunnel, it would
have been impossible for SECUMAR to build any extensions onto
its site. Therefore, Jost Bernhardt looked in new directions,
and in 1975 acquired the former premises of a fur trader in Wedel,
who had gone bankrupt. The new workplace suited the needs of SECUMAR,
however, in order to accommodate further growth, it has expanded
even more since the move.
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