From family-owned
craft business
to global market leader

For over 120 years, the expertise in boat building has been passed down through generations. Here, innovation and tradition come together.

Fresh
breeze at HATECKE

With Dr. Hannes Hatecke (Chief Technology Officer) and Markus Hatecke (Head of Manufacturing) gradually taking over the family business, the 5th generation of the family is assuming control.

Krischan Oltmann will continue to lead global service activities as Head of After Sales. Peter Hatecke (Chief Sales Officer), who has transformed the company into an international market leader since 1983, will now dedicate himself to his passion – the individual care of cruise customers.

Mandus Witt has been accompanying the digital transformation of the company group, strengthening the employer brand and risk management across all areas as Chief Executive Officer since 2022. He is responsible for Finance & Legal, Human Resources, IT, Data & Digitization, and Supply Chain Management.

300

Employees

120

Years of experience

9

Workshops

1

Family

What HATECKE stands for today

RESPONSIBILITY...

…towards our customers, employees, the environment and our shareholders. Our products are designed to save lives in emergency situations at sea – that’s our commitment.

FAMILY...

…means for us that we can rely on each other, support one another while working towards the same goal. We respect each other and our business partners and act with foresight and sustainability.

INNOVATION...​

…in our products, work processes and our thinking. We are constantly developing ourselves and our products, responding to the individual needs of our customers and ensuring our competitiveness.

Reliability...

…is key. We keep our commitments to our business partners, colleagues and leaders. We meet deadlines and honor our promises.

Quality for over 120 years:
Our history

Since 1903, we have been developing solutions for our clients, ensuring safety on the high seas.

1903:

Wilhelm Hatecke establishes shipyard in Dornbusch.

In the beginning, the work focuses on repairing and building wooden boats.

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1937:

Naval architect Ernst Hatecke takes the helm and assumes responsibility for the steadily expanding company, which primarily manufactures rescue and professional boats.


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1963:

The management was handed over to shipbuilding engineer Helmut Hatecke.
The introduction of glass fiber reinforced-plastics marks the beginning of a new era for the company.

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1970:

To meet the market demand for plastic boats, the company builds new production facilities in Krautsand, directly on the Elbe. This marks the beginning of series production of boats.

1983

The company develops the first free-fall lifeboat recognized by the German Sea Occupational Association. In the mid-1980s, the brothers Jan and Peter Hatecke took over the responsibility for the company in the fourth generation. They begin to expand production by building a workshop for the fabrication of glassfiber-reinforced plastics and a workshop for steel construction. Now, the company focuses on the series production of lifeboats and davits. Under the leadership of Jan and Peter, the company has become the world’s leading manufacturer of free-fall lifeboats.

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2005

Peter Hatecke becomes the sole owner and is now responsible for strategic decisions within the company.

The company enters the cruise market. Hatecke Service GmbH is founded, handling all after-sales activities.

Today

Through perseverance, down-to-earthness and innovation, the family business has become the market leader for lifeboats in cruise shipping.

With the transition of the HATECKE group into the 5th generation of the family, the transformation of the family business was initiated under the guiding principle of “HATECKE nextGeneration”. The distribution of responsibility was made future-proof as part of a reorganization. 

In addition to the planned transfer of company shares to Dr. Hannes Hatecke and Markus Hatecke and the addition of Mandus Witt to the management board, this means a change in the company culture and our values towards more individual responsibility and participation by each employee. 

The transformation is supported by a structured, multi-year action program that ensures the digital transformation, risk management, process optimization as well as our attractiveness as an employer. 

The decarbonization of our German production site and our product portfolio are a priority of action plan. Herewith, we are ensuring the competitiveness and resilience of our family-owned business in a challenging, volatile market environment, without overburdening our business partners and employees.

HATECKE wins the Lower Saxony Foreign Trade Award 2024

With an export share of over 80%, HATECKE emerged as the winner in the category of “small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs)”. Have a look at the video about HATECKE to gain an insight into our family business: