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100 years of Schotel
100 years of Schottel
Inside the production site in Dörth.
BOOTH NO. 1403
EUROPORT 2021
2021 IS A SPECIAL YEAR FOR SCHOTTEL, AS 21 NOVEMBER MARKS THE 100TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE COMPANY’S FOUNDING BY JOSEF BECKER. The trained locksmith opened his workshop in a small German village on the Rhine and almost 30 years later he wrote shipping history by inventng the rudder propeller that is steerable through 360 degrees.
ALL PHOTOS COURTESY OF SCHOTTEL.
Stefan Kaul, Chief Executve Ofcer (CEO) of Schotel, says, “Our history is marked by bold decisions at the right tme and having the courage to take bigger and bigger steps. Josef Becker laid the foundaton for this in 1921. Since then, Schotel has grown contnuously with the development, producton, and sales of marine propulsion systems. Today, our propulsion solutons have made the seven seas their home. What we do, we do wholeheartedly: in all areas, according to the same high standard, all over the world.”
Powerful heritage
Afer Josef Becker established the workshop “J. Becker Maschinenbau-Werkstäte” in November 1921, he built and repaired machines for local farmers. In 1925, a move from land to water took place: he developed the sloop, a dinghy that is unsinkable due to large, permanently installed air boxes and can be rowed and turned easily. Only a few years later, Josef Becker started designing and constructng various motorboats, at that tme stll a novelty on the Rhine. To meet the growing need for space, a shipyard was built in 1934 on a nearby plot of land at Rhine kilometre 578.4 – the river secton known as Schotel.
A classic ship propulsion system
At the end of the 1940s, Josef Becker starts testng a propulsion system that would revolutonize shipping: the Schotel Rudder Propeller. As a startng point for his ideas, he took the well-known outboard drive. He fnds the soluton by using a Z-drive without >>
Stefan Kaul, CEO of Schottel
a separate rudder blade but with a propeller that can be steered 360 degrees around its own axis without any restrictons. This is the frst tme that steering and propulsion have been combined and vessels benefted from the full power of the units during manoeuvring. With this inventon, he paved the way for the company’s future. Domestc and foreign orders started pouring in quick succession. In 1967, Schotel equipped the Janus: the frst harbour tug with rudder propellers. This set of a revoluton in the push and tug boat market.
Internationalization from 1958
At the same tme, the internatonalisaton of the company progresses. In 1958, Schotel Netherlands was founded as the frst subsidiary abroad, followed by more than a dozen others worldwide. Today, Schotel is represented in all of the world’s key shipping centers. The workforce is growing, too: startng with a frst apprentce in July 1922, the internatonal Schotel Group currently employs around 850 people.
Tugs, ferries, offshore vessels
Time and again, Schotel provides the answer to current needs of the maritme industry by means of newly developed propulsion solutons. Besides the global tugboat market, in which Schotel was able to secure dominance at an early stage, the company equips numerous ferries. At the end of the 1990s, new developments for the ferry market enabled the move from the harbour basin to the high seas. During the ofshore boom, which will contnue untl
Inside the production site in Wismar.
Josef Becker, Founder of Schottel In 1967, Schottel equipped the Janus: the frst harbour tug with rudder propellers.
2015, the company secures a 20 percent market share in the ofshore supply vessel segment.
Expansion of production capacities
In 1998, Schotel took over the company Wismarer Propeller und Maschinenbau (WPM), thereby expanding its product range to include controllable pitch propellers up to 30MW. In additon, retractable as well as partcularly large SRP units are manufactured in Wismar today. When the founding locaton in Spay no longer ofered any room for expansion, a new producton site was opened in nearby Dörth in 2015. There, the traditonally high vertcal range of manufacture could be expanded and the producton capacity was increased by about 30%. Optmised producton processes, an apprentce workshop for the next generaton, a motvatng work environment and commited environmental protecton,
Production site in Wismar
make Dörth one of the most modern rudder propeller factories in the world.
Solutions for vessels of all types and sizes
With the inventon of the rudder propeller in 1950, Josef Becker laid the foundaton for Schotel becoming one of the world’s leading manufacturers of vessel propulsion systems. Decades of expertse in the feld of propulsion combined with state-of-the-art technologies have enabled Schotel to ofer a wide range of innovatve and futureoriented products and services. Today, Schotel products can be found on almost all types of vessels. In additon to Tug & Ofshore Energy and Ferries, Yachts & Passenger Vessels, the company has a stable market positon in the Merchant Vessels and Navy & Governmental segments. This applies equally to new vessels and to modernizatons. Automaton, propulsion control and hybrid propulsion systems extend the product range which is supplemented by marine services.
After sales service: keeping an eye on the entire life cycle
As already displayed by Josef Becker, customer proximity, competent advice and personal afer sales service are stll part of the Schotel philosophy today. Thanks to fast support, downtmes are reduced to a minimum and vessels are ready for operaton again in no tme. In additon to the worldwide sales and service network, customers can atend seminars to update their technical knowledge: either locally, in one of the four training centers (Spay/ Germany, Houma/USA, Singapore, Fremantle/Australia), or online.
Powerful heritage, bright future
Mr Kaul contnues, “The customer is the focus of our daily business. Those in the maritme industry who turn to Schotel have always been able to expect products and services of the highest standard. Our goal is to be the frst choice in marine propulsion solutons. To this end, we use our entre wealth of experience and all our innovatve strength to improve existng areas and expand into new ones. This and the powerful heritage of Josef Becker will help us to stay on course for a bright future. Our history is marked by bold decisions at the right tme and having the courage to take bigger and bigger steps. Josef Becker laid the foundaton for this in 1921. Since then, Schotel has grown contnuously with the development, producton, and sales of marine propulsion systems.”
