History

Company History

Hermann Engel, the founder of the company was a fisherman. He started his professional career as apprentice at Otto Rosengarten’s freshwater fishing company at the city of Waren / Müritz in the year 1922 with examination in 1925. After 6 years of service as journeyman he passed the master fisherman examination at the Chamber of Agriculture in Mecklenburg-Schwerin in 1931.

In the year 1935 Hermann Engel started his own freshwater fishing company at Dramburg / Pommern and expanded it to one of the largest and most modern fishing enterprises in that province.

With the end of World War II in 1945 the province Pommern was taken over by Poland and he lost his business. For some years he took a job as manager of a net loft at Glückstadt at the river Elbe before he decided to establish his own business in manufacturing fishing nets.

ENGEL-NETZE for more than 50 years

On May 1951 his company was registered as Hermann Engel Fishing Net Manufacture at the city of Kiel. The first few years working in small rented lofts or basements and without working capital have been a tough time for him. In 1954 his elder son Hans-Hermann Engel began his professional career in his father’s company as apprentice in net manufacturing. The second son Manfred Engel, after his examination as Ship’s Chandler joined the company in 1959.

With the establishments of branches at the fishing centres Büsum and Cuxhaven at the North Sea coast the company has been continuously expanded.

1969 the main plant and head office has been moved from Kiel to Germany’s largest fishing centre at Bremerhaven. In 1971 at the age of 65 Hermann Engel retired. Since then in second generation the company has been managed and owned by Hans-Hermann and Manfred Engel. The third generation with Michael and Markus Engel, the sons of Manfred Engel, joined the company in 2007 and 2008. In the summer of 2009, as successors of their father, they took over his shares and the company ENGEL-NETZE is managed and owned by Hans-Hermann, Michael and Markus Engel. Manfred Engel still is available as consultant to the company.

The real estate at Bremerhaven covers an area of 7600 square metres with 4400 square metres of factory and office buildings.

In the factory fishing gear is being assembled and mounted and in the warehouse more than 5000 different items for professional fishermen are kept available ex shelf.

Nowadays fishing gear is being shipped via Germany’s largest container terminal at Bremerhaven to customers all over the world while customers in Europe are supplied by parcel services or forwarding agents.

ENGEL-NETZE today are one of the most versatile and comprehensive suppliers of fishing gear in Europe.