Dehler Yachts of Germany in Administration

Dehler goes under

By Practical Boat Owner

Dehler Yachts, Germany's third-largest boatbuilder, went into administration today.

A recent bank guarantee by the government of the state of North Rhine-Westfalia did not succeed in preventing the company from going under.

Workers at the factory, located in Meschede-Freienohl (Sauerland, Germany), were informed of the situation today by CEO Wilan van den Berg. Dehler has been building sailing yachts, popular with British boat owners, for more than 40 years.

UPDATE

'Unfair' banks pulled rug on Dehler

By IBI Magazine/Yachting Monthly

Dehler Yachts went into administration on Tuesday, with orders for 200 boats, a slimmed down production line and a beefed up workforce, because the banks demanded their cash back."It's really unfair, but we hope there will be a future," Udo Erbe, head of the company's research and development department, told IBI's sister publication Yachting Monthly.

"There are new people who want to invest and we plan to make a comeback for Dehler Yachts, the yard and the dealerships. There is a chance to survive this."Dehler Yachts is planning to have boats on display at the London Boat Show at ExCel in January.

"It's really a pity that the banks wanted to jump out of the project because we are now ready with the boat and the designs.

"Udo admitted that the company was a victim of its own success. Its growth over the last four years had seen the company overstretch itself. Dehler in 2005 had 90 employees and 100 boats to build. By 2008 it had 230 employees, but although the company had 200 boats to build the yard was not ready to handle the increase. But in recent weeks Dehler had made the production system more efficient. Alas, not in time to survive the credit crunch paranoia.

(18 December 2008)