|
 The
Meyer family have been building ships since 221 years. The family company’s
success has been based on a long-term approach that aimed to develop the
technology, advance the skill-set of employees, and reinvest profits.
The basis for this success is a stable ownership structure and to ensure this
stability for the future, the family has decided to donate its shares into
family foundations. The legal form of a German family foundation is a proven
framework to ensure a long term stable ownership in a single hand supporting the
sustainable development of the shipyards in Turku, Papenburg and Warnemünde.
(Image : Bernard Meyer)
The Meyer family business has developed from a
small local shipyard in Papenburg / Germany to a global market leader in its
sophisticated niche market of cruise ships, ferries and special ships with three
shipyards in two countries. The Meyer family business has survived and thrived
over 221 years in the difficult and highly competitive global shipbuilding
market.
During all these years the demand for ships has been very volatile and the pace
of technological change has accelerated.
To survive in such a market the Meyer family employed a long-term approach to
develop the technology, advance the skills of the shipyard employees and to
reinvest profits. The basis for this all is a stable ownership for now and for
the future.
As the next family generation are entering the business: Dr. Jan Meyer (39)
since 2008 and the CEO of Meyer Turku Oy, since 2014. The in June, 2016, Tim
Meyer (34) has entered the family business as one of the managing directors at
Meyer Werft in Papenburg and Dr. Paul Meyer (33) takes over the
responsibility for the IT of the Meyer shipyards as CIO.
To this effect the Meyer family has decided to donate its shares into two family
foundations, one family foundation will be the long-term owner of Meyer Turku Oy
and the other family foundation will own the shares in the German Meyer family
companies.
The operative management will not be affected by the introduction of the
foundations.
“Family foundations are for us the ideal framework to
maintain a single and stable owner for the shipyards in Turku, Papenburg and
Warnemünde – also for future generations. By this step we want to secure the
core success factors of our long-term success and maintain the character of a
family company”, highlights Bernard Meyer. |
