Harken Announces Acquisition of Its Longtime Dutch Distributor On Deck B.V.

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Harken Announces Acquisition of Its Longtime Dutch Distributor On Deck B.V.

On Deck becomes Harken’s Eighth International Subsidiary

8 September 2020 – Harken, Inc. acquired its longtime Dutch distributor On Deck B.V. on 4 September. The news of this acquisition brings together two of the most respected brands in the Dutch and international marine markets. It is part of Harken’s efforts to grow its service levels and stay as close as possible to the customer in important strategic markets while continuing its strong growth trajectory. On Deck now operates as Harken’s eighth foreign subsidiary focused on distribution and premier service to its customers.

Gratitude:

“Robbert and Luuke Verboon have been great leaders of a special company that we’ve worked with since we started building hardware in the late 60s. Under their watch, we’ve seen Harken grow into a dominant position in the Dutch marine market--both in service and in hard-earned respect of our shared customers. We’re great friends with the Verboons and are grateful for them entrusting their people to us. We won’t let them down.” -- Peter Harken, Chairman of the Board Harken, Inc.

Looking Back with Pride:

“I look back at the wonderful and exciting years working with the Harken team. We not only conquered the market together but made many new friends along the way. On Deck and Harken really belong together, so I am extremely proud that they are now bonded forever.
-- Robbert Verboon, On Deck, B.V.

Harken’s Bright Outlook:

“The Netherlands is a special market for Harken. It is a leading center for megayacht construction and has a healthy core market in both new boat construction and marine retail. Having a personal and local presence here is important for Harken’s future. There is a bright opportunity for expansion of Harken’s non-marine market with the help from On Deck’s great team. I know the leadership of On Deck is in great hands with our newest Managing Director Dennis de Bruijn and his amazing team of 20. Our future is bright.” -- Bill Goggins, CEO Harken Inc.

Building the Future Together:

“The acquisition is also good news for our customers,” says Dennis de Bruijn. “This acquisition creates new growth opportunities. In addition to our current knowledge, expertise, and reliable logistics, we now also can make use of the knowledge and expertise of Harken's broad network. In this way we can serve our customers even better and together we continue to build on the national and international future!” -- Dennis de Bruijn, Managing Director On Deck BV

About On Deck
On Deck was founded in 1969 by Olympic sailor Fred Imhoff. Initially the company was called Imhoff and was known for technical sailing clothing and at that time was already the distributor of all Harken products. The company was taken over in 1998 by Robbert Verboon. After which Robbert decided to change the name of the company to On Deck when he took over rope specialist LA84 in 2005. At the moment, more than twenty dedicated people are working every day to optimally support the customer base of approximately 1500 companies (retailers, boat builders, sailmakers, mast makers, and repair/maintenance companies) in the Benelux and surrounding areas in sales, assembly and maintenance/repair for more than 25,000 articles in its lineup.

With a large stock of products from its 28 top quality brands, On Deck delivers orders overnight every day. In addition to both the marine and industrial range of Harken, On Deck distributes the brands, Wichard, Marlow, Gotifredi Maffioli, Plastimo, Sta-Lok, Bainbridge, Sunbrella, Dan-fender, McLube, Protect Tapes, Scanstrut and many others (the complete overview can be found at https://www.on-deck.nl/merken). The five On Deck brands: Imhoff, Blue Performance, U-Rope, Ruddersafe and Trend Marine, are developed in-house and delivered worldwide by a network of distributors, agents, and dealers.

About Harken
Harken, Inc. is a leading manufacturer and distributor of innovative sailboat hardware and industrial products. Headquartered in Pewaukee, Wisconsin, Harken manufactures in the USA and Italy. Its network includes offices in 48 countries, with group offices located now in Holland, as well as existing operations in Australia, France, Italy, New Zealand, Poland, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the United States (Rhode Island, California, and Florida).

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Harken Announces Acquisition of Its Longtime Dutch Distributor On Deck B.V.

On Deck becomes Harken’s Eighth International Subsidiary

Gratitude:

Looking Back with Pride:

Harken’s Bright Outlook:

Building the Future Together:

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