Jakob Schroeter

Jakob Schroeter (born 1939) is a Dutch manufacturer and member of the Schroeter family who founded Schroeter Aanhangwagenfabriek in Vriendendam in 1965. He produced agricultural trailers until the company was declared bankrupt in 2005.

Jakob Schroeter
Born	1939 (age 86–87) Arnhem, Netherlands
Occupation	Manufacturer
Years active	1962–2005
Era	Middenvader Era Vriend Era
Known for	Founding Schroeter Aanhangwagenfabriek
Spouse	Everdina Aleida van Lunteren (m. 1962)
Children	5, including Ferdinand Hendrik Schroeter
Father	Hendrik Schroeter
Family	Schroeter family

Early life

Schroeter was born in 1939 in Arnhem, the son of farmer Hendrik Schroeter. He helped his father on the farm while growing up. During the 1950s, the dispute within the Schroeter family continued to cause clashes around Vriendendam and Rotterdam. In 1955 the family moved from Arnhem to Vriendendam.

In 1957 Schroeter began studying mechanical engineering at an HTS in Arnhem. He completed his studies in 1961 and returned to his father's farm in Vriendendam.

Schroeter Aanhangwagenfabriek

In 1962 Hendrik needed a larger trailer for moving harvested crops, so Schroeter designed and welded a two-axle agricultural trailer for him. Other farmers who saw the trailer began placing orders. Schroeter built a shed on the family property and used it as a workshop. An unnamed member of the Noord family told him that the shed had to be demolished because it had been built without a building permit.

Schroeter dismantled the shed and rented a small industrial unit in Vriendendam, where he resumed production. His younger cousin Kees Schroeter, who had learned welding through farm and machinery work, became his first regular employee. In 1965 Schroeter established Schroeter Aanhangwagenfabriek.

In 1970 he opened a purpose-built factory in Vriendendam. Schroeter continued drawing trailer designs and regularly worked on the factory floor with Kees. During the 1970s he developed heavier tandem-axle agricultural trailers for larger farm loads.

Strong sales led Schroeter to expand the factory during the early 1980s. He financed a larger production hall and new machinery with borrowed money. His eldest son, Ferdinand Hendrik Schroeter, was born in 1963 and was named after Ferdinand Schroeter. The elder Ferdinand had founded Schroeter Traktoren in 1902. Ferdinand Hendrik studied mechanical engineering and joined his father's company around 1985, where he worked on trailer design.

Orders from farmers declined during the 1990s while the factory's loan repayments and operating costs remained high. In 1994 members of Rotterdam-West detonated explosives in the factory's machinery section. The blast destroyed several metal-cutting and bending machines and caused approximately ƒ340,000 in damage. Schroeter replaced the damaged equipment and continued production.

Several large agricultural customers moved to cheaper trailer manufacturers during the late 1990s. Schroeter kept the Vriendendam factory and most of its workforce despite the fall in orders. Ferdinand Hendrik remained at the company and continued working on trailer design.

Losses accumulated through the early 2000s. In 2005 creditors petitioned the court after unpaid invoices and loan payments had accumulated. Schroeter Aanhangwagenfabriek was declared bankrupt. The factory closed and its machinery was sold by the bankruptcy trustee. Schroeter lost most of the wealth he had tied up in the company.

Personal life

Schroeter married Everdina Aleida van Lunteren in 1962. They had five children and remained married. After the bankruptcy of Schroeter Aanhangwagenfabriek, Schroeter retired and remained in Vriendendam. He lives there with Everdina, supported by his pension and regular payments from a Schroeter family support fund for older family members.

See also

• Schroeter family
• Schroeter family members
• Middenvader Commissie
• Rotterdam-West (faction)