Hardick & Seckel Factory
Encyclopedia
Hardick & Seckel was a textile
factory
in the town of Enschede
, the Netherlands
believed to have been built in the late 19th century, which emerged from two textile factories, a silk
factory and a horse product
factory.
The fierce competition in the textile industry caused many factories to go bankrupt, close or move their businesses elsewhere. Hardick & Seckel was combined with a number of other factories which were bought by the municipality
of Enschede. The property continued to be used by local companies for many years until it was allowed to stand largely empty. In 1984 a new lease through an initiative of a few municipal officials saw the renovation of the site for use as a "business centre". The building was renovated and adapted to the modern requirements, financially supported by the European Union
.
The Hardick & Seckel complex consisted of three main buildings. The buildings were divided into several business units, offices and storage units. From 1985 to 1987 the company operated at a loss but the following 20 years it operated profitably. This continued until May 2006 with help from the Entrepreneurs Foundation Centers Enschede (SOCE).
In 1997 the Enschede municipality initiated a plan to close Hardick & Seckel. The entrepreneurs were not part of that plan and were to be removed from the area. After resistance by the incumbent operators in the building, by the council
and the college
, a final agreement reached in 1998 meant Hardick & Seckel remained there as a business centre. It was a long road to keep the business complex open, but the buildings proved popular. Eventually in 2001 the alterations and adjustments were completed.
Hardick & Seckel proved to still be in the attention of the municipality
of Enschede. By the end of 2006, the complex, together with the surrounding plots (a total business area of 5 hectares) was brought into disrepute again. There was talk of a loss of €250,000 per year. For that reason, Hardick & Seckel closed. In 2003 the companies occupying the space were operating profitably, but after the introduction of the Rent System companies found it hard to continue. The area is to be demolished in the last quarter of 2009 for redevelopment.
Textile
A textile or cloth is a flexible woven material consisting of a network of natural or artificial fibres often referred to as thread or yarn. Yarn is produced by spinning raw fibres of wool, flax, cotton, or other material to produce long strands...
factory
Factory
A factory or manufacturing plant is an industrial building where laborers manufacture goods or supervise machines processing one product into another. Most modern factories have large warehouses or warehouse-like facilities that contain heavy equipment used for assembly line production...
in the town of Enschede
Enschede
Enschede , also known as Eanske in the local dialect of Twents, is a municipality and a city in the eastern Netherlands in the province of Overijssel and in the Twente region...
, the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
believed to have been built in the late 19th century, which emerged from two textile factories, a silk
Silk
Silk is a natural protein fiber, some forms of which can be woven into textiles. The best-known type of silk is obtained from the cocoons of the larvae of the mulberry silkworm Bombyx mori reared in captivity...
factory and a horse product
Manure
Manure is organic matter used as organic fertilizer in agriculture. Manures contribute to the fertility of the soil by adding organic matter and nutrients, such as nitrogen, that are trapped by bacteria in the soil...
factory.
The fierce competition in the textile industry caused many factories to go bankrupt, close or move their businesses elsewhere. Hardick & Seckel was combined with a number of other factories which were bought by the municipality
Municipality
A municipality is essentially an urban administrative division having corporate status and usually powers of self-government. It can also be used to mean the governing body of a municipality. A municipality is a general-purpose administrative subdivision, as opposed to a special-purpose district...
of Enschede. The property continued to be used by local companies for many years until it was allowed to stand largely empty. In 1984 a new lease through an initiative of a few municipal officials saw the renovation of the site for use as a "business centre". The building was renovated and adapted to the modern requirements, financially supported by the European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
.
The Hardick & Seckel complex consisted of three main buildings. The buildings were divided into several business units, offices and storage units. From 1985 to 1987 the company operated at a loss but the following 20 years it operated profitably. This continued until May 2006 with help from the Entrepreneurs Foundation Centers Enschede (SOCE).
In 1997 the Enschede municipality initiated a plan to close Hardick & Seckel. The entrepreneurs were not part of that plan and were to be removed from the area. After resistance by the incumbent operators in the building, by the council
Town council
A town council is a democratically elected form of government for small municipalities or civil parishes. A council may serve as both the representative and executive branch....
and the college
College
A college is an educational institution or a constituent part of an educational institution. Usage varies in English-speaking nations...
, a final agreement reached in 1998 meant Hardick & Seckel remained there as a business centre. It was a long road to keep the business complex open, but the buildings proved popular. Eventually in 2001 the alterations and adjustments were completed.
Hardick & Seckel proved to still be in the attention of the municipality
Municipality
A municipality is essentially an urban administrative division having corporate status and usually powers of self-government. It can also be used to mean the governing body of a municipality. A municipality is a general-purpose administrative subdivision, as opposed to a special-purpose district...
of Enschede. By the end of 2006, the complex, together with the surrounding plots (a total business area of 5 hectares) was brought into disrepute again. There was talk of a loss of €250,000 per year. For that reason, Hardick & Seckel closed. In 2003 the companies occupying the space were operating profitably, but after the introduction of the Rent System companies found it hard to continue. The area is to be demolished in the last quarter of 2009 for redevelopment.