Company Chronicle

In order to be even closer to the action in the port, the office was moved from Schlachte in Bremen to Weserbahnhof. In addition to classical cargo measurement, the team also takes over cargo control there. Thanks to a stable order situation and the economic upswing, the need for personnel is growing continuously. The permanent staff is continuously increased and additional helpers flexibly compensate for order peaks.

The First World War brought operations almost to a standstill. The order situation was poor, and instead of profits, the company recorded significant losses. After the end of the war, there was initially hope for economic recovery. But things turned out differently. The inflation of the early 1920s posed enormous challenges for the German economy and also for the company. It was not until years later that the situation slowly stabilized and regular connections to North America could be resumed. Nevertheless, the economic environment remained volatile, and the future was viewed with increasing caution.

On March 25, 1925, Gustav Addicks died at the age of 58. With his death, Addicks & Kreye loses a formative personality. Georg Kreye senior then takes over the sole management and continues to lead the company through economically challenging times with foresight and consistency.

Business developed so positively that a new office was set up in the administration building of the Überseehafen. The previous location in Europahafen remained in place. Georg Kreye senior died on June 22, 1927. Previously, he had introduced his son Georg Kreye junior to the management of the company and had already managed the company’s fortunes together with him. After the death of the founder, Georg Kreye junior and the long-time authorized signatory Heinrich Grunwald jointly took over the management and led the company with vigor and continuity into the next phase of its development.

On February 16, 1933, Johann Heinrich Grunwald died completely unexpectedly at the age of 46. With him, the company not only loses a long-time authorized signatory and managing director, but is also left without a sworn cargo measurer at short notice, a central prerequisite for the business activities at that time. Georg Kreye junior reacts decisively: He immediately applies for certification and is officially sworn in as a cargo measurer on March 10, 1933. Since then, he has continued to run the company on his own responsibility. With foresight, commitment and the ambition to continue the legacy of the founders in a worthy manner.

In 1935, the company moved into a new office at Lloydstraße 121, a central location that proved to be a great advantage at the time. The order situation continued to develop positively and the volume of work steadily increased. However, the situation changed dramatically again with the outbreak of the Second World War. Conscriptions decimated the team and operations had to be continued under difficult conditions. In the period that followed, the American armed forces organized parts of their supply transports via Bremen, a circumstance that continued to secure employment for the company despite the difficult time.

In 1946, Theodor Braunschweiger was appointed as an authorized signatory. Together with him and the dedicated team of employees, Georg Kreye junior moved into new business premises in Tilsiter Straße, an important step for the reconstruction of the company after the war years. Just four years later, in 1958, Addicks & Kreye was already able to look back on its first major milestone: The 50th anniversary of the company was celebrated.