Horn-u-Copia's Display of Makers

Timeline:

• 1887 Matthias Kessels starts his repair shop.
• 1889 He starts manufacturing brass instruments under the name: Nederlandse Fabriek van Muziekinstrumenten
• 1894 He aquires P. van Osch Company
• 1903 He begins a financial partnership with Hoosemans under the name: NV Koninklijke Nederlandsche Fabriek van Muziekinstrumenten
• 1907 An English Partner orders 900 Pianos
• 1908 The Pianos are ready but the English proves unreliable causing financial problems. Kessels breaks up the partnership with Hoosemans, the English Agent was Hoosemans idea, and Kessels finds a new financial parner. He changes the name to NV Kessels Koninklijke Nederlandsche Fabriek van Muziekinstrumenten, but the financial problems continue.
• 1913 Kessels gets permission to use the Koninklijke (Royal) in the name of his factory
• 1914 The name is changed to: NV Koninklijke Koninklijke Nederlandsche Fabriek van Muziekinstrumenten voorheen M.J.H. Kessels. The Director of his Bank, van Ommeren, wants to add a second Director to the Firm. When Kessels refuses, he is dismissed. The Bank puts Willem Konig in the position of Director but because of the first World War and the fact that they no longer have the expertise of Kessels, the firm continues to struggle.

• 1915 MJH Kessels starts a new factory right across the street of the Konefa building
• 1924 Chairholders decide to close the factory. The same day a new NV Nederlandsche Fabriek van Muziekinstrumenten Konefa is started under Konig
• 1930 Konig splits the firm into a instrument factory and publishing company and moves publishing to Hague. The instrument factory is taken over by 4 employees named Vlamickx, Bladel, Eyffert and Gorp. They call the factory V.B.E.G. and although they officially own the factory, Konig lent them the money, so he is still in charge.
• 1939 NV Konefa factory closes because of bankruptcy
• 1915 Kessels starts a new factory named Nederlandsche Fabriek van Muziekinstrumenten. He also starts a new publishing company
• 1931 Kessels is forced to change the factory name and it changes into Nationale Fabriek van Muziekinstrumenten
• 1932 Kessels dies. Mathieu Jr. takes over the factory. It is unclear how successful he is.
• He moves the business to a little Castle in the town of Grathem. Another son, Paul, takes over the publishing company. It closes in 1958.

• 1931 Kessels third son, Hendrik, starts his own factory named Muziekinstrumentenfabriek Kessels in the Hague which is is financed by his wife and her mother.
• 1934 Hendrik moves his business to Maastricht
• 1940 Hendrik acquires the old Konefa building to house the Kessels Vereenigde Muziekinstrumentenfabriek
• 1954 The factory is closed
• 1956 Hendrik continued in the old Konefa building. The business failed not because of poor craftsmanship, rather poor business practices.

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