ABOUT US.
PEOPLE, POWER AND PASSION TO BUILD ON.
The Aertssen Group is a Belgian family business, established in 1964, which has grown to one of the leading earth moving, heavy lift and heavy transport contractors in Europe. Aertssen Machinery Services (AMS) is a heavy lifting and heavy transport company active in the Middle East. Our offices are located in Qatar, UAE and Oman, but we also have activities in Egypt and Kuwait. Our Middle East crane and heavy lift division is specialized in the field of vertical and horizontal heavy transport. We provide a wide range of mobile telescopic cranes (Tandano, Liebherr), telescopic crawler cranes (Hitachi & Terex), lattice boom crawler cranes, mobile tower cranes and SPMTs (Self Propelled Modular Trailers). Furthermore we have a broad fleet of trucks and trailers.
HISTORY.
ABOUT THE PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE.
1964
It all started with an agricultural company.
Marcel Aertssen grew up in Oorderen in a family of farmers. Since his childhood he had been fascinated by the mechanisation of tractors and threshers and this fascination meant the start of a successful future.
Foundation of ‘Grondwerken Marcel Aertssen’.
When at the end of the fifties the polder village Oorderen is to disappear for the expansion of the port of Antwerp, Marcel does not let it bring him down. He buys his first grab crane and sets up ‘Grondwerken Marcel Aertssen’. Together with his wife Maria Janssens he buys a field in Laageind in Stabroek, where they build their company together.
1976
First additional National Branch in Zeebrugge
1980
Foundation of Aertssen Transport and Aertssen Kranen
1992
Foundation of Antwerp Recycling Company
2000
Foundation of Subsidiary 'Aertssen Terrassements' of Aertssen Contracting
2003
Foundation of Ship It!, Smeyers and Roll-It! (SPMT Rental)
2008
Aertssen builds a new headquarter in Belgium.
2014
Aertssen received the Lifetime Achievement Award form the Chamber of Commerce in Antwerp as exceptional company of the year.
2015
Aertssen Machinery Services has been founded in addition to Gulf Earth Moving during the Royal mission to Qatar.
GEM gained its first contract as a main contractor in Qatar. During the Royal Mission, headed by Her Royal Highness Princess Astrid, the contract was officially signed. The port of Hamad in Qatar, where production, logistics and trade are booming, will be extended by 3 km² of sites in the years ahead. It will be home to the Emiri marine base and an economic area. In addition, there will be room for housing and recreational facilities for 4,000 marines and staff.
CORPORATE RESPONSABILITY.
Aertssen is fully committed to build the future. We do so by investing in our people, the environment and our customers.
PEOPLE
Our employees are the strong foundation of our company and projects :
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Provide training to keep their know-how up-to-date and stimulate talents.
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Health policy to protect employees against disease and work-related stress, from a flu jab to ergonomic advice.
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Provide tilting cabins, adjustable seats and automatic gearshifts to reduce the physical burden on our lorry drivers.
ENVIRONMENT
An eye for the environment:
Aertssen thinks ‘green’. We do not just spare the environment, we also reduce our costs. That is why we take specific, environmentally friendly steps:
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Our newest machines and company cars consume a minimum of fuel and reduce our polluting emissions.
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Aertssen focuses on transport by water to the greatest possible extent.
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By means of solar panels and a lighting system that adapts to daylight we save on energy.
CUSTOMERS
Focus on our customers:
Together we are strong. That is why we involve our customers in the Aertssen family, by means of transparent, direct communication about our investments plans and vision for the future.