20.09.2016

Arcomet celebrates 60

Tower crane rental company and manufacturer Arcomet formally celebrated its 60th anniversary at a reception on Friday.

The company was founded by Karel Theyskens and his wife on March 19th 1956 as a general supplier to Belgian coal mines. It began to manufacture equipment in 1963, but did not build its first crane until 1968, when it introduced a small self-erecting tower crane. It entered the tower crane rental market in 1987, eventually becoming one of the world’s largest tower crane rental companies.

Twin brothers Leo and Dirk Theyskens took over the business from their parents and brought in private equity shareholders in 2000 to fund a massive international expansion. Within a few years Leo was gone and then in 2007 the company faced a crisis when the venture capitalists, who owned 40 percent of the company, wanted to exit the business. By 2008 Dirk Theyskens and his management team had managed to acquire the entire share capital of the business, with the support of French investment company LFPI.

By 2014 the company was again in trouble, and had what it calls a “profound restructuring” which saw LFPI take majority control of the business, Dirk Theyskens step down as chairman to be replaced by Philippe Cohet.
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Arcomet is 60

Cohet said: “We are now two years on from our restructuring and were fortunate that our shareholders were able to provide us with sufficient breathing room to turn the tide. We have many different projects on our hands: Arcomet has just set up a joint venture in the UK with Skyline Tower Crane Services. In Germany, we are investing in our rental fleet to support the current growth in the market and we are looking to develop further in Scandinavia and Eastern Europe. Meanwhile, we are increasing our crane production in Paal-Beringen and we are working on a new, bigger and innovative self-erector.”

Thanks to our expertise,we have become well known as a reference in the construction industry, far beyond the borders of our own country. From our unique position combining manufacturing, sales and rental, we can offer customers the power of a market leader. With a rental fleet of about 1,000 cranes, we always have the right machine for every project”

“60 years is a milestone that we have reached through the dedication and of the company founders and our extraordinary team, combined with the continuous support of our customers, suppliers and financial partners.”

“In summary, Arcomet is refocusing on the Northern part of Europe, where it has solid roots in the economy and where it can make a difference with its strong brand image, combined with added value through specialised application engineering, products from tier one suppliers and a top-notch service. In addition to this, North America is a key development area through the P&J Arcomet joint venture. Of the company founders and our extraordinary team, combined with the continuous support of our customers, suppliers and financial partners. We would like to thank all of them for believing in our company and our products, regardless of the stormy weather we sometimes had to face. We are now looking towards the future and we stay committed to exceeding our customers’ expectations.”