75 Years young: Verstegen celebrates three quarters of a century of excellence
(Posted on 18/06/26)
World leading manufacturer of rope operated mechanical grabs for the dry bulk industry, Verstegen Grijpers BV, has celebrated has celebrated its 75th Anniversary at a truly special event in Rotterdam.
Over 80 of Verstegen’s customers, suppliers and business partners, including IBJ, were professionally escorted on a tour of Marcor Stevedoring B.V’s facility in the Port of Rotterdam, where Verstegen grabs are in extensive use. The visit was followed by a boat tour of the port, as guests were transported, in ideal weather conditions, back to the city centre.
Marcor is a bulk terminal operator active primarily in discharge, loading, storage and treatment of dry bulk commodities including agri-bulk, biomass, concentrates and ores, industrial minerals and other bulk.
As the boat tour began, Verstegen Sales Director, Peter Visser welcomed guests and gave a brief history of the company. Verstegen began in 1951 when Jan Verstegen took over a small forge in the village Vreeswijk and started building small buckets and grabs for the local market. Following on from Jan, his son, Gerrit, took over and continued with the same vision: to build reliable, durable grabs that operators could trust.
“In the last 75 years, one thing stands out,” said Visser, “There was not a plan. We did not have a strategy to deliver grabs in more than 100 countries all over the world.”
More than 12,000 Verstegen grabs operate in more than 115 countries worldwide. Stevedores, port authorities as well as steel works and power plants use Verstegen grabs for handling all kinds of bulk materials.
“Many developments at Verstegen started with demand from a customer. We simply tried to help customers to improve their operation and more and more companies reached out to us,” continued Visser. “As our customers and the market grew, we grew with them and that is what we still do today.”
Verstegen optimises their grabs for each specific operation by looking at the materials handled, operations and specific customer wishes. High quality grabs increase productivity, reduce maintenance and minimise operational costs.
“We look forward to continuing that journey with all of you,” concluded Visser.
IBJ Publisher and Owner, Ray Girvan said, “It was wonderful celebrating this milestone with all at Verstegen and their valued contacts. I really do understand how much hard work goes into making such an event a success and the whole day was a credit to Verstegen. IBJ looks forward to covering future achievements and deeply appreciates Verstegen’s support and ongoing relationship.”
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