Appie van Beek
Eigenaar, Hijsen in het Nauw
Together with a great team, we are out every day delivering great work with the Hoeflon mini cranes.
In conversation with
Hijsen in het Nauw Hijsen in het Nauw rents mini cranes, both manned and unmanned. The company also has several truck-mounted cranes used for lifting operations. However, the main focus is the rental of mini cranes. Hijsen in het Nauw is located in Veenendaal, and the company also has an office in Germany, ‘Heben in der Enge’ in Erftstadt.
Starting with Hoeflon Appie had already used Hoeflon mini cranes extensively as a freelancer for his work with Van Pommeren Las & Montage. “We used to rent mini cranes for projects. In 2012, there were very few mini cranes available. We had a project in Oegstgeest where we had to lift stairs. We thought we could get it done in one day. But in the end, we couldn’t finish it that day, and we couldn’t rent the crane for another day. It happened several times that we had to call around to find another crane.” After several visits to Hoeflon in Barneveld, Leendert van Pommeren and Appie van Beek decided to purchase their first C10 mini crane and Dolly D12. Since these couldn’t be used 100% of the time, they decided to set up a BV (limited company) to also offer these products for rental.
“We got our first C6 in April 2014. In 2015, we purchased our second crane, and things really took off around 2018. Right now, we have around 20 Hoeflon cranes.”
The way we communicate with each other, the excellent service, and the proactive thinking from Hoeflon as a supplier ensure that we can fully focus on our work.
Rising demand In 2014, the economy flourished, and there was a growing market. Previously, mini cranes were almost unheard of. "We quickly noticed a large demand for mini cranes, and we are still seeing increasing demand. Even now, some people in the construction world still view a mini crane as an unfamiliar concept.
Our first C10 traveled all over Europe. There was simply very little supply. We are still growing in total solutions and see a significant growth opportunity in Germany. Many more rental companies have joined, but there's still room for everyone to rent out the cranes."
Where are our machines used? "Primarily for glass and steel. We are also increasingly focusing on the industrial sector.
There is still a lot to gain in the industry and factories in the Netherlands. Many people still don’t know that mini cranes exist. We also lift a lot of concrete stairs and have acquired special tools for that."
Electric mini cranes "Electric is the way to go. It’s so much easier to work with. Previously, for example, you were in a sports hall, and you had to make more effort to communicate effectively. Nobody wants to walk up and down all the time. This is truly golden. It's also much safer, and no one gets frustrated. Accidents often happen due to communication problems, I believe. I am 100% in favor of electric mini cranes.
We also notice that customers are really interested in the sustainability aspect. Some companies want to build 100% CO2-free."
The future of Hijsen in het Nauw "I want to focus entirely on quality. Just going that extra step for the customer. We want to grow more in the unmanned sector and fully relieve our customers, where there is real demand. We also want to expand in Germany. This will require the necessary attention."
The future with Hoeflon At Hijsen in het Nauw, they are extremely satisfied with the collaboration with Hoeflon: "The way we communicate with each other, the excellent service, and the proactive thinking from Hoeflon as a supplier ensure that we can fully focus on our work. These factors will keep us buying machines from Hoeflon in the future," says Appie van Beek.