ROYAL VAN BEEST.
A CENTURY OF HEAVY LIFTING
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ROYAL VAN BEEST
I PROFILE
When things need to be lifted, customers all over the world call Royal Van Beest. Known for its premium quality lifting equipment, Royal Van Beest’s impressive portfolio of lifting, lashing and mooring fittings is trusted on the world’s most demanding work sites. Having just celebrated its centenary, this Dutch family-owned company is more optimistic about the future than ever before. Heavy Lifting Sales & Export Manager Rifat Cevahir got Richard Hagan hooked on the lifting industry.
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ince 1922, Royal Van Beest has
Celebrating the centenary
been manufacturing premium
Van Beest was established in Sliedrecht
quality lifting equipment; and
(near Rotterdam), in 1922, by Dirk Van Beest,
today, thanks to its commitment
after whom the company is named. Initially,
to excellence, quality and
all of the company’s forged products were
S
customer service, it has climbed to the top of the demanding,
sold mainly to Dutch dredging companies, such as Boskalis and Van Oord, who are nowadays still major clients.
high stakes
The family ownership and the com-
lifting game. It is
pany’s living connection to the original
deservedly now the
Van Beest family remain a key part of the
world’s leading manu-
company’s modern identity and a proud
facturer of lifting, lashing
aspect of its heritage.
and mooring fittings – such
In 2022, Van Beest celebrated its cente-
as shackles, hooks and remotely
nary with the simultaneous announcement
operated vehicle (ROV) accessories.
that it had successfully applied for the title
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ROYAL VAN BEEST
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of Royal. The application process with The
stockholding. “We carry the largest stock-
Netherlands’ Royal House began in 2021
holding in the world,” Heavy Lifting Sales &
and took over a year, involved detailed
Export Manager Rifat Cevahir revealed. “Our
audits of the company’s current and
mindset has always been to put money into
historical business practices, ownership
material rather than in the bank, because
and management. All of its past directors
when times are tough, (such as during the
were also investigated. Meanwhile, the
high demand for energy and gas due to the
Royal House even sought the Mayor of
war between Ukraine and Russia), then our
Sliedrecht’s advice on the application.
distributors must be able to trust that they’ll
Having successfully completed the pro-
be able to source their product from us no
cess, Van Beest changed its name to Royal
matter what.”
Van Beest. The Royal title reflects the com-
Royal Van Beest’s stock is securely held
pany’s reliability, integrity and ambition and
in its own warehouse, which features 13,000
further adds to the company’s credibility.
pallet places for a combined stock value of €50 million. This stockholding capacity
Doing the heavy lifting
ensures that Royal Van Beest has 97-98%
Royal Van Beest remains headquartered in
stock availability at all times.
Sliedrecht in the Netherlands, but today, its
The company is staffed by 250 employees
reach goes far beyond the town’s borders.
located worldwide, including workshop
The Green Pin® shackles are often used
teams, office and sales staff.
in major oil and gas projects and recently contributed to ADNOC’s Lightning project
Forging a new path
in the UAE, the Margin Oil Field Development
Over its 100 years in business, Royal Van
in Saudi Arabia and the Northfield East LNG
Beest has constantly evolved not only its
project in Qatar. Royal Van Beest has also
product range, but crucially, also the way
supplied projects in the Caspian Sea, Brazil
the shackle range is manufactured.
and the US. Shackles have been used for
One of the key changes it has made
topside installations, platforms or installa-
is in its switch from standard forging to
tion on the seabed.
a method known as upset forging. While
This is only possible thanks to its network
forging is traditionally a process that
of 900 distributors spanning 94 countries:
involves physically hammering or pressing
Royal Van Beest efficiently serves
a product into shape, upset forging (also
customers around the world, including
known as ‘free forming’) is an automated
ADNOC, ARAMCO, Shell, bp, ENI and Total.
process that involves locally heating
Royal Van Beest is able to fulfil demand
a metal bar and then applying pressure
uniquely efficiently thanks to its substantial
to the end of the bar in the direction of its
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ROYAL VAN BEEST
I PROFILE
axis, to bend it into its final shape – a shackle body. Parts produced using upset forging exhibit better levels of strength and soundness, while resisting deformation and breakage during use. These characteristics make such shackles ideal for applications where high performance is critical – such as the heavy-lifting industry. Shackles make up fully 80% of Royal Van Beest’s turnover, of which the standard range of shackles is manufactured in Holland in a specialised, highly automated production line. “Our upset forging line is quite unique: we have three forges that bend a solid shackle into shape, and from there we only have to drill the eye,” said Mr Cevahir. “It’s fully automated and involves minimal material loss, leading to a very competitive price.” The production lines include heat treatment and assembly, with automated inspections occurring throughout the process, ensuring that any flaws or imperfections are identified and resolved immediately. This process maintains Royal Van Beest’s extremely tight tolerance levels and it guarantees that sub-par products will never reach a customer’s warehouse.
Going green While one of Royal Van Beest’s most active markets is the oil and gas industry, it is deliberately developing new business in the wind energy market, and it’s doing that through
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smart investments in product development and in an exciting acquisition. One of Royal Van Beest’s best-selling
Thanks to these acquisitions, Royal Van Beest is now able to counter every market’s demand, including wind farm
products is its Green Pin ® shackles.
contractors: a holistic lifting solution that
Regarded as the world’s leading brand
features the company’s entire portfolio of
for premium quality lifting and lashing
lifting products from crane block to seabed.
equipment, The Green Pin ® range includes
Additionally, thanks to ongoing invest-
shackles, turnbuckles, hooks and fibre
ments in its heavy lifting hooks as well
link chains. Easily identifiable thanks to
as mooring equipment, Royal Van Beest
their trademarked green colour pin, Green
is able to offer a range of seabed mooring
Pin ® shackles are built to international
products for floating wind farms.
standards, are battle-proven, and offer
“We expect that these products
unrivalled performance and reliability. In 2017 and late 2022, Royal Van Beest
together could make us a one-stop shop for our customers,” Mr Cevahir concluded.
acquired Irizar Forge and Sling Supply
“Where contractors who need to lift
International SA (Slingsintt), both based in
a nacelle may previously have had to sep-
Spain. Irizar Forge is the expert in forging
arate the product suppliers, we are now
heavy lifting hooks and crane blocks,
able to supply everything in one project.”
while Sling Supply International is espe-
Royal Van Beest attends the ADIPEC
cially well-known for the lifting tools that
show in October every year and you
it has developed for the global wind
are cordially invited to meet the Royal
industry which are used in the lifting of
Van Beest team and discuss your
nacelles, hubs, towers and blades.
lifting requirements.
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