30.03.2026

Kuiphuis acquires Van Marwijk

Dutch crane rental company Kuiphuis has acquired family owned Van Marwijk Kraanverhuur, which is based in Zoeterwoude, between Amsterdam and The Hague/ Den Haag, providing Kuiphuis with a second location in what is a busy part of the country.

The deal was completed this evening and takes effect from the start of April, no details of the transaction have been released, but we do know that Van Marwijk Kraanverhuur’s operations will be integrated into Kuiphuis, while the Van Marwijk brand and dedicated team will remain unchanged, for the foreseeable future. The deal will not only improve the company’s coverage in the west of the country, but will also significantly expand its customer base. The addition takes the number of locations that Kuiphuis operates from to eight, three of which include offices and workshops.

Kuiphuis owner Bob Bruijsten said: “We are proud to be able to add the experience and craftsmanship of Van Marwijk Kraanverhuur to our organisation. Our companies share the same values of safety, quality and a down to earth approach. Van Marwijk’s customers can now count on an even wider range of equipment and services as well as a nationwide service.”

Mart van Marwijk added: “After more than 60 years, we felt it was time to secure the future of our company. In Kuiphuis, we have found a reliable partner who shares the same passion for the trade and treats our people and customers with respect. We look to the future with confidence.”

Van Marwijk was established in 1941 as a taxi company and gradually transitioned into a garage with vehicle service and repairs. The breakdown and towing service morphed into heavier recovery operations in 1960, which, as was so often the case in those days, led to the purchase in 1965 of a mobile crane, initially for the heavier and more challenging recovery jobs. At the same time, demand for cranes began to grow rapidly as the 1960s building boom gathered pace. As a result, the family formally registered the Van Marwijk Kraanverhuur/crane rental business that same year. The company also added some very large cranes, and took on overseas contracts, and in 2008 purchased one of the first 1,200 tonne Liebherr LTM 11200-9.1s.

In 2023, the regular Van Marwijk crane business ran into financial difficulties and entered administration. Mart van Marwijk took over the business and began rebuilding the day to day crane rental operations under the Van Marwijk Hijskranen name, which will now go back to the original Van Marwijk Kraanverhuur name. While the largest cranes were sold off, the company still runs a number of lattice crawlers alongside its All Terrains.

The Kuiphuis family began their business with a grocery and cigar store in 1908, and gradually moved towards machinery and rental. The company was acquired by the current owners, the Bruijsten family, in 1985. It has grown steadily and substantially over the past 10 years or so, both organically and through acquisitions, in the Netherlands, such as - Pol Kraanbedrijf in 2018 and J&H Kraanverhuur in 2021, as well as in Germany and Poland. Today it runs a mixed fleet including a large number of mobile self-erecting tower cranes, including a number of the rare crawler mounted models from Spierings.

A tragic shared past

The families of both companies share a tragic episode in their histories, which has brought them closer together.
On the 22nd of December 1982, a charter plane crashed near Uchon in Burgundy, France, after flying into thick fog, with all passengers on board losing their lives. Among the victims were H. J. Kuiphuis, 58 and his son H. A. Kuiphuis, 18, as well as J. L. van Marwijk, 35, and his younger brother H. B. van Marwijk, 29.