A beacon of confidence for 125 years

For agriculture and industry

With its focus on complete relief, Hilaire Van der Haeghe NV is a reliable partner for purchase or rental of material handling machines. True to the values of a family business, service and trust are key words. There is no doubt that customers appreciate this approach.

It's a year of celebration at HH Industry, part of Hilaire Van der Haeghe NV. Exactly 125 years ago
Hilaire Van der Haeghe returned to Flanders after an American adventure in search of new technologies. In his suitcase were licenses that allowed him to distribute washing machines and wringers, the forerunner of the dryer, here. Hilaire Van der Haeghe NV was born and found shelter in a small store at the Central Station in Antwerp. 

Around the turbulent war years, the second generation came to the helm. This laid the foundation for the branches of agriculture and industry in which the company is still active today. Today, Jean-Christophe Smeets is the fourth generation to lead the family business. And the preference for the highest quality standards is still in the DNA of the organization.

Exclusive brands

"Washing machines and wringers are no longer distributed, but the company's name and fame have grown solidly. True to our founder's philosophy, we are still sole importers of exclusive brands. In the agricultural and horticultural branches we work with a sophisticated dealer network, in industry we opted for a direct market approach strategy with the end customer," says Michel De Maeyer, Business Unit Manager HH Industry. 

Four business units

Under the wings of Van der Haeghe NV today houses four entities. "HH Agri is an importer of Fendt, the German market leader for tractors, and Amazone, which makes seeding and planting machines. 

HH Garden is there for professional horticulturists and landscapers, and for green services and municipalities there is their subsidiary HH Municipal, offering everything from lawn mowers over compact tractors to street sweepers. Third agricultural branch is the AG-Tec located in Fernelmont, near Namur, which houses the large tractors and harvesters of the Claas brand. 

Finally, HH Industry is its youngest member, founded in 1947. Originally, its core business was road machinery and bulldozers. In the 1960s we switched to material handling with forklifts from the American company Allis-Chalmers. When they decided not to continue the forklift division in Europe, in 1984 we started distributing American Yale, which has a very wide range of stackers, order pickers, light and heavy lift trucks and narrow aisle trucks, among others. Yale is top three in the U.S. and pioneered the forklift industry more than 120 years ago with, among other things, the first electric forklift. So the company is not only about the same age as Van der Haeghe, but also excels in innovation and vision for the future."

Quick service

Two more brands were added to HH Industry's portfolio two years ago. Addax is the Belgian manufacturer of light electric commercial vehicles that can be used for various logistics tasks in industry and distribution. 

German company Adladus, Latin for helper, makes industrial cleaning robots that fully autonomously and programmably scrub and sweep large areas such as airports and warehouses. "We approach the market directly with our own sales team that relies very heavily on demonstrations. Testing is usually buying." In addition to new machines, there is also a certified pre-owned offering. 

These are own brand machines that come back from leasing and are offered back with warranty after a complete makeover. Ideal for smaller companies, the self-employed or customers with sporadic use. "New or used, leased or purchased, the customer can always count on fast service. In 98% of cases we are there the same day or the day after. That fast service, together with our premium equipment is the key to our success. By the way, customers can also come to us for short-term or long-term rentals," Michel adds. ■