Our Story

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1920

1920

Great grandfather Frans Sarens was a farmer who used a horse and cart for forestry works and the transport of trees. That is how it began, in the thirties, in Flanders, Belgium; one man and his twelve children, who started working with him as soon as they graduated school.

1930

1930

1950

The horse and cart soon became a truck, and then a cart again due to the lack of fuel during the war years. Wooden wheels eventually made way for rubber tires, and the horses were progressively replaced by engines.

The means were always adapted to the needs of our clients.

1955

1955

September 2nd

Sarens De Coster is founded. Sarens is born.

1958

1958

We participate in the World Expo in Brussels.

1960

1960s

We begin progressively investing in new equipment and technologies and steadily grow in Belgium.

1970

1970s

We incorporate our first barges and Self Propelled Modular Trailers (SPMTs) to our fleet. We also begin offering services in the UK.

1980

1980s

We enter the Netherlands which, to this day, is one of our strongest Business Units.

1990

1990s

The first wind turbine erections are completed. We also enter Germany, Poland, and Thailand.

1980

2000s

We are appointed a series of breakthrough projects worldwide. In New Caledonia, we undertake and complete one of our more complex projects in our history thus far by deploying the CC8800.

1980

2010s

Some of our most noteworthy projects were our appointment to move the Endeavor space ship in the US, to place the roof of the Flamanville Nuclear plant in France, and the completion of the largest project in Sarens history from our client Tengizchevronoil. Sarens now owns the Sarens Giant Crane SGC-120 and the SGC-140: two spectacular massive cranes that are widely regarded as pioneering containerisable machines that can serve clients globally.

2020

2020s

Sarens launches the largest crane in the world, the spectacular SGC-250. We name it “Big Carl” after Carl Sarens, Director of Technical Solutions, Projects & Engineering. The crane’s first assignment was at the nuclear station Hinkley Point C in the UK.

Our mission to accelerate the energy transition brings us to launch yet another giant ring crane, but a very green one this time: the SGC-90. Nicknamed “Little Celeste”, Sarens’ new electric crane can generate its own power and is very silent. 

What started as a family business is now a multinational group with 100 offices on five continents and over 4.000 employees globally. Continuous investments and equipment innovation is one of our top priorities for our clients. We are now involved in the greatest heavy lifting and engineered transport projects ever to be appointed in history. Sarens is now a global leader and reference in crane rental services, heavy lifting, and engineered transport.

The Sarens way has always been simple and sophisticated, just like when we started in the beginning of the 20th century. First, we analyse the client's need and seek a suitable technical solution. Then, we flawlessly execute the operation with safety always in mind.

Today, our expert engineers from across the world, our cutting edge and ever-evolving equipment, our impeccable safety standards, and our geographic footprint, combined with our years of experience make of us today the global leader and reference in crane rental services, heavy lifting, and engineered transport.

See a snapshot of our story here!