Vanhauwaert machinery since 1892

Edmond Vanhauwaert starts a blacksmith shop & café. Small repairs / shoeing of horses / repair of cart wheels…

Another location is found; several machine tools are powered by gas engines. Numerous repairs are made in flax factories.

New larger location with pub. First mechanical flax breakers and scutching mills, powered by steam engines. Multiple employees recruited. Search for an even larger location. Almost no activity during WWI.

Construction of large residence and workshop in Gasthuisstraat where the firm remains until 1992.

First large-scale test of scutching mill.

Extension of the workshop. Establishment of Vanhauwaert brothers. Fabrication of flax machines, linseed mills, … Some 35 employees employed.

Great economic depression crisis period.

Establishment of PVBA construction company VANHAUWAERT.

Many flax processing plants are sold worldwide (England, France, Canada, Egypt, Argentina).

WWII; no or little activity in the flax sector.

Flax processing plants.

Expansion of workshop to include a plate workshop and assembly hall.

Establishment of sister company: KUMECO PVBA.
Activity: fuel tanks, silos, gears ...

These years are the glory years in the history of the company with a staff of  approximately 160 people. Our flax processing projects are sold all over the world.

Continued work in the flax sector, and diversification into sideline activities in case of a downturn in the flax industry. These included air conditioning installation in swimming pools and public buildings and projects in the numerous textile companies in the area.

A period of consolidation, with delivery of many customized orders for larger investment projects, e.g. Volvo cars Gent, Stora Gent, Concordia Waregem,…

Establishment of BVBA FIBERAL management company - collaboration with Cimbria Holland and Cimbria Denmark on Seed Cleaning projects in the flax sector.

Established a completely new 1 ha site in the industrial zone in Kuurne. (Former farm Soetaert)

Continued innovative contributions to core business of flax processing machines.

A period of great innovation. Complete flax plants are sold and prospecting is undertaken for other natural fibres.

Expansion of machine park & workshop to approximately 1000 m².

Investment in research into optimising the processing of short fibres. First successful test of machinery for seed recovery in loam, and expansion in the sales of flax processing lines.

Further investments in machinery & innovations follow.