You Croo & Brauns
Du Croo & Brauns was the name of a Dutch machine factory, the forerunner of which was founded in 1906 by Engelbert Adolf Du Croo .
founding
In 1907 Du Croo, who had already made a name for himself as an importer and exporter of narrow-gauge rail vehicles, entered into a partnership with his former fellow student, Pieter Johan Christiaan Brauns . The company built a commercial building on leased property in Amsterdam North , on Valkenweg. The company grew and even opened an office in London .
extension
In 1917 an independent subsidiary, NV Constructionwerkplaatsen, v / h Du Croo & Brauns, was founded in Weesp under the management of AGP Harting . This company was engaged in the construction of steam locomotives. Other products were manufactured under the brand name Ducrobra . The company in Weesp did not start operating until 1921 and delivered its first locomotive in 1923. 200 locomotives were built in the first seven years.
In the meantime, the parent company expanded and took over two machine factories in the Dutch East Indies : De Volharding in Soerabaya and Kalimas in Amsterdam . The company had grown too quickly and got into financial difficulties. In 1926 part of the company premises in Weesp was sold, in 1930 the parent company went bankrupt.
The company in Weesp then took over the company buildings and activities in Amsterdam, while work in Weesp was largely stopped. Not least because of this, it was decided in 1937 to concentrate activities in Amsterdam. Construction work such as bridge construction became an important pillar of the company. Steam cranes and rollers were also manufactured. During the German occupation, tractors were made alongside cranes and moving bridges.
post war period
In 1947 NV Smalspoorwerkplaatsen Ducrobrauns-Lindeteves (Ducrolinde for short) was founded in cooperation with Linde-Teves & Stokvis for the sale of narrow-gauge railway systems in Southeast Asia. The Weesp property was sold in 1946 and 1953. The 2.5 hectare industrial site in Amsterdam was used for the construction of the IJtunnels , and in 1957 the company moved to a new complex in the IJpolder / Westhaven . It already had a subsidiary under the name Westhaven.
Decline
The restart was not very happy, however. The Indonesian market collapsed and the production of narrow-gauge locomotives and devices was stopped. The supply of parts such as crawler tracks for bulldozers was not a permanent solution. In 1964 the business partner Hollandia-Kloos acquired the majority of the shares. Five years later a merger with his compatriot Jonker took place under the name Jonker-DuCroo. The joint venture existed for about 15 years. In 1984 the bankruptcy followed, Jonker-DuCroo has since expired.