History

HGG’s history began in 1984 when Piet Goverse inspired Hans Helmhout and Pieter Glijnis to develop the first mobile computer controlled pipe profiling machine. The three of them decided to establish a company designed to construct machines that allowed for the cutting of any mathematically defined profile. The aim of the new machinery was to eliminate disadvantages such as the movement of large, heavy or unmovable pipes.  

The company was named HGG, an acronym composed of the first letter of each founder's surname. A few years later, Piet Goverse and Hans Helmhout decided to change careers and sell their shares in the company to Pieter Glijnis.  With effect from 1995, management became a shareholder of HGG Holding BV.

A combination of enthusiasm, innovative thinking and hard work drove the company towards success from day one. However, the oil crisis of 1979 and the ensuing economic recession in Europe caused HGG’s growth to stagnate and forced the company to look for new opportunities. This led to the establishment of a subcontracting company for cutting activities, an initiative that proved to be highly lucrative. Synergy was born and this marked the company's development from the very outset.

The new period of growth initiated at that point in time has carried on ever since. Many innovative ideas have been developed and implemented in the meantime, and new continents explored.

An important milestone in HGG’s history was the development of the Robotic Profile Cutting Line, the PCL 600. In collaboration with various large shipbuilding companies HGG managed to turn the machine into a true icon, resulting in an 80% market share within just four years.

A genuinely revolutionary machine in the shipbuilding industry, the success of the PCL 600 did not go unnoticed. In 2005, HGG was awarded the ‘Maritime Innovation Award’ for the machine, a clear indication that the company had moved into the right direction.

While machine construction companies were selling HGG machinery throughout the world, the evolution of the cutting services company also drew considerable attention. Indeed, 1999 became the company's top year in that respect when it acquired several high profile projects, such as the London Eye and Wembley Stadium, both of which turned to HGG Profiling Contractors for their cutting works. Since then, HGG Profiling Contractors BV has been able to contribute to a wide array of large-scale projects.

Today, HGG is one of the very few companies specialising in profiling tubes, hollow sections and beams. HGG is your number one specialist in 3D profiling around the globe!