What AP Machinebouw does

AP Machinebouw B.V. is a privately held Dutch manufacturer of agricultural, irrigation, and earth-moving machinery, founded in 1979 in Lemmer and currently operating from a purpose-built 5,000 m² facility in Rutten, Netherlands. The company designs, fabricates, and assembles its full product range in-house using automated welding robots, an automated warehouse, and advanced sandblasting and spraying installations, with expertise in hydraulics, electronics, and mechanical engineering. Its catalog spans three verticals: Agriculture (auger buckets, silage cutters, cubicle bedders, bale clamps, sweeping machines, drainage machines, trenchers, loading ramps); Irrigation (irrigation reels, hose reels, motor pump units, PTO pumps, compressors, and since 2021 sprayers via the Dubex Europe acquisition); and Earth Moving (box graders, levellers, powerblades, grader planes, scrapers, push blades, rippers, leveldumpers). AP also offers a Topcon-branded laser and GPS machine-control line and produces custom-engineered specials for clients including the Dutch military, Schiphol Airport, and industrial biogas operators.

The business model is hardware sales through a global network of independent dealers (with a geo-locator on the website and a dealer-restricted webshop for spare parts), supplemented by recurring aftermarket parts revenue. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed; machines are positioned on quality, EU type-approval certification, premium materials such as Hardox wear steel, and customization capability rather than on volume pricing. Customers are predominantly mid-market agricultural operations (dairy, livestock, crop farms), earthworks contractors, and government/industrial buyers requiring specialty attachments. The company is solely owned by Michael Visser, employs approximately 50 people, and has never raised institutional capital. Geographic reach spans Europe, the Middle East, and Africa via the dealer channel.

Name

AP Machinebouw

Legal name

AP Machinebouw B.V.

Website

https://apmachinebouw.nl

Company type

Private

Founded year

1979

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

AP Machinebouw is a Dutch, family-owned manufacturer of agricultural, irrigation, and earth-moving machinery — including silage cutters, graders, scrapers, and irrigation reels — built in-house in Rutten and sold globally through independent dealers, with a custom-engineering arm serving government and industrial clients.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Agricultural and Construction Machinery Manufacturing

NAICS

All Other General Purpose Machinery Manufacturing (33399), Other General Purpose Machinery Manufacturing (3339)

SIC

Farm Machinery & Equipment (3523), Construction Machinery & Equip (3531), Special Industry Machinery, Nec (3559)

akta.pro primary industry

Livestock & Dairy Equipment (IMAHACAG)

Keywords

• Agricultural machinery
• Earthmoving equipment
• Irrigation systems
• Silage cutters
• Custom machine manufacturing

Headquarters

HQ city

Rutten

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Agricultural Machinery Sales: AP Machinebouw generates revenue through the sale of agricultural machinery including silage cutters, cubicle bedders, feed dosers, grab buckets, sweeping machines, bale clamps, drainage machines, and loading ramps
2. Irrigation Equipment Sales: Sales of irrigation machinery including irrigation machines, hose reels, motor pump units, PTO pumps on support frames, and compressors
3. Earth Moving Equipment Sales: Sales of earth moving machinery including box graders, levellers, powerblades, grader planes, scrapers, tractor planes, push blades, rippers, and leveldumpers
4. Custom/Special Machine Manufacturing: Custom-made machines built to customer specifications outside the standard product range
5. Spare Parts Sales: Spare parts sold through the AP webshop to registered dealers

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

AP Machinebouw manufactures and sells agricultural, irrigation, and earth-moving machinery entirely in-house, including silage cutters, cubicle bedders, sweeping machines, drainage equipment, irrigation reels, hose reels, motor pump units, box graders, levellers, powerblades, scrapers, and custom-engineered special machines. The company also distributes Topcon laser and GPS machine-control systems as an authorized dealer. Sales are executed through a global dealer network, with spare parts served via a dealer-restricted webshop.

Product overview

AP Machinebouw is a Dutch manufacturer specializing in the development and construction of agricultural, irrigation, and earth moving machinery since 1979. The company operates from a modern 5000 m² facility in Rutten, The Netherlands, employing approximately 50 people and utilizing fully automated welding robots, an automated warehouse, and advanced sandblasting and painting installations. Their product portfolio spans three core sectors: Agriculture (including silage cutters, sweeping machines, bale clamps, drainage machines, multi forks, and loading ramps), Irrigation (irrigation reels/hose reels, motor pump units, PTO pumps, and compressors), and Earth Moving (box graders/kilverbakken, levellers, powerblades, grader planes, scrapers, tractor planes, push blades, rippers, leveldumpers, and laser/machine control systems). The company also produces custom special machines and is a Topcon dealer for laser control systems. Manufacturing is conducted entirely in-house from start to finish.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• AP Auger Buckets (Kuilhappers) Hydraulically operated buckets for extracting and cutting silage from silos, available in various sizes including the world's largest model with 12 m³ capacity. Built for agricultural operations handling silage.
• AP Cubicle Bedders (Instrooibakken) Self-loading spreading devices for distributing bedding materials evenly in livestock housing, suitable for front and rear mounting. Targeted at dairy and livestock farms.
• AP Bale Clamps (Balenklem) Equipment for handling and clamping bales in agricultural operations.
• AP Drainage Machines Trenchless drainage equipment with laser precision for pulling drainage hoses into the soil without disturbing the surface.
• AP Sweeping Machines VHT Compact sweeper for cleaning farmyards, halls, stables, and feeding alleys. Working widths of 150, 180, or 230 cm with 520mm brush diameter. Suitable for forklift, mini wheel loader, or tractor.
• AP Sweeping Machines VHG Professional sweeper for wheel loader or tractor applications. Working widths of 195, 220, or 245 cm with 600mm brush diameter and heavy swiveling wheels.
• AP Sweeping Machines VHZ Largest model in the range for intensive daily use. Working widths of 220 to 295 cm with 750mm brush diameter for high-capacity sweeping.
• AP Multi Forks (Multivorken) Multi-purpose fork attachments for material handling in agriculture.
• AP Trenchers (Greppelfrees) Trench cutting equipment for fast and precise drainage ditch milling, working both left and right, suitable for various tractors including mini tractors.
• AP Loading Ramps (Laadbruggen) Loading platforms and ramps for agricultural and industrial loading applications.
• AP Irrigation Machines (Beregeningshaspels) Hydraulically driven irrigation reels offering over 40 years of ease of use and reliability. Suitable for 4" to 6" lay-flat hoses, with optional front/rear lighting, extra drum sizes, and RAL color options.
• AP Hose Reels (Slanghaspels) Reels for efficient and safe winding and unwinding of flat-windable hoses for irrigation and drag hose fertilization, with hydraulic guided arm for even drum winding.
• AP Motor Pump Units (Motorpompunits) Compact and mobile units providing powerful and reliable performance for irrigation applications where grid power is unavailable.
• AP PTO Pumps on Support Frame (Aftakaspompen op bok) User-friendly and efficient PTO-driven pumps mounted on a frame (support stand), easily attached to a tractor for various irrigation tasks.
• AP Compressor on Support Frame (Compressorbok) Compressor units mounted on support frames for irrigation and industrial applications.
• AP Box Graders (Kilverbakken) Grading boxes developed since 1983 for various earth moving applications, available as mini, greenhouse, agricultural, luxury, and folding models. All with EU approval certificate, optionally equipped with laser or GPS control.
• AP Levellers Machines developed and produced for over 20 years for earth moving and preparing substrates for roads, buildings, riding arenas, courses, and golf courses. Suitable for small and large projects with optional 3D control systems.
• AP Powerblades Powerful machines for moving and leveling large amounts of earth and sand, suitable for skid-steer and wheel loaders. Features hydraulic doors, interchangeable Hardox knives, and optional laser or 3D GPS control. Models from PB 1200 to PB 2850 with working widths 120-285 cm.
• AP Grader Plane GP 3500 Developed for construction and maintenance of gravel and dirt roads. Features universally adjustable blade for various road profiles in single pass, hydraulically adjustable ripper tines (100mm depth), certified 3-point linkage, hydraulic wheel set. EU regulation 167/2013 approved.
• AP Scrapers (APC Carry-All and APS Heavy-Duty Series) Scrapers for tractors ranging from 200 hp to 400 hp, designed to load, transport, and unload material at desired heights. Models APC 6/7/9 with capacities 6.5–10 m³ and heavy-duty APS 12.5/15/20/25 models with capacities 12.5–25 m³. Features include hydraulic proportional control, Hardox 470 reversible knife, hydraulic accumulator suspension, optional tandem configuration.
• AP Tractor Planes (Trekkerschaven) Tractor-mounted grading equipment for road maintenance and earth moving applications.
• AP Push Blades (Duwborden) Push blades for filling ditches and leveling ground, suitable for tractors and front loaders. Series DB heavy duty and DBH with hydraulic angle adjustment. Models from 200-280 cm width.
• AP Ripper Bars (Ripperbalken) Developed for breaking hard ground surfaces to easily level soil. Features Betek chisel points and Hardox 400 wear plates. Models from 131-281 cm working width with 11-23 chisels.
• AP Leveldumpers Ideal machines for constructing and maintaining sand roads, cycle paths, walking paths, and driveways. Models LD 3000 (3 m³) and LD 5000 (5 m³) with adjustable working width 1250-2200 mm, 500 mm auger for quick unloading.
• Topcon Laser and Machine Control Systems Topcon laser and machine control systems including RL-SV2S dual grade laser (800m range), RL200-2S dual grade laser (1100m range), RL-H4C rotating laser, LS-B110 receiver, and various tripods. AP is an authorized Topcon dealer.
• Custom Special Machines (Maatwerk) Custom-designed and built machines outside the standard range, including loading platforms, fermentation agitators, special sweeper for Schiphol Airport, military grading boxes, and large-scale irrigation systems.
• Agitator for Fermentation Plants (Roerwerk vergistingsinstallatie) Gigantic agitators designed and constructed for biogas installations to mix products for optimal fermentation.
• Loading Platforms (Laadperrons) Custom-developed hydraulic loading platforms for unloading trucks with roller crates. Features adjustable height platform (350-1650mm), loading ramp, and safety fencing.
• AP Spare Parts (Webshop) Spare parts for AP machines, sold through the AP Webshop to registered AP dealers only; account setup handled through Arjan Mulder.

Quantifiable outcome

• World's largest silage cutter: 12 m³ capacity, 11,000 kg weight, 5.5 m width

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• TopconcoreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2000AP became a dealer of Topcon laser control systems in 2000. The first laser-controlled box grader and leveller were put into production. Topcon systems are offered as options on AP earth moving machines for precision control.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves11 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• McConnel: UK-based manufacturer of agricultural and groundcare attachments, including verge mowing, hedge cutting, and tractor-mounted implements. Comparable mid-sized European attachment specialist with dealer-led distribution.
• Westermann (Radiale Reinigungs­technik): German maker of yard and stable cleaning/sweeping machines for dairy and livestock operations. Closest specialist overlap with AP's barn-stable sweeping machines (VHT/VHG/VHZ).
• Pöttinger: Austrian agricultural machinery maker with overlapping product lines in grassland, arable farming, and livestock handling equipment. Comparable mid-sized European family-run manufacturer with similar customization/dealer-channel go-to-market.
• Krone: German manufacturer of agricultural machinery, with strong overlap in forage/grassland equipment (mowers, tedders, rakes, loaders) and baled silage handling. Comparable to AP's silage cutters, balers, and loader attachments, and a relevant benchmark for European dairy-equipment OEMs.
• Spearhead Machinery: UK manufacturer of vegetation management and agricultural/municipal attachments (mowers, mulchers, sweepers). Comparable in product mix (sweepers, ground maintenance) and dealer-channel model.
• Stoll (Front Loaders & Attachments): German maker of tractor front loaders and a wide range of attachments (buckets, forks, bale handlers, silage cutters). Direct competitor in the same tractor-mounted implement niche AP serves.
• Kverneland: Norwegian manufacturer (now part of Kubota) of agricultural implements including bale handling, feeding, and grassland equipment. Direct overlap with AP's bale clamps, silage cutters, and tractor-mounted implements.
• Strautmann: German family-run manufacturer of livestock feeding, bedding, and transport technology (loader wagons, bedding dispensers, feed mixers). One of the closest direct analogs to AP's dairy/livestock product range.
• Tuchel (Sweepers & Cleaning): German manufacturer of sweepers and cleaning attachments for agriculture, municipal, and industrial use. Direct overlap with AP's VHT/VHG/VHZ sweeping machine range.
• Kuhn Group: French agricultural machinery manufacturer with a broad portfolio including livestock feeding, hay/forage handling, tillage, and crop care equipment. Highly comparable to AP's livestock and tractor-mounted implement range, but at materially larger scale and global footprint.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

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Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about AP Machinebouw