Five generations · Dordrecht · Piraeus
From a ship brokerage in Rotterdam to a global electric motor specialist. Every generation built on what the previous had left behind.
A note on the founding date. There is sometimes debate about the exact founding year. The archives of the predecessor of the Chamber of Commerce were destroyed in the Rotterdam Blitz of May 1940, when the city centre was largely reduced to ashes. Early registration records are therefore missing. What is certain: the Van Bodegraven name appears as early as 1898, as part of the ship brokerage J.A. Hofland & C.F. van Bodegraven. The electric motor business as we know it today started in 1937 with Kees van Bodegraven.
Timeline
1st generation · The precursor
The Van Bodegraven name first appears in Rotterdam's trade circles. J.A. Hofland and C.F. van Bodegraven found a ship brokerage at the Oranjeboomstraat in Feijenoord, in the heart of the Rotterdam harbour. The precise archive from this period was destroyed in 1940, but photographs and oral history speak for themselves.
Oranjeboomstraat · Feijenoord, Rotterdam · ca. 1898
2nd generation
Kees van Bodegraven sees opportunities in the growing electrification of industry and shipping, and starts trading in electrical materials in Rotterdam in 1937. This is the true starting point of Van Bodegraven Elektromotoren as the company is known today.
Kees & Greet van Bodegraven · Jubilee celebration · Rotterdam
3rd generation
Ton van Bodegraven, son of Kees, enters the business in 1962. He brings what a growing company needs: energy, time and space to scale. Under Ton, the business evolves toward specialisation in industrial and maritime electric motors.
Workshop & relocation
Growth makes an own overhaul facility possible. A workshop for refurbishing used motors is set up in the 1970s. The family business moves from Rotterdam to Dordrecht, where it has been based ever since.
4th generation
After years working in the business, Frank van Bodegraven takes over in 1995. His vision: internationalisation, expansion of the motor programme and professionalisation. In 2000, an adjacent property is acquired, the current modern workshop in Dordrecht.
Two generations · One passion
While Frank took the helm, Ton remained an active sounding board. This photo shows father and son next to one of the first Trident submersible motors, the own brand that Van Bodegraven developed for the dredging industry.
Ton (3rd) & Frank (4th generation) · Trident submersible motor · Workshop Dordrecht · ca. 2016
Internationalisation
Van Bodegraven opens an office in Piraeus, Greece, the largest commercial port in Europe. This gives the company an international character and direct access to the shipping sector in the Mediterranean and Black Sea.
Sustainable technology
Van Bodegraven invests in wave energy conversion in 2023, in collaboration with 4E Magicbox, ABB, TU Delft and TU Twente. The Wave project explores how wave energy can be converted into usable electricity.
5th generation
Tim van Bodegraven joins as partner and fifth generation in 2025. He combines the technical knowledge of his predecessors with a fresh perspective on internationalisation and sustainable drive solutions. On to a sustainable future.
Frank (4th) & Tim (5th generation) · Workshop Dordrecht · 2025
3,500+ electric motors in stock, ABB Authorized Value Provider, own workshop and five generations of technical expertise.