On the occasion of its 175th anniversary, the Apollo group has become “Royal Apollo” after being presented with the award for labour by the King of the Netherlands.

An extraordinary longevity

The company, specialist in vertical conveying and logistics systems, celebrated its 175th anniversary last February. It is an exceptional longevity for a firm which began in a humble blacksmith’s workshop in Nijkerk in 1847, but which has now evolved to count more than 200 employees designing and manufacturing machines for major companies such as Coca-Cola, Tesla and Amazon.

The company, which has an important presence in the agri-food industries, e-commerce, and internal logistics, has been run for six generations by the van den Pol family.

Apollo birthday marked with great pomp

It is Claudia van den Pol holding the reins today, who says she firmly intends “to conquer the world, […] thanks to fantastic staff“.

She was also the one who had the great honour of receiving, on behalf of the group, the award for labour bestowed by the King of the Netherlands himself: A decoration granting royal status, which not only rewards the extraordinary longevity of Apollo, but also highlights the excellence of the group, known for its faultless reputation and financial stability.

Keen to show off its eminent new title, the group has made the most of its status of nobility, along with its rather special anniversary, to change its name to “Royal Apollo”.