Tenacity and a passion for the industry keep Elaut at the top

Cranes specialist Elaut is owned and run by the Verstraeten family based in Belgium. It has held a strong presence on the international coin-op amusement scene for the past 45 years and has become one of the market leaders in the production of high quality crane machines.

Business for Elaut does not, however, stop at cranes; it has also established an impressive reputation as an operator in a total of 35 amusement parks across Europe and the US and has dipped in and out of pusher manufacturing, launching the first-ever automatic pusher, Wizard of Oz, just recently.

At first glance you could be forgiven for thinking all cranes are the same and that the product hasn’t really changed a great deal over the years. However, this is where you would be wrong. Elaut’s Helga Verstraeten tells InterGame that thanks to rapidly evolving technology, the games are becoming more and more sophisticated electronically. Technology is giving the crane a new lease of life and providing constant new possibilities.

Wizard of Oz (or Mistral as it is more commonly known in Europe) is not the only innovation to have come off the production line at Elaut’s headquarters recently. The E-Claw crane, which was launched a few years ago, is a self-learning crane and has received a great response from the international amusement industry.

“We are constantly investing in R&D and have strong emphasis on hard work,” says Verstraeten. “This, along with a love for the business, is the reason we continue to stay at the top of our game.

“Also, because we are active in different parts of the market our staff are constantly learning new things, giving our games a unique edge. This is only possible by constantly reinventing the products and listening to the players and operators. When operated well, cranes are skill games that don’t disappoint players and give good play appeal; you could almost call them merchandisers.”

This profile can be read in full in the April 2012 issue of InterGame magazine.