Ruysch International BV was created by the merging of the two companies Ruysch Technisch Handelsbureau B.V. (RTH) and L&W International B.V. RTH was established in 1935 and was first based in Amsterdam. The company was the result of a partnership between the founder and a technology entrepreneur from Germany, whose developments included a so-called twin choke carburettor that reduced fuel consumption by 20%. The second product developed by this ‘inventor’ consisted of a special metal alloy that Ruysch marketed in the Netherlands and Belgium under the name “Silion”.

After three years of successful growth, the company exchanged Amsterdam for the more rurally-situated Zutphen.

Following the years of `40 - `45, trade got moving again. A lot of time and effort was invested in the development and sales of centrifugal casting machines and other systems used in the casting of bearings, such as blast furnaces and casting furnaces. The post-war period of reconstruction saw a great demand for this type of machinery, used to recondition bearings, in this country.

In most cases, companies that purchased these bearing foundries automatically became users of the aforementioned SILION.

Business took off and the company continued to grow and expand until the late ‘50s.

From 1959, there was growing demand from shipowners for replacement parts for diesel engines. This demand was created in particular by the engine manufacturers who increased the prices of their spare parts because of the high price of new engines.

While initially orders were brought in exclusively and supplied directly, this changed completely following the first energy crisis during the ‘70s.

Ship owners were no longer able to maintain vast reserves of spares for their ships and therefore made their wishes known that they would only buy from suppliers who held stock. This forced RTH to specialise in certain brands and types of diesel engine.

The choice originally fell on Stork Werkspoor Diesel (SWD) and Smit en Bolnes. Later, the Swiss Sulzer four-stroke engine was added to this list. Partnerships were also set up with suppliers of parts for other brands, to ensure the continuous availability of a complete range of parts.

International business

In 1972, the company entered the growing international market and began to operate officially as an international business. As well as four-stroke engine parts, representations for two-stroke engines were also picked up with the worldwide shipping market in mind. For the last 6 years, the company has once again focused solely on four-stroke engines.

Today, the organisation operates from its bases in Zutphen and ‘s-Gravendeel, near Rotterdam. The latter came with L&W International B.V. being acquired in 2004.  The tactical locations of the two companies - one at the heart of the Randstad region and the other at the heart of the central Netherlands - mean that they can respond quickly and adequately to assignments, and there is always a branch nearby to benefit the logistical process.