Revive and Hexagon join forces again to redevelop the Henschel site in Wilrijk

The site at Boomsesteenweg 604-606 occupies a strategic location in Wilrijk, easily accessible via the A12 and the Antwerp Ring Road. For many years, the site was home to NV Henschel Engineering. The company, founded in 1960, produced truck bodies, tipper bodies and crane arms for commercial vehicles there. In 2009, production was moved entirely to Poland. Since the industrial activities ceased, the site has mainly been let to a variety of smaller users. Until now, there has been no coherent vision for its future, while demand for business space in and around Antwerp remains high and available land is scarce.

Revive and Hexagon know each other well. In 2024, they jointly set up the project company Twee Kranen to redevelop the Van Laere site in Zwijndrecht. In Wilrijk, they are continuing that partnership with the same complementary approach. “As a developer, we want to create not only financial value, but also value for people and the surroundings,” says David Poulissen, Chief investment Officer of Revive. “A site like Henschel, right on the urban fringe, offers every opportunity to do that. Here we are building on the trust we established together in Zwijndrecht.”

In the coming months, the partners will work with the City of Antwerp and the district of Wilrijk to develop a vision for the future use of the site. The starting point is economical, high-quality use of space, with room for SMEs and companies that want to keep their activities in an urban setting. “Well-located business land on the urban fringe is particularly scarce today,” says Hexagon director Jelle Vandendriessche. “By reactivating existing sites instead of taking up open space, we are once again making room here for entrepreneurs who want to grow in and around Antwerp.” No details of the financial terms of the transaction have been disclosed.