Founded in Feignies close to Maubeuge by Francis and Michelle Cantiniau, the eponymous company can be defined as a lifting and industrial handling company, but above all, it is a family operation. Even slightly matricarchal because with the Cantiniaus, the women (Michelle and her daughter Julie) run the orders and the men, Francis and son Julian do all the work!

Cantiniau, founded in 1975, became a limited company in 1990. Today, it has a fleet of 50 machines between 2 and 300 tons: mobile cranes, industrial trucks, cradles. Their operational area covers all of the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region and even beyond, overseas. They generate a turnover of around 3 million euros with their staff of 22, which includes about 10 professional crane drivers.

Finally, Cantiniau can also perform a great range of services from transfer of bridge cranes, machinery and presses, to all transportation and lifting activities, unusual or regular, with crane booms... Also the transport of the strangest of packages, like the delivery of an elephant for Maubeuge zoo. As far as references are concerned, the company's reputation has led to work for the largest national companies in the private and public sectors, such as EDF-GDF SNCF, DDE, les Voies Navigables de France, Vallourec Renault, Sollac, St Gobain, Nestlé, Chambourcy, Danone Printing in Avesnois...to name but a few.

The comapny's machinery fleet, beyond a range of automatic Grove and Demag fast cranes, including the Demag AC300 that can lift a load of 300 tons, has a panel of handling crane trucks that are particularly compact, from the Italian brand Valla. Machinery from 2 to 40 tons, powered by a diesel or eletric engine, or both at the same time. The "electric versions" have the advantage of being very quiet and, most importantly, non-polluting, therefore very well adapted to projects on closed sites, particulary in the food industry. Valla crane trucks can also move with loaded hooks, which is more difficult with regular mobile cranes.

Another activity linked to lifting, but this time with people: automated or telescopic cradles, scissor cradles...hired with or without a driver, for the lifting trucks between 2.5 and 5 tons.