Ronald A. Bussink has been a leading designer of giant

Ferris wheel A Ferris wheel (also called a big wheel, giant wheel or an observation wheel) is an amusement ride consisting of a rotating upright wheel with multiple passenger-carrying components (commonly referred to as passenger cars, cabins, tubs, gondola ...

s and similar structures for over 25 years. Bussink entered the amusement industry market in 1985 and designed, manufactured, and delivered more than 60 giant observation wheels between 1990 and 2005.Ronald Bussink Professional Rides - Giant wheels, Giant rides
/ref> The Bussink company was previously known as Nauta Bussink prior to moving its offices from the Netherlands to

Appenzell Innerrhoden Canton of Appenzell Innerrhoden ( ; ; ; ), in English sometimes Appenzell Inner-Rhodes, is one of the 26 cantons forming the Swiss Confederation. It is composed of five districts. The seat of the government and parliament is Appenzell. It is ...

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

. It was then known as Ronald Bussink Professional Rides, a registered trademark of Ronald Bussink Aktiengesellschaft, which was subsequently renamed Professional Rides Aktiengesellschaft, RoBu Privat Equity AG and then RoBu AG. In 2008, following the sale of Bussink's Wheels of Excellence range to

Vekoma Vekoma Rides Manufacturing is an amusement ride manufacturer. Vekoma is a syllabic abbreviation of Veld Koning Machinefabriek (Veld Koning Machine Factory) which was established in 1926 by Hendrik op het Veld. History The company originally manu ...

, Bussink created a new company, Bussink Landmarks, to concentrate on the supply of observation wheels of and greater in height.Giant Wheels go Dutch - Vekoma takes over Bussink range
/ref>

Wheels of Excellence

The Wheels of Excellence range included the following models: ;R40 :Available as either a fixed or transportable model. 15 or 30 passenger cars, each able to carry 8 people. ;R50 :Available as either a fixed or transportable model. 18 or 36 passenger cars, each able to carry 8 people. ;R60 :Available as either a fixed or transportable model. 21 or 42 passenger cars, each able to carry 8 people. :Bussink R60 wheels have operated in Australia (

Brisbane Brisbane ( ; ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and largest city of the States and territories of Australia, state of Queensland and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia, with a ...

), Canada (

Niagara Falls Niagara Falls is a group of three waterfalls at the southern end of Niagara Gorge, spanning the Canada–United States border, border between the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Ontario in Canada and the state of New York (s ...

), France (

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

), Malaysia ( Kuala Lumpur & Malacca), UK (

Belfast Belfast (, , , ; from ) is the capital city and principal port of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan and connected to the open sea through Belfast Lough and the North Channel (Great Britain and Ireland), North Channel ...

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands (county), West Midlands, within the wider West Midlands (region), West Midlands region, in England. It is the Lis ...

Manchester Manchester () is a city and the metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It had an estimated population of in . Greater Manchester is the third-most populous metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, with a population of 2.92&nbs ...

Sheffield Sheffield is a city in South Yorkshire, England, situated south of Leeds and east of Manchester. The city is the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire and some of its so ...

), US (

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...

Myrtle Beach Myrtle Beach is a resort city on the East Coast of the United States in Horry County, South Carolina. It is located in the center of a long and continuous stretch of beach known as the " Grand Strand” in the northeastern part of the state. It ...

) and elsewhere. :One of the most famous and well-travelled Bussink R60 wheels is the Roue de Paris - Technical Information
/ref> tall Roue de Paris, originally installed on the

Place de la Concorde The Place de la Concorde (; ) is a public square in Paris, France. Measuring in area, it is the largest square in the French capital. It is located in the city's eighth arrondissement, at the eastern end of the Champs-Élysées. It was the s ...

for the 2000

millennium A millennium () is a period of one thousand years, one hundred decades, or ten centuries, sometimes called a kiloannum (ka), or kiloyear (ky). Normally, the word is used specifically for periods of a thousand years that begin at the starting ...

celebrations. Roue de Paris left

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

in 2002 and in 2003-2004 operated in

and

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

. In 2005 it visited first

Geleen Geleen (; ) is a city in the southern part of the province of Limburg (Netherlands), Limburg in the Netherlands. With 31,670 inhabitants in 2020, it is part of the municipality of Sittard-Geleen. Geleen is situated along the river Geleenbeek, a ri ...

then

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , ; ; ) is the capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, largest city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It has a population of 933,680 in June 2024 within the city proper, 1,457,018 in the City Re ...

Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

, before returning to England to operate at

Gateshead Gateshead () is a town in the Gateshead Metropolitan Borough of Tyne and Wear, England. It is on the River Tyne's southern bank. The town's attractions include the twenty metre tall Angel of the North sculpture on the town's southern outskirts, ...

. In 2006 it was erected at the

Suan Lum Night Bazaar Suan Lum Night Bazaar was a market in Bangkok's Pathum Wan district, at the intersection of Rama IV and Wireless/ Sathorn Roads, opposite Lumphini Park at the MRT's Lumphini Station. Located on land owned by the Crown Property Bureau. It opene ...

Bangkok Bangkok, officially known in Thai language, Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estim ...

Thailand Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...

, and by 2008 had made its way to

Antwerp Antwerp (; ; ) is a City status in Belgium, city and a Municipalities of Belgium, municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of Antwerp Province, and the third-largest city in Belgium by area at , after ...

Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...

. Roue de Paris uses of water ballast to provide a stable base. It weighs , and can be erected in 72 hours and dismantled in 60 hours by a specialist team. Transport requires seven 20-foot container lorries, ten open trailer lorries, and one closed trailer lorry. Its 42 passenger cars be loaded either 3 or 6 at a time, and each car can carry 8 people. ;R80 :Fixed wheel with either 6 or 8 support legs, and optional self-rotating capsules. 56 passenger cars, each able to carry 8 people. In 2008, the Wheels of Excellence range of giant wheels was acquired by Vekoma Rides Manufacturing. Vekoma created a new division, Dutch Wheels BV, to market giant wheels as stand alone attractions. As of 2012, Wheels of Excellence variants listed by Dutch Wheels BV were the R40, R50, and R60 models.

Bussink Landmarks

Following the sale of the Wheels of Excellence range, Bussink founded a new company, Bussink Landmarks, to concentrate on the supply of giant observation wheels of and greater in height.

Bussink Design

Bussink also founded, and is CEO of, Bussink Design. He designed the R80XL, which is manufactured and sold under licence from Bussink Design GmbH by Maurer German Wheels and Chance American Wheels. The R80XL is available in fixed (SV) and transportable (SP) versions,World's largest transportable wheel - Bussink Design sets new world record
/ref> both approximately tall.Technical Details - Stationary Version
/ref> The R80XL SP is the world's tallest transportable observation wheel.

Evolution

References

External links

* {{Amusement rides Amusement ride manufacturers