Family-owned company VDL Groep to work with the Dutch Ministry of Defence and use capacity and facilities in Born (Limburg) and some other sites for defence production. This will enable innovative companies to scale up in the Netherlands. Minister Ruben Brekelmans and  President & CEO Willem van der Leegte announced their collaboration today at VDL Groep in Eindhoven.

In line with expectations, 2024 was less successful for VDL Groep than the previous year. Events which had an immediate impact converged: the winding down at VDL Nedcar, headwinds from material shortages and subsequently delayed deliveries of buses, stagnating market developments and increased costs (for wages, energy, interest, legislation). After a poor first six months, operating results showed signs of recovery during the second half of 2024. Excluding the Car Assembly division, annual turnover is the highest ever. Sales are expected to remain the same in 2025, with further recovery of the operating results.

VDL De Meeuw was selected by the Belgian Buildings Agency as the winner of the framework contract for the construction of small-scale detention houses in Belgium. These innovative facilities are a crucial link in the execution of short-term sentences and focus on reintegration and self-sufficiency. Mainly thanks to its pioneering modular construction method that it developed in house, VDL De Meeuw emerged as the best party in the tendering procedure. In addition to the 600 housing units in detention houses, the federal government can deploy the framework contract for other projects with a total of 500 additional housing and reception units.

VDL will subject tens of thousands of passenger cars a year to rigorous inspections at its Born campus before these vehicles are transported to dealers. For this purpose, VDL Special Vehicles in Born has signed a multi-year contract with Hödlmayr, the Austrian family business that has one of Europe's largest logistics networks in the automotive sector.

VDL Groep is working to further broaden and strengthen its hightech activities. The industrial family business with its headquarters in Brainport Eindhoven is taking its first, substantial steps into the nuclear sector, a key growth market. Operating company VDL KTI in Mol, Belgium, will produce and supply crucial components for the new PALLAS reactor in Petten. The arrival of this new isotope reactor will secure the supply of medical isotopes and allow the Netherlands to continue helping millions of people over the next 50 years and further strengthen its position as a top global producer.

Public transport operator Arriva has placed an order for as many as 157 new electric buses from VDL Bus & Coach, the buses division of VDL Groep. These buses, the new generation VDL Citea, are destined for the new West Brabant concession, which will enter into operation on 6 July 2025.

In the hunt for their 25th national championship, PSV will have a brand new team coach to transport the Eindhoveners to their matches starting with the 2019/2020 season. The deluxe 13.9-metre long Futura was presented to Kupers Touringcars today and at the same time officially presented to PSV's supporters, players and staff. 30 supporters, the lucky winners of a special PSV contest, picked up the vehicle at VDL Bus & Coach in Valkenswaard. The team coach was officially presented to players and staff at the Herdgang, PSV's training complex.

VDL Groep has won the 2019 Dutch Innovation Award. This award is a recognition of the innovative strength and social impact of this family company, which has its head office in Eindhoven. VDL was awarded the innovation award for its new pioneering solutions and technologies, its focus on its employees, entrepreneurship and cooperation. The 2019 Dutch Innovation Award will be presented during De Wereld van Morgen, the TV programme being broadcast on AVROTROS this evening from 8.30 pm on NPO1.

Public transport in Limburg (The Netherlands) must be fully electric by 2026. This goal of the Province of Limburg is now yet another step closer. With the delivery of 55 electric regional buses, VDL Bus & Coach is working with transport company Arriva on the transition towards zero-emission bus transport.

The DAF CF Electric VDL E-Power has been voted Green Truck Logistics Solution 2019. On the eve of the Transport Logistic trade fair in Munich, leading German trade magazines VerkehrsRundschau and TRUCKER also praise container carrier Contargo for being the first in Germany to commission DAF's CF Electric VDL E-Power. The two fully electrified field-test trucks are transporting containers in the inland port of Duisburg. The Green Truck Logistics Solution Award is a prestigious award for the deployment of promising emerging technologies for innovative, sustainable logistics in Europe.

PSV will join forces with some big Dutch companies next summer to start an innovative co-operation. ASML, Philips, High Tech Campus Eindhoven, VDL Group and Jumbo Supermarkets will commit themselves as premium partners of PSV under the name of Metropolitan Region Brainport Eindhoven. They will collaborate in the field of innovation, vitality, entertainment, development and recruitment of talent. All parties share the ambition to put the Eindhoven region on the map as global leader in knowledge, high-tech development and innovation. “This is a first in the history of top sport. We will create a new ecosystem and the way we will do it is characteristic of the interconnection in this region”, says PSV General Manager Toon Gerbrands.

VDL ETG has won a major contract. For Zeiss, VDL ETG will build frames that assure the precise suspension and positioning of the mirrors produced by this southern German high-tech player. These mirrors form and direct the beam of light in the next generation of ASML's EUV machines. The frames will be built at VDL ETG Almelo and VDL ETG Switzerland.

The future of VDL Steelweld looks bright over the coming years. The VDL company based in Breda, which develops automated production lines for automotive manufacturers for customers around the world, has won substantial orders from major companies such as Jaguar Land Rover, Volvo Cars and DAF Trucks. These new orders represent turnover of more than 200 million euros.

For VDL Groep, the key theme of 2018 was organising the planned growth. Last year, the turnover and result, and the number of employees of the industrial family business with its head office in Eindhoven increased.