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.

VDL Groep and DAF Trucks have announced today that they have consolidated and strengthened their long-standing relationship. The two technology companies, both headquartered in Eindhoven, the Netherlands, have entered into a new, long-term, versatile and significant contract involving hundreds of man years of work. The amounts have not been published. As part of this contract, VDL is going to update an assembly line to make it state of the art and supply components that will be integrated in the cabins of DAF trucks. Further collaboration concerning the fully electric truck, that has already been presented and was developed jointly, is also part of the new agreement.

VDL Bus Chassis, which is part of VDL Groep, has received an order from Mercedes-Benz Cars Nederland to build over 500 vehicles, which are to be deployed by the Ministry of Defence. Between 2021 and 2023 VDL will be responsible for all the vehicle-specific modifications. Until 2020 prototypes will be developed, built and tested. The order entails an amount of tens of millions of euros. At a later stage VDL may be awarded an order to build over 500 more vehicles.

On 12 December, Amsterdam's public transport company GVB and VDL Bus & Coach signed the contract for delivery of 31 electric Citeas, with the option for 69 extra electric buses. VDL Bus & Coach is also responsible for implementation of the charging infrastructure. The 31 vehicles will be used for urban transport in Amsterdam. The project was realised through close cooperation between Transport Region Amsterdam, as the grantor of the concession, the Municipality of Amsterdam, GVB and VDL Bus & Coach.

VDL Groep and DAF Trucks have delivered the first fully electric truck to supermarket chain Jumbo in Veghel. President and CEO Willem van der Leegte of VDL Groep and President Harry Wolters of DAF Trucks presented the keys of the e-truck to CEO Frits van Eerd of Jumbo. The DAF CF Electric VDL E-Power, jointly developed by VDL and DAF, will supply no fewer than 80 supermarkets in the province of North Brabant daily from Jumbo's distribution centre in Veghel. 

VDL Groep has added Siemens Hengelo to its industrial group of family companies as its 100th operating company. The takeover announced in July has now been completed. VDL is to place Siemens Hengelo’s operations in two companies. Most of the staff will join VDL Energy Systems and continue to assembly gas turbines, compressors and their parts that will be supplied to Siemens. Other employees are to carry out development work for ASML at VDL ETG Technology & Development Hengelo's high-tech cluster. Multi-year work assurances from both Siemens and ASML form the basis of the takeover.

VDL Bus Chassis, which is part of VDL Groep, has received an order from Mercedes-Benz Cars Nederland to build over 500 vehicles, which are to be deployed by the Ministry of Defence. Between 2021 and 2023 VDL will be responsible for all the vehicle-specific modifications. Until 2020 prototypes will be developed, built and tested. The order entails an amount of tens of millions of euros. At a later stage VDL may be awarded an order to build over 500 more vehicles.

This year, VDL has won a number of prestigious supply awards from leading customers. Recently, Elekta also expressed its appreciation of VDL’s quality, flexibility and approach to collaboration. During the recent global supplier day in London, VDL was selected for a special award recognising their contribution to Elekta’s progress with new and existing products.

VDL Containersystemen will supply more than 150 demountable container systems to Renewi by the spring of 2019. These systems will be used to equip part of the recycling company's new fleet. The order includes the latest hooklift, skiploader, cable and chain systems. These deliveries will be for the Dutch and Belgian divisions of Renewi. The order has a value of several million euros.

VDL Groep in Eindhoven has succeeded in achieving the growth forecast for the first six months of 2018. This industrial family business recorded a combined turnover of 3.1 billion euros for the first six months of the year, which is an increase of 29% compared with the first six months of 2017 (2.4 billion euros). In the first six months of 2018, the operating profit increased by 3 million euros in comparison with the same period last year. The financial result after taxes for the first six months was lower than the same period a year before, being 69 million euros in comparison with 75 million euros. This difference is primarily due to the possibility to profit from several sources of extraordinary income. The total order portfolio (excluding the Car Assembly division) has grown across the board, from 769 million euros at the end of 2017, to 957 million euros in mid 2018, which is an increase of approximately one-quarter. In the space of just one year, the number of individuals employed by VDL Groep increased by 11 percent to 17,238 employees in mid 2018.