VDL Bus & Coach is planning to reorganise its bus production site in Valkenswaard, the Netherlands, and move the production of the Citea city bus range to its new bus factory in Roeselare in Belgium. VDL Bus & Coach Valkenswaard will focus entirely on coaches. With this change the VDL Group wants to put an end to years of losses in the bus division. “To guarantee the continuity of the division, the losses must be halted,” says a spokesperson.
VDL Bus & Coach has submitted a request for advice to the Works Council to concentrate all public transport activities in the bus production location in Roeselare, which opened last year. As a result approximately 60 people from the central organization of VDL Bus & Coach will be guided from "work to work" within the VDL Group. According to a VDL spokes person it concerns approximately 2 percent of the number of employees in the VDL bus division. In addition, approximately forty older employees are making use of a departure scheme. VDL is also taking action at another company in the group, VDL Steelweld in the city of Breda, were according to VDL "fewer than 20" jobs will be lost out of a total of 200. VDL Steelweld generates its largest
turnover from automated production lines for car manufacturers. Due to the malaise in the car industry, it is receiving fewer orders. Positive news is there for VDL regarding the Nedcar factory in Born, the Netherlands, were VDL manufactured the BMW Mini. The Dutch Ministry of Defense will rent the halls of VDL Nedcar to offer companies the space to manufacture drones and other military equipment. By the end of this year, the Ministry of Defense in Born will have approximately 120,000 square meters at its disposal. VDL Group saw its financial result decline last year. With a record turnover of 4.3 billion euros, net profit fell by 20 percent to 66 million euros.