ANP
NOS News•yesterday, 1:15 PM•Adjusted yesterday, 2:13 PM
Industrial group VDL wants to take over part of the bankrupt Belgian bus company Van Hool. Another part of the company is taken over by the German Schmitz Cargobull.
VDL is eyeing Van Hool’s touring car department. The Dutch company already builds (electric) buses, coaches and trucks. An offer has been made by Schmitz Cargobull and VDL. In the coming weeks there will be intensive negotiations about the conditions before a takeover can become final.
A large number of the 2,500 Belgian jobs will disappear during the takeover. The Brabant group will take over 300 to 600 employees from Van Hool, while Schmitz Cargobull will have approximately 350 employees.
Competition in China
Van Hool was a competitor of the Brabant company and has been in financial difficulties for weeks. The company had a hard time during corona because the travel sector came to a complete standstill. The company also has stiff competition from China, wrote the VRT.
Van Hool announced a restructuring that would result in the loss of hundreds of jobs. Now, four weeks later, the company is completely throwing in the towel. “The staff had known for some time that bankruptcy was coming,” says VRT reporter Lien de Cooman. “They are happy that there is now clarity, but the news still hits hard. There are even fewer jobs left than first announced.”
VDL made significantly less profit last year. The net result fell from 298 million to 82 million euros, L1 News reported earlier this month. This was mainly due to the problems at VDL Nedcar in Born. The car factory has been idle since March after no new customer was found. 3500 people lost their jobs.