Belgian-Macedonian Business Club

As of June 7, 2024, Dutch VDL Groep is taking over parts of the bankrupt Belgian bus manufacturer Van Hool. As part of this takeover, the company Van Hool Macedonia was also completely taken over, which becomes VDL Van Hool Macedonia.

The production of buses continues in the factory in Skopje, with a focus on passenger buses and double-decker passenger buses for which the Van Hool brand is known. The top quality, modern design, safety and comfort of the vehicles leaving our production plant remain.

VDL Groep acquired all intellectual property, design rights, software, product names, tools and machinery from Van Hool. The business activities of the Van Hool sister company in Koningshooikt (Belgium) will take place in several sectors: parts production, after-sales, procurement, development and finance.

We are pleased to announce that we have been able to acquire parts of Van Hool. These parts provide additional value to our bus & coach  activities, allowing us to further strengthen our position as a bus manufacturer. The strategic cooperation with our American partner ABC Companies allows us to further shape our international activities.

VDL Groep President &  CEO Willem van der Leegte

VDL has entered into agreements with distributor ABC Companies for the supply of Van Hool buses in the USA and Canada to strengthen each other’s markets and product portfolio.

Strength through cooperation

The slogan of  VDL Groep is “Strength through cooperation”. This is the cornerstone of an international industrial family business based in Brainport region Eindhoven. Founded in 1953, 71 years ago, the company has been run by the third generation of the Van der Leegte family since 2017. VDL Groep employs around 15,000 employees and has business activities in 20 countries. The group includes more than 100 operating companies that cooperate closely with each other, each with its own specialty. The activities of these companies can be summarized in the “five worlds of VDL”: Hightech, Mobility, Energy, Infratech and Foodtech. As part of VDL Groep, VDL Van Hool Macedonia will function within the framework of mobility.

Continuation of the decades-long success story

The company Van Hool came to the country in 2012 when it built the factory in the Technological Industrial Development Zone Skopje 2 in Bunardzik. The first production bus left the factory on October 15, 2013, bringing Van Hool back to the tradition of the country’s bus industry.

The great experience of the employees in the production of quality buses that were produced in Macedonia in the past, the education of the young generations in the technical schools and the excellent Macedonian universities are the basis of the quality in the production process.

Today, more than 1,300 employees work in the factory with an area of ​​78,000 m2, producing buses for the discerning, respecting the strict standards and criteria of the European and North American markets. From the very beginning, Van Hool Macedonia has constantly made efforts to provide some of its built-in components from local sources. Today Van Hool is a serious partner of more than 20 domestic companies, and in most of them the company itself has invested in their knowledge in order to help them become suppliers of a top world-famous company.

More Information: www.VanHool.com