VDL Fibertech industries B.V.
VDL Groep, headquartered in Eindhoven, the Netherlands, is an international industrial family business with 104 operating companies, spread throughout 20 countries, with more than 17,000 employees. The VDL companies break down into four divisions: Subcontracting, Car Assembly, Buses and Coaches and Finished products. Strength through cooperation. That is the cornerstone of VDL Groep. The company was founded in 1953 by Pieter van der Leegte. Initially, VDL Groep specialised in metalworking. Later the portfolio was expanded to include plastics processing, the development, manufacture and sale of buses and coaches, and high-tech subcontracting for the semiconductor industry and others. Today, VDL Groep is a major player in the subcontracting and semi-finished products sectors, produces its own finished products such as suspension systems, is active in automotive factory automation, builds heat exchangers and container handling systems, and the family business owns VDL Nedcar in Born, the Netherlands’ only large passenger car assembly factory, which carries out assembly line production of cars for third parties. VDL Groep innovates through a combination of craftsmanship, entrepreneurship and high-quality machinery. The group of companies combines the clout of a multinational with the flat organisation and open, informal working atmosphere of a family business, where priority is given to growth opportunities and continuity. The combined annual turnover in september 2019 was 4.3 billion euros. In November 2016, after 50 years of entrepreneurship, Wim van der Leegte passed the reins of the family business to the management team, which includes his three children Pieter, Jennifer and Willem. Willem van der Leegte has succeeded his father as President and CEO of VDL Groep.
VDL Fibertech Industries is one of the oldest composite companies in the Netherlands. Through cooperation with the customer we look at countless of possibilities that composites offer to create a product that offers a substantial added value to a variety of products. Our production facilities make it possible to produce both very small and very large sizes (3x5m), combined with a typical series size from a few dozens per year to ongoing large series. The end result is a product that we are proud of and from which you can achieve enormous benefits in your application. ISO14000, ISO13485 and UL certificates guarantee our high and constant quality of work. As part of VDL Group and building on 40 years of experience we have a lot of experience within our walls. State of the Art and co-development. The number of different types of composite technologies are enormous, and also quickly changing. Therefore it is of great importance that we find the perfect mix of materials that fits your needs. This process asks for both a good cooperation in an early stage of development, as for the availability of the latest materials and production techniques. VDL Fibertech Industries works on project base and uses the latest software (Pro-Engineer, Abaqus (FEM for composites) and Winchill) supported by an up-to-date Q-Lab (Nikon Laser Radar, X-Ray NDT, 3D CMM, Instron pullbench and a Brookfield viscosity meter).
Involvement in MERGING
In the MERGING project, VDL Fibertech will be in charge of applying a demonstrator that will involve an innovative handling system for flexible materials for the production of large composite panels for the automotive industry. A successful project is going to upgrade the capability of VDL Fibertech to approach the market better and to increase the potential of market adopting this type of panels. The proposal would help to de-risk the investment of entering the market and would lead to further developing machines utilizing this unique process of producing the panels.