VDL Groep has founded a new production firm in the US state of Georgia. VDL Industries Gainesville is based in Hall County. This district is close to Atlanta, the major industrial, trade and financial hub of the Southeastern United States. VDL Industries Gainesville will become operational in September 2018, eventually providing jobs to around 100 employees.

Today VDL Groep launched their new company website. After succesful introduction of refurbished 'Working at VDL' website, improvements to the company site followed. VDL head office is first to launch, however all 94 VDL companies will follow to introduce their own in 2017 and 2018. URLs will remain identical to current ones.

VDL Groep takes action in the field of smart mobility. The industrial family firm with its head office in Eindhoven shows that electric mobility is already available and forms the basis for future mobility concepts that will have a major impact on our lives, such as autonomous driving and connectivity. VDL Automated Vehicles, the business unit that focuses on autonomous vehicles for goods transport, has received new follow-up orders from chemicals group BASF and logistics company Katoen Natie. New autonomous vehicles are to be delivered to these customers in Germany and Singapore. The follow-up orders are worth millions of euros.

Last week Automotive Center Expertise (ACE) hosted the national career day for automotive oriented students. 35 companies and over 1,000 students connected during the event.

VDL Groep in Eindhoven has succeeded in achieving the predicted growth in the first half of 2017. Combined turnover at the end of the first six months amounted to €2.4bn. This is a 53% increase compared to the first half of 2016 (€1.6bn). The result after tax for the first six months showed an increase of over 20%, to €74.6m. At the end of the first six months of 2016 the result was €61.9m. The total order book (excluding the Car assembly division) remains stable at around €800m. The number of employees has increased from 11,827 in mid-2016 to 15,581 a year later.

Tens of thousands of people are currently working on the development of autonomous vehicles in the Netherlands. A total turnover of billions has an expected growth rate of 10 to 20% per year.

As of today, Automated Trucks are reality! The very first VDL Automated Truck has successfully performed its test-drive at the VDL plant in Singapore. Later this week the vehicle will be delivered to customer Katoen Natie Singapore Pte. Ltd.

Team of VDL Automated Vehicles is continuously exploring new markets to investigate opportunities for advanced automated transport solutions in heavy industry.

At the Terminal Operator Conference (TOC) 2017 VDL Automated Vehicles was represented by a substantial part of the (after-)sales team.

VDL will be developing a prototype of an fully automated terminal truck for heavy duty operations. This prototype will be operational early 2018. Subsequently, VDL will deliver 11 additional Automated Trucks for Katoen Natie Singapore.

At the Transport Logistic Munich 2017, BASF launched their new patented logistic concept in cooperation with VDL Automated Vehicles. This AGV is the world's first to participate in mixed traffic.

VDL Automated Vehicles is finalist for Automotive Innovation Award (AIA) 2017 in category technology. Nomination was awarded for AGV project at BASF Ludwigshafen.

VDL Groep is going to break through in the United States. The orders won by the international industrial family business headquartered in Eindhoven in the American automotive industry during 2016 will be carried out in 2017.

VDL ETG Projects of Eindhoven, part of VDL Groep, has taken on the series production of the Trefecta eBike. The Trefecta eBike is an electric bike that is designed to function under the most extreme conditions, such as rough off-road terrain. That makes this eBike a professional, sustainable means of transport for users such as police and defence personnel. VDL ETG Projects will initially supply all the manufactured parts for the eBike. Then VDL ETG Projects will take responsibility for the entire supply chain. Production will begin with 200 units in the second half of 2016. The production volumes are expected to rise in the years thereafter. The first eBikes to which VDL has contributed will be put on the market in late 2016.