Good for up to 3,000 jobs
Finally some more cheerful news from Born: VDL Nedcar is close to an agreement with a new customer to start building passenger cars from 2026. So it will take a while, but then about 3,000 people could work again.
VDL Nedcar has signed a letter of intent with an unnamed company for the production of passenger cars from mid-2026. This production deal is good for a maximum of 3,000 jobs, VDL Nedcar said in an internal statement. When asked, a VDL spokesperson said that talks with the potential new customer will be completed in the fourth quarter of this year.
VDL wants to start preparations for setting up the new production line soon. For the time being, these preparations will provide work for about seventy people. From 2026, 3,000 people may then be able to work, depending on the sales of the cars. In the meantime, VDL is also in talks with other potential customers, according to the spokesperson. VDL does not yet want to say which cars and from which company it concerns. Not even about the production numbers. VDL was previously in talks with the German company ElectricBrands, which wants to have the electric city car Evetta and the modular Xbus produced in Born.
VDL is pleased with this new step towards the assembly of cars at the factory in Born, where production of Minis for BMW will end in March 2024. About 3,950 people work at Nedcar. For 1,800 of them there will be no work from November, and the unions expect more mass layoffs at the beginning of next year. VDL recently agreed a social plan with the trade unions. This happened after several strikes. In order to make up for the resulting production backlog, employees now have to work overtime on Saturdays.
According to his own words, FNV director Ron Peters is not yet delighted. “Seeing is believing is also the mood on the shop floor,” said the trade unionist. “We have heard many times about declarations of intent, which came to nothing.” He called the moment when this news became known “striking”. On Monday, the management of VDL Nedcar will talk to the Limburg States about the future of the factory. The Provincial Executive will then decide on an investment of €70 million for new infrastructure around Nedcar.
– Thanks for information from Autoweek.nl