VDL acquires Siemens Hengelo

Netherlands-based OEM, VDL, has completed its acquisition of automation company, Siemens Hengelo.

VDL said in a statement that it will split Siemens Hengelo’s operations into two companies where most of the staff will join VDL Energy Systems and continue to assemble gas turbines, compressors and other parts for Siemens. other employees will perform development work for ASML at VDL ETG Technology & Development Hengelo’s high-tech cluster.

Multi-year work assurances from both Siemens and ASML reportedly form the basis of the takeover.

“For the first year after the acquisition a transition period has been agreed with Siemens,” said VDL. “During this period Siemens’ order portfolio will initially be delivered. With the assembly of gas turbines and compressors, which are used to pump gas under high pressure through gas pipelines, VDL is further expanding its competences in the oil and gas industry. A number of companies that are already part of VDL Groep are also suppliers to these sectors.”

VDL said it will take over 430 full-time jobs from Siemens Hengelo. VDL Energy Systems will employ 230 staff and VDL ETG Technology & Development Hengelo will gain approximately 130 jobs.

“Our commitment is that, as soon as the other staff become available in the transition period, we will do our utmost to create new work or to place them elsewhere at VDL,” said VDL Groep President and CEO, Willem van der Leegte.

“Thanks to the combination of craftsmanship with robotisation and automation, we are demonstrating that the high-quality manufacturing industry in the Netherlands has a future. This takeover fits perfectly into that picture.

“It is a fantastic development that by taking over Siemens Hengelo’s operations so much high-quality craftsmanship can be retained for the manufacturing industry. With our new employees’ knowledge and skills we can further strengthen the cooperation with our leading partners, Siemens and ASML.

“In addition, with this acquisition we are considerably strengthening our engineering capacity at VDL ETG Technology & Development, to over 350 employees. With the competences of our new colleagues in Hengelo as well as through cooperation with other VDL companies, we can also develop new product-market combinations,” he said.

VDL Groep, in conjunction with VDL Energy Systems, also aims to play a role in the energy transition, the move from fossil fuels to renewable energy resources.

“For Siemens the retention of jobs was always the priority”, emphasises Hans Winters, CEO of Siemens Nederland. “With this agreement we have achieved this. The mutual trust between VDL and Siemens and keeping the final result in mind have made this possible. A new phase is about to start now, in which VDL, along with ASML and Siemens, will successfully shape this agreement for all parties.”

Peter Wennink, CEO of ASML, said: “We are very pleased that the takeover by VDL has now been completed and that many of the jobs are to be retained. ASML has issued a multi-year work assurance through which we will immediately get a connection to the new VDL company in Hengelo. We look forward to fruitful cooperation.”

VDL Groep has also named Ivo Wessels as Director of VDL Energy Systems. He is a mechanical engineer who lives in Hengelo and comes from VDL ETG Almelo, where he worked for 20 years. Over the past 13 years Wessels has been a member of the management team at this high-tech company in Almelo.

(Image L-R: Siemens Nederland CEO, Hans Winters; VDL Groep President & CEO, Willem van der Leegte; and Executive Vice President Strategic Sourcing & Procurement, Jan Smits.)

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