VDL criticises two large orders for electric buses in China. Wim van der Leegte, owner of VDL, wrote in an opinion piece in the Financieele Dagblad just before Christmas that he thinks the import of the buses, which his company could also have supplied, will be at the expense of jobs in the Netherlands. Parliamentary questions have since been raised by CDA.
In his column, which can also be read on the VDL website, Van der Leegte states, amongst other things: “The 259 electric buses that will operate in the outlying areas of Overijssel, Flevoland and Gelderland have been ordered from BYD in China. The previously announced 156 Chinese electric buses for the Amstelland-Meerlanden and Haarlem-Ijmond transport regions will be supplied by the importer Ebusco.” He wonders whether these orders from China might create an unfairly uneven playing field. “Naturally, VDL Bus & Coach – the Netherlands’ sole bus manufacturer and part of our family-run business, VDL Groep – would have been delighted to supply these 415 electric buses. For the record, we were able to meet all the required conditions prior to the final award: design and timely delivery, for which comprehensive guarantees were provided. There are approximately 6,500 city buses in the Netherlands. Taking into account a depreciation period of 10 to 15 years, the market for 2020 is largely filled. So there is little scope for our Dutch buses next year, whilst, as a European leader in the electrification of heavy-duty transport, our home market is crucial.”
See also: VDL plays a key role in the electrification of supermarket distribution networks
Dutch manufacturing industry
He also wrote: "Developing electric buses is innovation of the highest order. Through significant investments in research and development, VDL has further specialised from bus manufacturer to system integrator including the supply of charging infrastructure, electricity, maintenance, connectivity and training. As a specialist in energy transition, we warmly welcome the welcome prospects of making public transport fully sustainable."
"Of course we have a business interest in supplying buses. But as a champion of maintaining jobs in the high-quality Dutch industry, we are genuinely very concerned by the awarding of the said concessions. Ordering Chinese buses will lead to structural consequences for employment in the Netherlands. Our Buses division has 2,600 employees in the Netherlands and Belgium and sales support activities in 20 European countries. The 415 new Chinese buses that will operate in our country represent around 800 man-years of work, excluding outsourced work and research and development at suppliers and knowledge institutions." Van der Leegte also mentioned that with the acquisition of Siemens Hengelo, his company had managed to keep 450 jobs for the high-quality Dutch industry.
Parliamentary questions
CDA members Hilde Palland and Amhaouch submitted questions to the Minister and State Secretary for Economic Affairs and Climate Change in response to the column. Among other things, they wonder what kind of company BYD is, whether the tender process was fair and whether companies like VDL in China would have the same position as BYD in Europe. Answers to the questions are not yet known.
Source + photo: VDL.
