VDL Groep and the University and Twente will intensify their partnership to further high-tech development and production. The two parties have signed a contract to invest in joint research, supported by Holland High Tech (the executive office of the Dutch Top Sector High Tech Systems & Materials HTSM). The contract involves millions of dollars.
The first joint study topics deal with the development and production of electromotors - actuators - using superconductivity. That is the elimination of electrical resistance in special materials when they are cooled to low temperatures. Measuring and improving the purity of ultra-clean components is one of the goals.
The partnership forms part of the joint overarching goal of bringing academic knowledge and industrial practice closer together. The parties will also be collaborating more intensively in the field of talent, for example by exchanging employees and by offering challenging assignments to students. In July 2019, Jaap Brand of VDL ETG Almelo, for this reason, was part-time appointed as the first official Fellow of the University of Twenty’s Precision Engineering Chair. One of his tasks is to strengthen collaboration between VDL and UT. The new contract exemplifies this.
Breakthrough
The feasibility and speed of new high-tech developments are increasingly determined by early collaboration in development and manufacturing. This is definitely the case for superconductivity in which a breakthrough is expected in industrial application in the next decade. This technology, which is primarily used in particle accelerators (such as for CERN and in MRI systems), can be used for extremely powerful drives, controlling mirrors in space and even facilitate nuclear fusion.
Moreover, materials science, design and production techniques must work in tandem to make breakthroughs possible in fields such as semiconductor chip production, energy and photonics. By combining VDL’s and UT’s expertise it is expected that a new generation of students can be provided with the appropriate competencies and that further progress can be made in research as well as industry. The earlier research and industry work together, the better and faster it will be possible to proceed with industrialisation.
Growth ambitions
According to Sander Verschoor (Director VDL ETG Almelo) and Hans Evers (Director VDL ETG Technology & Development) the partnership with UT is an important link to strengthen the high-tech industry in the Twente region and to realise VDL Group’s growth ambitions in this region. ‘We expect there will be a need for many new employees – generally at academic level and the level of applied sciences (HBO) – over the coming years to support the growth of the semi-conductor industry. Together with UT we develop techniques and train students to make this possible.’
Innovative Product Developments
Director Strategic Business Development Geert Dewulf at the University of Twente: "We are delighted with this new step in our partnership with VDL. The collaboration between the scientific expertise of UT and VDL as a high-tech company will result in new scientific breakthroughs and innovative product developments. VDL offers inspiring challenges for our students for internships and graduation projects. This partnership is also an example of how strengthening the regional ecosystem goes hand-in-hand with UT’s international ambitions."
About VDL Groep
Strength through collaboration. That is the basis of VDL Group, a family business operating internationally from its headquarters in Eindhoven. The company was founded in 1953, by Pieter van der Leegte. In the early years, VDL Groep was a specialist in all kinds of metal treatment. After Pieter’s son Wim took over in 1966, it specialized as a high-tech supplier for branches like the semiconductor industry. Plastics processing, as well as the development, production and sales of buses and coaches became major parts of VDL’s portfolio. VDL Groep grew big as a hightech supplier of semi-finished products and a whole line of end products, like suspension systems, product automation for car manufacturers, heat exchangers and systems for container handling. VDL Nedcar in Born is the only automotive production line in The Netherlands. For third parties, cars are assembled here. VDL Groep innovates using a combination of craftsmanship, entrepreneurship and high-quality machinery. The group of companies combines the strength of a multinational and the flat organization and the open, informal working atmosphere that is characteristic for a family business, with continuity and growth as high priorities. Since 2016, the third generation of the Van der Leegte family is leading the group. VDL Groep has over 15,000 employees in 20 countries. The group has 105 operating companies, each with its own specialism, collaborating intensively. The combined turnover in 2020 was 4.686 billion euro.
