Just over a year after bankruptcy and a restart, Van Hool Industrial Vehicles is back on solid ground. Automation of the production line for tank trailers and containers is set to double capacity. The arrival of a new Valk Welding robotic installation this autumn will mark the final step in this automation drive.
Twenty-second Valk Welding robot for internal welding to complete automation process
“Previously, we had three different production lines for tankers and tank containers. We are now merging these into a single synchronised production line, running in a loop through the plant,” explains Jos Hendrickx, Production Manager at Van Hool Industrial Vehicles (IV) in Koningshooikt, Belgium, some 20 kilometres from Antwerp.
Van Hool is a household name in the region and, until early last year, employed 3,000 people. The collapse of the bus market during the COVID crisis, the transition to e-buses and fierce competition from China brought the giant to its knees. The bus division, which accounted for 80 percent of group turnover, was hardest hit. Van Hool IV, responsible for the remaining 20 percent of turnover and producing trailers, container chassis and tankers, was less severely affected.
In April last year, the group was declared bankrupt. The bus division was acquired by Dutch company VDL, while the Industrial Vehicles division was taken over by GRW, a trailer builder affiliated with Schmitz Cargobull.
“We went bankrupt on 8 April and restarted with twenty people on 29 April,” continues Hendrickx, who has worked at Van Hool for 38 years. Within a year, a large share of the 700-strong workforce had returned to their former employer. “We now employ 250 people, 85 percent of whom also worked at Van Hool IV before the bankruptcy,” he explains.
Not only the employees, but also suppliers and customers — from food companies to petrochemical firms — remained loyal to the manufacturer. Van Hool has long been known for its flexible, tailor-made solutions. “The quality and strong reputation were the reasons for us to relaunch the company,” says GRW director Gerhard van der Merwe, who is closely involved in the restart and spends a great deal of time in Koningshooikt.
Whereas Van Hool IV previously produced a wide range of transport trailers, its focus after the restart is on chassis, stainless steel tank trailers and tank containers. “We have discontinued products such as curtain-sided and refrigerated trailers, as Schmitz Cargobull is far more competitive in those segments thanks to its scale,” Hendrickx adds.
The new owners aim to maximise synergies between the companies, with Van Hool IV focusing more heavily on the construction of tank containers and trailers. Where 500 units currently roll off the line each year, that number should rise to 1,000 in the future. Production of chassis is stabilising at 1,000 units annually but could still increase over time.
The growth ambitions in tank construction explain the facelift the factory is currently undergoing. Machines have been relocated and conveyor systems installed. Within the new synchronised production line, an important role has been reserved for a Valk Welding robotic installation, to be delivered in September. “This robot is for internal welding, a task still being performed manually today,” Hendrickx notes.
Valk Welding is one of the suppliers that has remained loyal to Van Hool. The welding automation specialist delivered its first welding robot in 1997 (with Hendrickx then also playing a key role in the specifications, implementation and choice for Valk Welding, ed.) and has since installed around 30 robots. Most of these went to the chassis department, which has already achieved a high degree of automation. By extending automation to the tank construction department, Van Hool can further boost productivity.
Jan Wanten, responsible for Van Hool Industrial Vehicles at Valk Welding, is pleased to see Van Hool IV back on its feet so soon after the restart. “Van Hool is a key account for us and has always been at the forefront of testing new Valk Welding developments, providing us with valuable hands-on experience from production. That certainly also applies to this robot, which will take over the internal welding tasks.”
The strong partnership between Van Hool and Valk Welding has not gone unnoticed by Gerhard van der Merwe. The GRW director has also ordered a Valk Welding robotic installation for trailer production in South Africa, where GRW specialises in the construction of aluminium tank containers.
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