When a trusted brand undergoes a change in ownership—like Van Hool joining the VDL Groep— it naturally raises important questions. What does this mean for your fleet? Your access to parts and service? Your long-term investment?
I was recently given the opportunity to travel to Europe on behalf of ABC Companies to meet with VDL leadership and tour several of their key operational sites. My goal was simple: represent our operators’ perspectives and return with clarity, confidence, and real answers.
A Legacy-Driven Partnership
VDL isn’t just a global industrial group, it’s a third-generation family-owned business that has operated with long-term values for more than 70 years. With over 100 companies in its portfolio and operations across more than 20 countries, VDL’s growth is grounded in steady leadership and a strong legacy of reinvestment in people, innovation, and partnerships.
That family-driven mindset came through clearly during my visit. I had the opportunity to meet and speak openly with members of the van der Leegte family. Their commitment to trust, transparency, and shared values was unmistakable, and deeply aligned with ABC’s own approach to long-term relationships and customer support.
As an operator, you benefit from that stability. You’re not just supported by a brand—you’re backed by a multi-generational business focused on sustainability, relationships, and delivering on its commitments for the long haul.
Listening to Operator Needs and Acting on Them
In every conversation with VDL executives, one theme stood out: ensuring continuity, reliability, and responsiveness for the operators we serve.
VDL’s leadership expressed a strong desire to honor Van Hool’s legacy while accelerating its future through smarter systems, stronger engineering, and more efficient manufacturing. I brought your real-world challenges to the table—tight schedules, rising costs, and the pressure of meeting high customer expectations—and made sure they remained front and center in every strategic discussion.
This collaboration is already influencing how ABC and VDL approach decisions, ensuring your operational needs are prioritized as we move forward together.
Seeing Innovation in Action
My visit began in Eindhoven and continued to the Valkenswaard factory in the Netherlands, where I got a firsthand look at VDL’s manufacturing process for coaches built for the European market. It was encouraging to see how these capabilities are aligning with the quality, and standards operators like you depend on.
Next, I traveled to Roeselare, Belgium, where VDL’s new, state-of-the-art factory for electric transit buses is located. During the visit, I explored how lean manufacturing, automation, and design innovation are being implemented to enhance efficiency and support scalable vehicle production.
Through detailed conversations with the VDL team, I gained insight into how these enhancements are being structured to benefit North American operators, delivering more production efficiency, better service responsiveness, and greater reliability over time.
What This Means for Your Support and Service
While ABC’s role as the North American distribution and support partner remains consistent, what’s happening behind the scenes is shifting in meaningful ways. Changes in infrastructure, especially in production and supply chain, are aimed at resolving challenges that many operators have experienced firsthand.
With VDL’s expanded capabilities, we’re seeing increased opportunities to improve how we support operators. That includes efforts to:
- Shorten parts lead times
- Increase supply chain reliability
- Strengthen coordination around service and technical support
These aren’t abstract goals; they’re based on real conversations I’ve had with operators across the industry, and they reflect a shared intent to respond to the day-to-day realities of your business.
A Partnership Built Around Your Input
The collaboration between ABC and VDL isn’t static. It’s ongoing and shaped by consistent input from the field. Feedback shared during service visits, industry events, and direct outreach continues to influence how we think about vehicle design, technology updates, and support programs.
This visit to VDL is just one example of how we’re working to bring those voices directly to the table. My role on this trip was to ensure that the operator perspective remained central, and that the people making strategic decisions heard it directly.
The industry is always evolving, and so is the way we support it. Listening, collaborating, and improving—those are the constants we’re committed to carrying forward.
Ryhan Cornell is a Senior Account Executive with ABC Companies.
