VDL has maintained silence on the status of its binding agreement to purchase the coach and bus activities of bankrupt manufacturer Van Hool, but a media report in Belgium has suggested that the transaction should be concluded by the end of May.
One party involved in the sale has via that Belgian source described the process as “a very complex file.” It is understood that the ongoing work by court-appointed curators of Van Hool means that there is still no clarity on Van Hool UK, with staff there awaiting news.
No communication has been made by curators or VDL with UK operators that have Van Hool coaches on order. That has been received in a mixed manner, with one such customer “not overly worried” about the process but another calling for urgent information on the status of deposits and deliveries.
Despite its general calmness, the former operator is troubled by delays to vehicles that are understood to be largely or fully complete at the Van Hool factory in North Macedonia, with a member of its senior team noting that “they are due here now, and we are desperate for them now.”
However, they counsel that “patience is needed” and add that impending difficulties at Van Hool had become increasingly obvious in the months ahead of its bankruptcy in April.
It has been suggested that VDL staff have been on site in North Macedonia and that production there has restarted to an extent since the Van Hool collapse. Parts supply was cited as impacting that work, although VDL is said to have funded some materials for the Skopje plant. It has not responded to an enquiry about the status of the acquisition.
Completion of part-built coaches at Lier in Belgium is reliant on the return of some former staff on a short-term basis. That site has been split into areas for coach and bus, and for the Van Hool trailer arm that forms a separate sale.
It is understood that work to clarify the positions and financial states of foreign subsidiaries of the bankrupt Van Hool BV business is proving challenging for the curators, but that those undertakings continue to trade.
A further operator with multiple Van Hool coaches due has heard nothing concrete about them since before the bankruptcy. Its owner highlights a desire for clarity from parties involved in the sale on how those vehicles will be supported after delivery, including warranty coverage.
A third operator with Van Hools on order says that patience with a lack of contact from curators or VDL is wearing thin. A Director has called upon those parties to inform the market here of what is happening to deposits and vehicles. They are “gobsmacked” that nothing has yet been said to buyers who are awaiting the arrival of coaches.
“The Van Hool product is in demand, which I assume is why VDL decided to purchase the business, but time waits for nobody,” the operator says. The curators or VDL “need to hurry up and say something, because I have already ordered two coaches elsewhere as a result of this lack of communication.”
