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Next week there will be another strike at car production company Nedcar. Motor journalist Frank Jacobs has been following Nedcar for years and is critical of the activists: “Watch out that you don’t miss any new opportunities.”

Last week, hundreds of Nedcar employees left the factory. After two days of wildcat strike, the unions are now announcing two days of organized strikes.

From the mines to the car factory

The car factory in Born in South Limburg has been producing Minis for BMW for years, but that contract will soon expire. Mass layoffs seem unavoidable. 3800 employees demand a good social plan if redundancies indeed follow. The employees accuse parent company VDL of letting NedCar down.

According to car journalist Frank Jacobs, the historical value of Nedcar for Limburg is great. “In the late 1960s, Nedcar started as a cloth for the bleeding when the state mines were closed. DAF in Eindhoven had far too little production capacity. Production in Born was started and so countless miners were pulled from under the ground and behind the assembly line. from DAF.”

‘An excellent factory’

Jacobs made a documentary about the production of Minis in our country. These BMW cars have been produced in the Nedcar factory for 10 years: “When Mitsubishi withdrew 10 years ago, there was no work left for the Nedcar employees.”

“Then VDL from Eindhoven dived in. Nedcar was taken over and at the same time VDL concluded a deal with BMW.” According to Jacobs, the fact that BMW cars are produced in Limburg clearly says something about the Nedcar factory. “It’s an excellent factory, with a lot of experience. The fact that BMW has been there for years says something. BMW doesn’t start building somewhere, that really has huge quality requirements.”

Economic interest

Jacobs believes that the importance of Nedcar should not be underestimated. “The economic importance for South Limburg is great. It really belongs in society there. Everyone knows someone who works there. But there is certainly also a national interest in this company.”

As for the automotive journalist, there are still plenty of opportunities for the factory. “Some factories are really short of production capacity. Electric cars are trying to gain a foothold. There are all kinds of manufacturers that can make good use of the production capacity.”

Thankful towards VDL

The activists are currently accusing VDL of making a lot of profit, but not coming up with a generous social plan. Still, Frank Jacobs is afraid that the staff may throw their own glasses into it.

“There must be reasons for the strike. I don’t stand for a certain wage on the line, but VDL saved Nedcar from destruction. This comes across as a bit ungrateful.”

New chances

According to Jacobs, strikes could jeopardize any new deals. “There have been regular strikes in the past. BMW has had trouble with that. Germans are a bit more sensitive to that.” And the production capacity of the factory can therefore be put to good use by other parties.

“VDL is also a party that can bring in new companies just like that. So you have to make sure they don’t miss any opportunities now.”

Advance of electric

The advance of the electric car makes Born an interesting location, Jacobs thinks: “Last year there was interest from Rivean, which makes American electric SUVs. But there are also English plans for more affordable electric cars.”

“And the large Chinese manufacturer BYD wants to become active throughout Europe. All parties that are trying to gain a foothold in Europe. Nedcar is a wonderful springboard.”

VDL: ‘Damage to the company’

VDL, the parent company of Nedcar late know that they regret the announced two-day strike. Spokesperson Miel Timmers: “We regret that damage is being done to the future of the company. We call on everyone to maintain peace and safety.”

VDL does not want to confirm the interest of new car brands in producing in the Nedcar factory: “We are not commenting on concrete interest in producing in Born, but we see that car brands from both America and Asia are looking hard for an independent car production company. .”