Big blow to the factory in Born
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BMW has decided that it will no longer place car production with the Dutch VDL Nedcar after 2023. A big blow to the company and uncertain times for its 5,000 employees.
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Dark clouds hang over the VDL Nedcar factory in Born. BMW has indicated that after 2023 the production of the next X1 and the various Minis will be moved elsewhere. Contrary to previous expectations, the next generation of the Mini Countryman passes their noses and so it ends after the current Minis are phased out. That the new X1 was not going to be built in Born, was announced earlier. The complete departure of the BMW Group naturally comes as a huge blow. In June, the company said in conversation with AutoWeek that it still has spoke to BMW about the future of Mini production and that it was already looking at new potential clients just to be on the safe side. The latter now seems to be the only remaining option.
In response to 1Limburg says the director of VDL Nedcar, Paul van Vuuren, that this news is ‘fierce and worrisome’. At the same time, the company continues to look boldly to the future. Parent company VDL has pledged its full support, according to Van Vuuren, and a special team is now looking for new parties who want to build cars in Born. This would mainly concern ‘Asian startups’ that want to produce electric cars in Europe. According to the director, despite this blow, there is ‘great confidence’ that cars will still be built in Born from 2023. Unfortunately, the umpteenth uncertain period has started for the 5,000 employees of VDL Nedcar.
Politics and trade union FNV reacts
Politics has also responded to BMW’s decision through Minister of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy Eric Wiebes. “In the first place, this is a hard blow to the approximately 5,000 employees of VDL Nedcar in Born, for them a period of uncertainty has dawned. This is also a setback for the regional economy of Limburg ”, Wiebes said NU.nl. The minister adds that the cabinet will “fully cooperate” in the search for new clients, by deploying embassies and consulates, as well as the Netherlands Foreign Investment Agency (NFIA).
The FNV trade union fears for the jobs at VDL Nedcar and says it will take into account that by 2023 the majority of employees will end up on the street. “Our first concern now is to maintain calm and tranquility and to urge Nedcar to intensify the search for a new model / client. VDL-Nedcar had been looking for new clients for some time now and that search will continue. should take place more intensively “, says Ron Peters, director of FNV-Metaal. He calls it a blow to the employees as well as a blow to the region.
AutoWeek is still awaiting an official statement from BMW.
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That’s what happens when nobody gives a damn about the quality.