Van Hool
| Van Hool NV
|
|
|---|---|
 |
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| legal form | Naamloze vennootschap (NV) |
| founding | 1947 |
| Seat | Koningshooikt , Antwerp Province , Belgium |
| management | Filip Van Hool ( CEO ) |
| Number of employees | 4000 (2012) |
| Branch | vehicle construction |
| Website | https://www.vanhool.be/de/ |
Van Hool [ vɑnˈɦoːl ] is a Belgian manufacturer of commercial vehicles for city buses , trolleybuses , coaches as well as trailers , chassis and tank containers . The company has been run as a family business since it was founded.
history
The company was founded in 1947 by Bernard Van Hool in the Belgian village of Koningshooikt ( Antwerp province ). In the first few years there were 22 employees and - in addition to the company founder - five other family members. The buses were initially produced individually , with the vehicle design being based on the American road cruisers popular at the time .
Economic growth was brought about by a major order from the Belgian army in 1951 for the delivery of over a hundred workshop vehicle bodies and, since 1954, the delivery of commercial vehicles to the colony of the Belgian Congo . By the end of 1955 the number of employees had risen to 240; a year later the 1000th coach was delivered.
In February 1957, an agreement was signed with Fiat for the supply of diesel engines and mechanical components such as manual transmissions and axles . The company developed from a bodybuilder to a full-fledged manufacturer of complete buses and coaches that carried the Van Hool Fiat brand name . In addition, however, the company remained a well-known body manufacturer, which made further expansion possible. The collaboration between Van Hool and Fiat was very successful right from the start: the 100th Van Hool Fiat bus was handed over in August 1958 and the 500th Van Hool Fiat coach in July 1961. In 1981 the agreement with Fiat was terminated.
In 1965 the company started producing semi-trailers ; this division has proven to be an important pillar of the company to this day. In 1966 the company had around 880 employees. In the same year, the export to the US market, which is considered difficult, began: Van Hool vehicles were initially used as shuttle buses between New York city center and the city's airports.
In 1972 Van Hool was asked by the Irish state to take over the bus production of the Irish state company CIE in Inchicore . For this purpose, the company Van Hool McArdle was founded. However, the Irish bus market turned out to be too small to produce enough buses profitably there. These activities therefore ended in 1978.
In 1974, the company's founder, Bernard Van Hool, died; two years later was PVBA Van Hool & Zonen in the public company Van Hool NV transferred. In order to maintain the advantages of a family business, in particular the independence of shareholders who are oriented towards dividend payments and to exclude hostile takeovers , the entire capital remained in family ownership. Van Hool is now one of the few classic family businesses in the bus manufacturing sector.
In 1978 Van Hool presented a new bus model at the Paris Motor Show with the Alizée model, of which 500 vehicles were sold just one year later. The T815 Acron model derived from this, with a lowered driver's seat (which was still unusual at the time) and an unusually large panoramic windscreen , became the most successful Van Hool coach to date.
In 1980 the company presented its first articulated bus, the AG280 . In the same year, the AU141 and AU138 low-floor buses appeared . The main innovation was the motor installed between the axles.
In 1980, largely unnoticed by the competition, the company prepared a completely new product: The company recognized the future importance of multimodal transport early on and developed standardized tank containers made of aluminum (for bulk goods ) and stainless steel (for liquids). The experience gained in this way made Van Hool an international company in this field in the 1990s.
In 1987 Van Hool signed a contract with the major American bus operator ABC Bus Companies for the exclusive sale of Van Hool buses in the USA. The company is a supplier to private and public transport companies and offers a complete range of services. Through this agreement, and through cooperation with the bus lines of the Stagecoach Group belonging Coach USA Van Hool vehicles are now the meistimportierten luxury buses in North America. In 1998 Van Hool acquired a minority stake in ABC Bus Companies .
In 1990 Van Hool acquired the Belgian bus manufacturer LAG. Its production of EOS models was initially continued. Van Hool still manufactures buses and coaches at this location in the city of Bree .
A new type of vehicle, the company introduced in 2011 at a conference of the UITP in Dubai with the ExquiCity before: This newly designed model offers according to the manufacturer, the shape and the comfort of a tram and the flexibility and cost of a city bus. For local public transport in the French city of Metz , Van Hool received the order for the delivery of the BRT lines Mettis : These are hybrid diesel-electric 24 m double articulated vehicles based on the ExquiCity .
Another milestone in the company's history was the laying of the foundation stone for a bus production facility near the North Macedonian capital Skopje on July 20, 2012 . The official opening of the new bus plant, which required an investment of 25 million euros, took place on May 12, 2014. With this step, Van Hool began to relocate part of its production to a low-wage country . This is justified with the increasing production and especially wage costs in Western Europe. At the time the plant was set up in North Macedonia (then: Macedonia ), labor costs were less than 10% of the corresponding costs at the home location in Belgium. The TX40 and CX45 models, which are intended for the American market, as well as the EX series, which are intended for the European market, are produced . The first public presentation of the EX buses, which will go on sale in 2015, took place in September 2014 at the IAA in Hanover.
Products
Van Hool manufactures buses and coaches as well as special as promotional vehicles , OB vans and satellite transmission car . In addition, commercial vehicles are produced for the transport of goods .
Coaches
Currently u. a. the following series are offered:
- TX series in various lengths and body heights, also as a double-decker bus . Engines: PACCAR Euro 6
- TX-Scania series in various lengths and body heights, also as a double-decker bus. Engines: Scania Euro 6
- EX series from 2015. Initially available in three different lengths. Produced in North Macedonia. Engines: PACCAR Euro 6
- USA coaches: only three-axle long-distance buses for the American market, also as double-deckers.
Public buses
For public transport , the company offers a wide range of buses between 8.5 m ( midibus ) and 25 m in length ( double articulated bus ). In addition to diesel and CNG engines , trolleybuses , fuel cell buses , a battery bus and hybrid buses with various drive variants are also available.
| Van Hool A 308 |
| Van Hool A 309 |
| Van Hool A 300 |
| Van Hool A 360 |
| Van Hool A 330 |
| Van Hool AG 300 articulated bus |
| Van Hool AGG 300 double articulated bus |
Low-floor buses with an alternative drive system
| Van Hool A 300 CNG | natural gas |
| Van Hool A 360 CNG | natural gas |
| Van Hool A 330 FC | Fuel cell |
| Van Hool A 300 T | trolleybus |
| Van Hool AG 300 T | trolleybus |
| Van Hool A 308 E | Battery bus |
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In addition, the BRT ExquiCity18 and ExquiCity24 vehicles are offered as trolley buses, battery buses or hybrid buses .
Freight transport
Van Hool manufactures at its production site Koningshooikt semitrailer for different goods, shipping containers , silo containers , swap bodies , container chassis and special designs according to customer requirements.
Van Hool has around 4,000 employees worldwide and produces around 1,200 buses and 4,000 semi-trailers and tank containers every year. The export quota is over 80% (as of 2012).
Important bus networks with van hool vehicles
- Since 1991: Airport buses at Algiers Airport , including the largest airport buses in the world since 2012
- Since 2013: Mettis busway lines in Metz
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Van Hool today ( Memento from March 4, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) (PDF; 3.2 MB) Company brochure as of 2012, accessed on October 12, 2014
- ^ A b Van Hool story. ( Memento from October 23, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) vanhool.de, accessed on October 12, 2014
- ^ A History Built on Relationships. ( Memento of November 8, 2014 on the Internet Archive ) ABC Bus Companies . Retrieved October 5, 2013
- ↑ Low-wage earners (PDF; 233 KB) Press release of the Statistical Office of the European Union of December 20, 2012, table on page 2, column 2; accessed on January 4, 2015
- ↑ Van Hool presents the EX as a world premiere at the IAA . ( Memento of October 23, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) (PDF; 335 KB) Company press release of July 24, 2014, accessed on September 7, 2014
- ↑ Archived copy ( memento of June 9, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) accessed on October 10, 2013
