Industrial group VDL and the Dutch province of Limburg are reserving €25 million for the future use of the former VDL Nedcar car factory in Born, where BMWs and MINIs were once assembled until the company withdrew as a customer.

VDL now wants to give the site a “broad purpose”, so the complex will be used, among others, for the production of military drones for the defense industry. The industrial group is allocating €10 million for this purpose, while the province of Limburg is reserving €15 million. The amount is left over from the old budget for area development in Born around the VDL Nedcar car factory, which still hoped to expand in 2020.

Further development

In addition to the defense industry, VDL also wants to develop further the site of the former car factory for sustainable transport, battery and energy systems, and the manufacturing industry.

“The starting point is to stimulate innovation, employment, and quality of life at the VDL site in Born and the surrounding area,” says Willem van der Leegte, President and CEO of VDL.