60 years of DAF production in Belgium- DAF Trucks Ltd, United Kingdom

Sixty years after production first began, DAF Trucks Vlaanderen ranks among the most advanced automotive manufacturing facilities in Europe. What started in 1966 with the production of truck cabs has grown into an ultramodern factory for both cabs and axles, playing a key role within DAF Trucks’ international production network. With continuous investments in technology, sustainability, and employees, DAF holds a vital industrial position in Belgium.

In order to meet the increasing demand for DAF trucks, the production facilities needed to be expanded in the mid-1960s. Although there was enough space at the Eindhoven site, labour availability was limited. DAF therefore chose the Belgian Kempen region, where – following the closure of mines and regional diamond-cutting-workshops – a large labour force was available. Along the A13 highway at Oevel, a 400,000 m² area was acquired. The purchase contract was signed the day before Christmas 1964. Construction of a 12,000 m² factory began almost immediately, and it became operational in the first half of 1966.

Since 1966, DAF trucks have been for an important part ‘Made in Belgium’, as the first four cabs came off the production line on 5 May of that year. Production increased rapidly, as evidenced by the fact that already on 5 July, the 1,000th cab was transported from Oevel to Eindhoven. On 26 August, DAF Vlaanderen proudly reported that it was already able to produce ‘any type of cab’. In the meantime, the new paint shop was already running at full speed. After two impressive Müller presses were relocated from Eindhoven to Belgium on 1 December – a job that took two months – the factory finally became genuinely ‘self-supporting’. Just a few months later, DAF already decided to expand the cab factory preparing for the introduction of a whole new generation of trucks with revolutionary tilting cab in 1968.

The high quality of the cabs built by DAF Vlaanderen was the reason why the fast-growing DAF company also moved the axle factory from Eindhoven to Westerlo in 1971. A new 13,000 m2 factory was added to the existing production line, increasing the length of the façade along the motorway to an impressive 380 metres. The number of employees gradually rose towards 1,000.

In 1985, DAF Vlaanderen saw further massive investment. A completely new factory for painting cabs was realised, at that time the most environmentally friendly in Europe. The axle factory also witnessed significant innovation less than three years later, in order to guarantee highest quality and performance of the axles. Because these are developed and manufactured in-house, DAF axles are always tailored exactly to the individual vehicle type for maximum efficiency.