VDL Berkhof was a

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

based

bus A bus (contracted from omnibus, with variants multibus, motorbus, autobus, etc.) is a road vehicle that carries significantly more passengers than an average car or van. It is most commonly used in public transport, but is also in use for cha ...

and

coach Coach may refer to: Guidance/instruction * Coach (sport), a director of athletes' training and activities * Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process ** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers Transportation * Co ...

builder, founded in 1970 by Arthur Berkhof and his son Henk. It started with only 10 employees in a 1,000 m² factory. During the first 18 months the company only carried out bus repairs. In 1985, the operation moved to a brand new 10,000 m² facility in

Valkenswaard Valkenswaard () is a municipality and a town in the southern Netherlands, in the Metropoolregio Eindhoven of the province of North Brabant. The municipality had a population of in and spans an area of of which is water. The name Valkenswaard ...

. The number of employees was now 132. The factory expanded in 1989 by an additional 10,000 m² resulting in a production capacity of 350 units a year following the acquisition of Hainje. In 1994

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

bus and coach manufacturer

Jonckheere Jonckheere was a Belgian motor coach and bus builder, founded in 1881 by Henri Jonckheere in Roeselare. History In 1881, Henri Jonckheere began to build horse-drawn carriages in the village of Beveren, near Roeselare in the province of Wes ...

with a total sales of 400 units per year and 500 employees, was acquired. The total staff number of employees of the Berkhof Groep now reached 1,200. In 1997, the company changed its name from ''Berkhof Groep'' to ''Berkhof Jonckheere Groep''. In 1998 it was bought by the

VDL Groep VDL Groep is an international industrial and manufacturing company established in 1953. From its head office in Eindhoven, Netherlands, VDL supervises its subsidiaries, which have a high level of autonomy and responsibility for results. The bus ...

and in 2010 was subsumed by

VDL Bus & Coach VDL Bus & Coach is a Netherlands based bus manufacturer. It is an amalgamation of several bus building companies within the VDL Groep. VDL Bus & Coach has manufacturing plants in Belgium and the Netherlands. By 2018 VDL Bus & Coach sold 500 elec ...

. The company has also built

low-floor Accessibility is the design of products, devices, services, vehicles, or environments so as to be usable by people with disabilities. The concept of accessible design and practice of accessible development ensures both "direct access" (i. ...

articulated An articulated vehicle is a vehicle which has a permanent or semi-permanent pivot joint in its construction, allowing it to turn more sharply. There are many kinds, from heavy equipment to buses, trams and trains. Steam locomotives were sometim ...

trolleybuses for

Arnhem Arnhem ( or ; german: Arnheim; South Guelderish: ''Èrnem'') is a city and municipality situated in the eastern part of the Netherlands about 55 km south east of Utrecht. It is the capital of the province of Gelderland, located on both banks of ...

in the Netherlands,Murray, Alan (2000). ''World Trolleybus Encyclopaedia'', p. 109. Yateley, Hampshire, UK: Trolleybooks. . and

Solingen Solingen (; li, Solich) is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located some 25 km east of Düsseldorf along the northern edge of the region called Bergisches Land, south of the Ruhr area, and, with a 2009 population of 161,366, ...

in Germany.''

Trolleybus Magazine A trolleybus (also known as trolley bus, trolley coach, trackless trolley, trackless tramin the 1910s and 1920sJoyce, J.; King, J. S.; and Newman, A. G. (1986). ''British Trolleybus Systems'', pp. 9, 12. London: Ian Allan Publishing. .or troll ...

'' No. 252 (Nov.-Dec. 2003), p. 132. National Trolleybus Association (UK). .

Former models

Ambassador An ambassador is an official envoy, especially a high-ranking diplomat who represents a state and is usually accredited to another sovereign state or to an international organization as the resident representative of their own government or sov ...

* Axial 50 * Axial 70 * Axial 100 DD * Eclipse * Excellence 500 * Excellence 1000 * Excellence 2000 HL / HLE * Excellence 3000

References

External links

*
VDL Berkhof official website
{{Authority control Companies based in North Brabant Trolleybus manufacturers VDL Groep Vehicle manufacturing companies established in 1970 2010 disestablishments in the Netherlands Electric vehicle manufacturers of the Netherlands Dutch companies established in 1970