VDL Groep joins Brainport Partner Fund: 'Let's seize the opportunities together.'

The success of the Brainport region is leading to significantly more jobs and residents in the coming years. The region is gearing up for a jump in scale, putting pressure on society. Every resident must be able to participate, but that does not happen by itself. In addition to support from the national government, the business community is investing in measures in the areas of talent development, accessibility, housing, and equal opportunities through the Brainport Partner Fund. VDL Groep is one of the companies that have joined the fund. CEO Willem van der Leegte: “It all starts with education. Everyone should get the same opportunities.”

Providing trust, working together, taking responsibility, granting each other something, and ensuring equality of opportunity. Willem van der Leegte's language seems straight from the Brainport dictionary. But he is not showing his marketing talent; he knows it works that way, from his own experience but also because of the long tradition of the family business VDL Groep has shown him. These are also the concepts that made him and his company part of the Brainport Partner Fund. “The region receives necessary funds from The Hague, but these must be supplemented with private money. As a company, you then take responsibility.”

Public-private cooperation is a tried-and-true formula within Brainport Eindhoven. “It distinguishes us from other areas. We do things differently here, and that success is often copied but rarely matched. It's all about helping each other and building trust together. That has become automatic here.”

VDL's roots in Brainport

VDL Groep's history is inextricably linked to Brainport Eindhoven. “My grandfather was once allowed by Philips to start for himself because Philips recognized that too much dependence on one company was risky. What started as a small company has now grown into an organization with a billion-dollar turnover,” Van der Leegte says. Of the 14,000 VDL employees, more than 5,500 are active in this region.

VDL remains loyal to the region. “We believe that jobs bring prosperity. Instead of relocating activities, we continue to invest here. Our employees' salaries are growing faster than inflation, contributing to the region's prosperity. We are also concerned. Can our employees still buy a house here? How do we solve the traffic jams? We tackle problems like that through the Brainport Partner Fund, among others.”

The industry needs technically trained employees

One of the spearheads of the fund is talent development. Van der Leegte only has to look at VDL's more than one hundred companies to see that the technology industry is crying out for technically trained employees. “We have been working for decades to increase interest in engineering. While there is progress, the number of graduates is still insufficient to keep up with the growth. And the talent issue also touches on the need to build more housing and get the region's accessibility in order.”

Willem van der Leegte, CEO VDL Groep, photo © Nadia Ten Wolde

Of course, Brainport cannot avoid attracting talent from abroad, but for Van der Leegte, education is at the heart of everything in the region. “It all starts with education. Not everyone has the same start, but everyone should have the same opportunities. That starts with a good education. We are vehemently against cutting education. It is the basis of our long term and crucial for everyone to be part of society. Therefore, as a business community, we invest heavily in it, directly and through the partner fund.” This is visible in research projects at TU Eindhoven and with various initiatives at Summa (mbo) and Fontys (hbo).

A collaboration that always goes without saying

One of the strengths of Brainport Eindhoven is the naturalness of “triple helix” cooperation between companies, governments, and knowledge institutions. Van der Leegte calls this the backbone of the region. “If you work together, you are more likely to achieve success. We have proven that here time and again, especially in times of crisis. By looking each other up and helping each other, we have always come out of crises stronger. What we are experiencing now is not an economic crisis, but the region is growing so fast that we are running into limits. We have to jump in scale; if we don't, we can still get into trouble.”

Van der Leegte understands that not everyone cares that we have a responsibility from our region for the world's technological development. “Certainly, if your children cannot buy a house, you spend a very long time in traffic jams, and in the city, you have to order your cup of coffee in English, it is logical that there are people who object. Adverse effects should be named without question, and we should try to solve them together. It would be very unwise to stop this growth. Then you say no to the prosperity of the generations after us.”

Apart from that, we also have our responsibilities internationally, says the VDL boss. “The world looks at us as the center of the semicon industry. We must keep investing in our growth. Otherwise, other markets will seize that opportunity,” he warns. “By the way, if you were to ask anywhere else in the world if they would welcome ASML and its supply chain, they would be there with open arms. Maybe it's because of the Brabant culture that we can't stop discussing these things.”

An appeal to the region

Participating in the Brainport Partner Fund is not a matter of plain mathematics, Van der Leegte notes. But precisely because it has to do with the core of what makes Brainport so strong, he calls on every company of any size to join. “We cannot close everything down. It's about trust in the ecosystem. The opportunities we get as a region, we have to use together. I don't know what this participation will get you tomorrow, but I'm certain the investment will ultimately pay off. What's good for the region is good for your business.”