Annual report 2012 - VDL

Second-hand buses
The slight improvement that started in the last quarter of 2011 has continued in 2012 in terms of the
turnover and number of buses sold. Turnover rose sharply, from 25 million euro to 39 million euro, and the
number of buses sold jumped from 439 in 2011 to 606 in 2012. This year public transport buses represent
a much larger portion of this number. Growing demand for Euro 4 and Euro 5 vehicles, under pressure
from ever more widely applied environmental requirements, caused a major downturn in the market for
Euro 3 vehicles. This factor and the strong price pressure in general, has had a major impact on the
achieved margin. At the end of 2012 a large number of young, second-hand city buses were once again
taken in inventory. The challenge for VDL Bus Center is to sell these vehicles through expansion of the
existing network, in close cooperation with other VDL Bus & Coach companies. VDL Bus Center expects
stabilization of the turnover for 2013.
Chassis & chassis modules
External turnover for chassis and module builder VDL Bus Chassis fell from 38 million euro in 2011 to
23 million euro in 2012. Last year 251 modules were delivered to vehicle builders other than VDL Bus &
Coach. This is a decrease from 2011 when 459 were delivered outside the group. This decline in turnover
for products supplied to buyers other than VDL Bus & Coach was mainly due to declining demand for
chassis and chassis modules for the public transport sector in export countries. The number of chassis and
modules for bus & coach builders within VDL Bus & Coach rose from 1,138 in 2011 to 1,287 in 2012.
Partly due to the uncertain market situation it is expected that sales in 2013 will be lower than in 2012.
The product range is developed in close cooperation with VDL Bus & Coach. Alongside continuous quality
improvements to existing products, the engineering focus was on the development of the following
products: Citea public transport buses, Futura coaches and chassis intended for export. The engineering
activities in 2012 have mainly been devoted to further expansion of the product range to include modules
with lower emissions in accordance with the new legislation, with farther-reaching environmental benefits.
In the area of the driveline technology, developments have been implemented on the basis of the Euro 6
regulations. The drive technologies for the hybrid and electric vehicles have also been developed further.
These advances will be used to expand the product offerings to include a complete range of modules
compliant with the latest developments and environmental requirements in the market.
Mini & midi buses
Turnover in the mini & midi buses sector rose from 10 million euro in 2011 to 11 million euro in 2012
(including police vehicles and damage repair). The number of vehicles delivered rose from 148 in 2011 to
162 in 2012. The focus we placed on the MidCity and international tenders in the public transport market
in 2011 was continued through 2012 and this is expected to be an area of continued growth in 2013.
Particularly in Germany, Belgium and the Scandinavian countries we expect to be able to increase our
market share in this area. We delivered fewer police vehicles than expected, but the upgrade and
modification of existing vehicles had a positive impact on the turnover. Turnover for the repair department
rose slightly in 2012, and we feel the prospects for this department are generally good. The order book is
reasonably well-filled and we therefore expect further growth in the course of 2013.
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