VAN HOOL NV (BE)

Bernard Van Hoolstraat 58
BE-2500 Lier Koningshooikt

Belgian company with over sixty years of activity and a strong international vocation. That's Van Hool, builder of buses and industrial means (trailers, semitrailers, tankers, swap bodies, containers). A large company with a workforce of over 4,000 employees and a production capacity, according to the latest figures provided by the manufacturer, that reaches 1,400 buses per year and 4,000 units for the industry. Note that 80 percent of production is exported. For passenger transport Van Hool offers a wide range of complete buses produced according to a modular concept. Equipped for regular service in the city and on long distance and international routes, the vehicles have lengths between 9 and 25 m and take engines and axles of various brands (Daf, Man, Cummins) with ZF or Voith gearbox. There are single or double deck models, articulated or double articulation. In addition to diesel engines, there are variants with low environmental impact powered by natural gas, electric (trolley), hybrid diesel-electric or hybrid with fuel cell. Van Hool is not only a manufacturer but also a coachbuilder like its original vocation and so It countinues to equip frames provided by the larger European Homes (Scania, Volvo, Mercedes).
The company is named like the founder, Bernard Van Hool, that in 1947 the opened the company and entered the market of bodies for buses and coaches. The first vehicle was produced in 1949 and sold in Luxembourg. In 1954 Van Hool widened the range by opening a manufacturing plant in Congo, a country that will prove to be an important reservoir for Van Hool. A new facility was built next year in Belgium. In 1957 the company signed a commercial agreement with Fiat to build buses and coaches with parts of the House of Turin. This opened the era of 'Van Hool / Fiat' that will lead to production of about 10 000 vehicles over nearly 25 years. The success of this agreement convinced Fiat to entrust Van Hool the distribution of its trucks in Belgium and Luxembourg. Also in 1957 an after sale division was created. Meanwhile, Van Hool diversify production and in 1965 began to build trailers. In 1966 the first Van Hool bus arrived in the United States on mechanical Gm. A little later started partnerships with Volvo and Scania. In 1971 Van Hool Espana borned after the inauguration of the plant in Zaragoza. Record year was 1984 with the inclusion of Van Hool in the Guinness book of records thanks to 'Jumbulance', articulated ambulance with its 18 meters was the longest in the world. With the launch of the A 500 to the UITP Congress in Brussels in 1985, Van Hool was the first manufacturer to present a fully low-floor buses. After closure of the relationship with Fiat, which took place in 1981, the Belgian manufacturer back in Italy and in 1994 had an alliance with a local producer of buses: De Simon. A year later Van Hool designed a number of vehicles with alternative fuels, such as a hybrid midibus, a bi-mode trolley bus, a natural gas bus. Van Hool’s success was modest. In 1998 Van Hool strengthened its position in the U.S. acquiring a minority stake in ABC Bus Companies Inc. and thanks to this collaboration Van Hool luxury coaches became the most popular European coaches in North America. It is precisely the U.S. market that Van Hool inaugurated in 2005, its first hydrogen buses with fuel cell of the United Tecnnologies Power Inc. (UTP). In 2007 It was instead presented in Europe the first fully fledged hybrid bus (hydrogen – electric) that recycles braking energy. Also in 2007 Van Hool celebrated 60 years from foundation.

IN THE EUROPEAN STATES:
AUSTRIA: Alfred Forthuber (AU) - E-mail:
CZECH REPUBLIC: HORMIGA (CZ) - E-mail:
FRANCE: VAN HOOL FRANCE (FR) - Tel. +33-1-34 47 47 47
GERMANY: OMNIBUSVERTRIEB (DE) - E-mail:
ITALY: GAMMABUS (IT) - E-mail:
SPAIN: TRADECO (ES) - Tel. +34(976)21 90 81
SWEDEN: AUTOBUS (SE) - E-mail:
SWITZERLAND: STÜSSIBUS (CH) - E-mail:
UNITED KINGDOM: VAN HOOL UK (UK) - Tel. +44-1933-44 02 21