VDL Groep plans $77 million Georgia expansion for semiconductor equipment
The Dutch manufacturer plans to buy and expand its Oakwood facility, adding semiconductor equipment capabilities and approximately 120 jobs.
VDL Groep plans to invest an estimated $77 million over the next several years to expand its manufacturing operations in Oakwood, Georgia, adding approximately 120 jobs and new capabilities for producing semiconductor capital equipment. The project, announced by Governor Brian Kemp’s office on October 13, 2026, deepens the Dutch industrial group’s existing US presence rather than establishing a new market entry.
Its subsidiary, VDL Industries Gainesville, will purchase and expand the building it currently leases at 5459 Aloha Way in Hall County. The facility employs about 70 people. The planned additions would bring employment to roughly 190, assuming the existing workforce is maintained—more than doubling the site’s current headcount.
Building capacity for the US semiconductor market
The expansion will add large-milling capability and enlarge the facility’s cleanroom for manufacturing semiconductor capital equipment. Those investments build on the site’s existing work in sheet metal fabrication, welding, machining and cleanroom system integration. The announced project is focused on equipment manufacturing, not a semiconductor chip fabrication plant.
VDL Industries Gainesville develops and manufactures high-tech systems, serving the semiconductor, food technology, mobility and infrastructure technology sectors. The Georgia announcement places semiconductor equipment at the centre of the next capacity expansion, although it does not identify customers, production targets or the dimensions of the expanded facility.
“For VDL Groep, the State of Georgia is an attractive base because of its connectivity to the entire U.S., which is a world leader in the high-tech and semiconductor market,” said Willem van der Leegte, the group’s president and chief executive, in the announcement.
He described the United States as one of VDL’s most strategically important markets, citing opportunities for Dutch high-tech companies. For VDL, the investment therefore combines a larger local manufacturing base with additional technical capabilities in a market its leadership has singled out for growth. Purchasing the leased property also gives the group ownership of the site it plans to expand.
Hiring starts before construction is complete
Hiring is expected to begin in the fourth quarter of 2026, while construction is scheduled for completion in 2028. The recruitment programme spans machining, welding, sheet metal fabrication, engineering, administrative support, maintenance and management. That mix covers both production roles and the technical and operational functions needed to support a larger facility.
Workforce availability is a prominent part of the state and local authorities’ case for the project. Tim Evans, president and chief executive of the Greater Hall Chamber of Commerce, pointed to workforce-development partnerships involving Hall County and Gainesville City Schools, Lanier Technical College, Brenau University and the University of North Georgia.
The Georgia Department of Economic Development worked on the project alongside the chamber and Georgia Power. The announcement does not specify an incentive package or explain how the estimated $77 million will be divided between property, construction and equipment.
A deeper commitment from an established Dutch group
VDL Groep is a family-owned industrial business headquartered in the Brainport Eindhoven region of the Netherlands. Founded in 1953, it has been led by the third generation of the Van der Leegte family since 2017. The group employs approximately 14,000 people and operates in 22 countries, with investments in employees, machinery and facilities across Europe, Asia and America.
Georgia economic development commissioner Pat Wilson said the Oakwood operation has been part of the state’s Dutch investment relationship for eight years. He said Dutch companies had brought more than $1 billion in investment and planned at least 2,400 new jobs in Georgia over the past decade. VDL’s expansion adds a further manufacturing commitment to that relationship, with recruitment and construction now the next milestones.
