DAF factories in Eindhoven (the Netherlands), in Westerlo (Belgium) and in Leyland (UK) have successfully restarted their operations. Over the past four weeks the plants have introduced new hygiene and social distancing measures. “I am proud of the creativity and dedication displayed by our employees,” says DAF president Harry Wolters, “We can now continue to supply our customers with the best trucks on the market.”

Across DAF’s production facilities in the Netherlands, Belgium and the United Kingdom, hundreds of workstations have been assessed and adapted. Tasks have been separated, routes altered and work schedules modified. Measures have been implemented to enable workers to maintain a distance of at least 1.5 metres (2.0 metres in the UK) and cleaning products have been made widely available. As a precaution, production staff are now also wearing face masks.

“For the moment we are less concerned about production figures,” says Wolters. “Instead, the safety of DAF and Leyland Trucks employees is our number one priority. That’s why the production volume is still relatively low. We will only crank it up when it is safe to do so. We are very glad that we are in a position to supply our customers with trucks again because transport plays a vital role in the smooth functioning of society.”

It is for this reason that over the past few weeks DAF has maximised its efforts, together with its extensive dealer network, in the provision of service and parts to its customers. For example, all of DAF’s workshops have remained open, with the DAF helpdesk available 24 hours a day. “Service is part of our DNA,” continues Wolters, “we will always be there for our customers. All of the staff at DAF are aware that without transport everything will grind to a halt.”