Local Affairs
Dutch engineering and equipment maker VDL Groep plans to invest an estimated $77 million over the next several years to expand its plant in Oakwood, in Hall County, and create approximately 120 new jobs. Gov. Brian Kemp announced the project on Oct. 13, and the state says hiring is expected to begin in the fourth quarter of 2026.
The jobs are a company target spread over several years, not positions already filled. Construction is expected to be completed in 2028, according to the Georgia Department of Economic Development.
What the plant does
The local operation, VDL Industries Gainesville, currently employs approximately 70 people in Hall County. The state describes it as a turnkey partner in developing and manufacturing high-tech systems, and says the site has built up capabilities in sheet metal fabrication, welding, machining and cleanroom system integration.
VDL will purchase and expand the building it now leases at 5459 Aloha Way in Oakwood. The expansion will add large-milling capability and an expanded cleanroom for manufacturing semiconductor capital equipment, the machinery used to make chips. That makes the project a link in the semiconductor supply chain rather than a chip factory itself.
The jobs
The company will hire for machining, welding, sheet metal fabrication, engineering, administrative support, maintenance and management roles, according to the state. Interested applicants are directed to the company’s careers page at vdlindustriesga.com/careers.
The announcement does not list wages, and FOX 5 Atlanta reported that starting pay and compensation packages had not been disclosed. The state release also does not describe any tax incentives or training grants tied to the project. It calls the deal a “competitive project,” handled by regional project manager Brandon Lounsbury with the Greater Hall Chamber of Commerce and Georgia Power.
A second expansion in eight years
VDL is not new to Hall County. In June 2018, Georgia Public Broadcasting reported that the company would invest $17 million and create 110 jobs at the Oakwood South business park, in engineering, manufacturing and general sales administration.
Pat Wilson, commissioner of the Georgia Department of Economic Development, called the Netherlands one of the state’s top five trade and investment partners in Europe and said VDL’s Oakwood facility “has played a role in that story for eight years.” He said Dutch investment has brought more than $1 billion to Georgia, with at least 2,400 new jobs planned, over the last 10 years.
VDL Groep was founded in 1953 and is headquartered in the Brainport Eindhoven region of the Netherlands. It employs approximately 14,000 people and operates in 22 countries. President and CEO Willem van der Leegte said Georgia is an attractive base “because of its connectivity to the entire U.S.”
The local workforce angle
Tim Evans, president and CEO of the Greater Hall Chamber of Commerce, said the decision “demonstrates the importance of our workforce development partnerships” with Hall County and Gainesville City Schools, Lanier Technical College, Brenau University and the University of North Georgia.
For job seekers in Northeast Georgia, the roles named in the announcement are hands-on trades and engineering jobs: machinists, welders, fabricators and maintenance technicians, plus engineers and managers. Those skills match what the Atlanta Fed’s latest Beige Book says Southeast employers still struggle to find.
The caveats
The 120 figure is a planned total over several years, with construction running into 2028. Announced jobs depend on the company’s demand and timeline, and the state release does not say how many positions will open in the first year or how the jobs divide among the named occupations.
Sources
- Georgia Department of Economic Development, “VDL Groep Adds 120 New Jobs in Hall County,” October 13, 2026. https://georgia.org/press-releases/2026/vdl-groep-adds-120-new-jobs-hall-county
- FOX 5 Atlanta, “Why a global tech giant is pouring $77 million into Hall County,” October 13, 2026. https://www.fox5atlanta.com/news/why-global-tech-giant-is-pouring-77-million-hall-county
- Georgia Public Broadcasting, “Dutch Manufacturer Brings 110 Jobs, $17M To Hall County,” June 13, 2018. https://gpb.org/node/143081
- Federal Reserve Board, “Beige Book – October 2026: Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta,” October 14, 2026. https://www.federalreserve.gov/monetarypolicy/beigebook202610-atlanta.htm
Featured photo: Oakwood City Hall in Oakwood, Hall County, Georgia, photographed Aug. 1, 2015. Representative image; not the VDL Industries Gainesville plant on Aloha Way. Photo: Thomson200, via Wikimedia Commons (CC0). Cropped from the original.
