OAKWOOD, Ga. — A $77 million investment from a Dutch manufacturing company is coming to north Georgia, promising jobs and engineering opportunities, according to Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp.
Kemp’s office announced mechanical engineering manufacturer VDL Groep will invest $77 million for an expansion of its operations in Hall County, creating approximately 120 new jobs in Oakwood.
VDL Industries Gainesville, a subsidiary of Netherlands-based VDL Groep, operates in sheet metal fabrication, welding, machining and cleanroom system integration.
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The facility currently employs about 70 people in Hall County. Kemp credited the state’s business climate and workforce development programs for attracting continued corporate growth.
“Companies like VDL Groep not only continue to choose Georgia for an initial investment, they also choose to grow their footprint here again and again because of our pro-business environment and partnership approach,” Kemp said.
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VDL said it plans to purchase and expand the building it currently leases at 5459 Aloha Way in Oakwood. The project will add large-milling capabilities and an expanded cleanroom for manufacturing semiconductor capital equipment.
The company said it invests in personnel, machinery and facilities across Europe, Asia and America.
“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,” Willem van der Leegte, president and CEO of VDL Groep, said. “The country is home to a thriving ecosystem, therefore making it one of the most strategically important markets with significant opportunities for Dutch high-tech companies like ours.”
The expansion will open positions in machining, welding, sheet metal fabrication, engineering, administrative support, maintenance and management.
Pat Wilson, commissioner of the Georgia Department of Economic Development, noted that said investments from Dutch companies have brought over $1 billion and at least 2,400 jobs to Georgia over the past decade.
“The Netherlands is one of Georgia’s top five trade and investment partners in Europe and VDL Industries’ manufacturing facility in Oakwood has played a role in that story for eight years,” Wilson said. He added that Georgia provides “connectivity, workforce and shovel-ready sites that companies need to scale up local-to-local manufacturing.”
Hiring for the new positions is expected to begin in the fourth quarter of 2026. Construction on the facility expansion is scheduled to be completed in 2028.
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