DAF factories, including the Leyland plant in the UK, have restarted operations after being forced to close because of COVID-19.

Across DAF’s production facilities in the Netherlands, Belgium and the UK, the vehicle manufacturer says that hundreds of workstations have been assessed and adapted. Tasks have been separated, routes altered and work schedules modified.

“I am proud of the creativity and dedication displayed by our employees,” said DAF president Harry Wolters

Measures have been implemented to enable workers to maintain a distance of at least 1.5 metres (2 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,” Wolters continued. “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.”

MAN confirmed last week that it will restart production of trucks and buses from today (April 27), following a six-week pause due to the Coronavirus pandemic. 

The company will gradually resume production at reduced capacity and has implemented extensive safety measures.

These include, among other things, ensuring a wider distance between employees, changing the routing and, where necessary, protective equipment as well as training and instruction of employees.

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