The first cabs will leave the new 25,000m2 paint shop during the first half of 2017.
DAF says the paint shop investment is to meet expected demand in the European truck market, notably in the heavy truck sector. The company also wants to expand beyond Europe and the paint shop investment will enable the factory to boost production by 50%.
The new paint shop will be 144m long, 58m wide and, at 26m high, will cover three floors.
It will also be home to sophisticated equipment, from Eisenmann and Dürr, which will include spray booths, ovens, transport systems and paint robots, which will closely follow cab contours to minimise paint use.
DAF is also focusing heavily on energy and environmental issues, with a special method to reduce and capture 'overspray' during painting, and technology to condense and clean the air before it leaves the spray booths and ovens.
The Westerlo factory opened in 1966 and, in addition to cabs, it produces DAF axles. The 2,150 employees produce 500 axles and 200 cabs per day for the heavy- and medium-duty trucks made in Eindhoven and in Leyland, UK.