Solaris Bus & Coach

Solaris Bus & Coach
Industry Automotive industry
Founded 1999
Headquarters Bolechowo, Poland
Area served
 Worldwide
Key people
 Solange Olszewska, Krzysztof Olszewski
Products buses, trams
Revenue Increase €292.2 million
Increase €20.6 million
Increase €13.5 million
Total assets Increase €126.1 million
Total equity Increase €87.6 million
Number of employees
 2,600
Parent CAF
Website www.solarisbus.com

Solaris Bus & Coach is a Polish multinational bus, coach, trolleybus and tram manufacturer based in Bolechowo near Poznań, Poland.[1] It is a subsidiary of CAF.

History

Solaris started as Neoplan Polska, founded in 1994 by Krzysztof Olszewski. Neoplan Polska was selling, and since January 1996 also building under German licence, low-floor Neoplan city buses. In 1999 it released first buses under its own Solaris brand (model Urbino). On 1 September 2001 Neoplan Polska was renamed to Solaris Bus & Coach Sp. z o.o. In 2005 it was transformed into a joint stock company.

In the 1990s, the company developed its own research office and used computer software originally developed for the design of space shuttles. It reduced the time needed to design and build new prototypes to about six months. Another six months are needed to build a new bus prototype.

Trolleybuses are made in co-operation with the Hungarian company Ganz Electro or (the Czech division of) the company Cegelec and Polish company Medcom. Both companies make the electric devices for the vehicles. Solaris produced the first European bus model using hybrid technology, the Solaris Urbino 18 Hybrid. That hybrid model was delivered in November 2008 to the Polish city of Poznań.

In 2007 Solaris was employing about 1,200 workers, in 2009 about 1,600 workers. Now "Solaris Bus & Coach" builds about 1,000-1,200 buses a year.

In 2014, Solaris sold 1,430 buses and trams. 280 went to Poland, 197 to Germany, with other important markets being Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Italy, Qatar and Turkey. It was another record year in sales for the company.[2]

In July 2018, it was announced that an agreement had been reached for the business to be sold to CAF.[3] The sale was completed in September 2018.[4]

Products

Midibus Solaris Urbino 8,9 in Prague

Current models

Discontinued models

See also

References

  1. ↑ Premiery TRANSEXPO 2011 – Solaris i elektrobus, Infobus, 22 September 2011, archived from the original on 8 November 2014, retrieved 7 November 2014
  2. ↑ Another record year for Solaris Bus & Coach, 5 February 2015, retrieved 5 February 2015
  3. ↑ CAF signs agreement to acquire Solaris Metro Report International 3 July 2018
  4. ↑ CAF completes takeover of Solaris Electrive.com 5 September 2018
  5. ↑ Kierecki, Aleksander (21 July 2009), Interurbino – międzymiastowa propozycja Solarisa, InfoBus, archived from the original on 27 October 2014, retrieved 7 November 2014
  6. ↑ TRAKO 2009: Debiut Tramino Solarisa, Rynek Kolejowy, 14 October 2009, retrieved 7 November 2014
  7. ↑ Kołodziej, Jacek, "Nowe krakowskie tramwaje", Świat kolei, Emi-press (5 / 2006), p. 8, ISSN 1234-5962
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