As of 1st January 2017, Solaris Bus & Coach and Stadler will establish a joint venture in Poland under the name of Solaris Tram Sp. z o.o. The joint venture will operate a plant in Środa, where tram car bodies are to be produced and painted. In the case of tenders in Poland and in other Central European countries, Stadler Polska and Solaris Tram will bid together as a consortium led by Stadler. Thereby both companies will be able to strengthen their position on the Polish and Central European markets.
Back in September, both companies, Stadler and Solaris, announced that they would cooperate more closely in the future and bid in tenders as a consortium. Today, both company owners, Solange Olszewska and Peter Spuhler, announced the next step at a media conference held in Warsaw, that is for Solaris Bus & Coach and Stadler, acting as equal partners, to establish a new joint venture under the name of Solaris Tram Sp. z o.o.
Back in September, both companies, Stadler and Solaris, announced that they would cooperate more closely in the future and bid in tenders as a consortium. Today, both company owners, Solange Olszewska and Peter Spuhler, announced the next step at a media conference held in Warsaw, that is for Solaris Bus & Coach and Stadler, acting as equal partners, to establish a new joint venture under the name of Solaris Tram Sp. z o.o.
In the Środa plant, tram car bodies are to be manufactured and painted by Solaris Tram. The preliminary and final assembly of trams is to be carried out at the Solaris plants in Greater Poland, as well as at Stadler Polska’s plant in Siedlce. The Solaris joint venture plans to expand the capacities for car body manufacture. The current production area will double. This means that the existing jobs will be secured, and new ones will be created in the near future. The production site has been certified according to the standards ISO 9001: 2015, ISO 14001: 2015, DIN 15085-2, ISO 3834-2 and IRIS. The rating confirms high welding quality and the fulfilment of top quality requirements applicable within the rail vehicle industry. Solaris brings to the joint venture all their knowledge, experience and competence in the field of rail vehicles: management, a team of engineers, sales, purchase and after-sales service.
In the case of the tram tender in the cities of Kraków and Poznań, Solaris and Stadler have already submitted bids as a consortium. The two joint venture partners will submit joint bids for other tenders as well. Customers will benefit from the long-term experience and great technical competence of both companies.
The move marked by the establishment of a joint venture strengthens the position of both vehicle manufacturers in Poland and also in Central Europe. As a consequence, Solaris trams will in future be seen in other cities as well. For Stadler, it is an opportunity to further expand its successful business in Poland and to consolidate the market. Each company will benefit from the technological know-how of their joint venture partner.
Both company owners were very enthusiastic about the joint venture at the media conference. "Together we can achieve more. We could not imagine a better partner than the internationally acclaimed rail manufacturer Stadler for this type of cooperation," said Solange Olszewska, owner of Solaris Bus & Coach S.A. "We are very pleased to have found such a renowned partner as Solaris for the Polish market. The investment in the plant in Środa symbolizes the commitment of Stadler to the Polish market, where we have been successfully operating for the last ten years. Together with Solaris, we will be able to introduce even better vehicle concepts to the market, providing passengers with maximum comfort," said Peter Spuhler, Group CEO and owner of Stadler Rail.
Solaris is a leading European manufacturer of buses, trolley buses and trams. In 2009, the company entered the rail vehicle market and since then has been supplying tramways to the cities of Poznań and Olsztyn in Poland, as well as to Jena and Braunschweig in Germany. A further contract to supply 41 trams to the city of Leipzig is being finalized.
Stadler Polska has been one of the leading manufacturers of rail vehicles in Poland for the past ten years. In the Siedlce plant, about 800 people are employed, and the number of Polish suppliers and partners involved in its operation amounts to over 2,000. Stadler Polska is also the largest exporter of rail vehicles in Poland. By the end of November, 320 trains had been manufactured by the Siedlce plant and are now operating in several European countries.
O firmie Stadler
Stadler has been building trains for 75 years. The system provider of rail vehicle construction solutions is headquartered in Bussnang in Eastern Switzerland, and has a workforce of around 7000 based in various locations across Switzerland, Germany, Spain, Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Italy, Austria, the Netherlands, Belarus, Algeria, Australia and the United States. Stadler provides a comprehensive range of products in the railway and commuter rail segments: high-speed trains, intercity trains, regional and commuter rail trains, underground trains, tram trains and trams. In addition, Stadler manufactures main-line dual-mode locomotives, shunting locomotives and passenger carriages, including the most powerful diesel-electric locomotive in Europe. Stadler remains the world’s leading manufacturer in the rack-and-pinion rail vehicle industry.
More Stadler figures: The best-selling FLIRT (Fast Light Innovative Regional Train) vehicle has already sold over 1400 units in a total of 17 countries. The KISS vehicle (the name is an acronym of the German for Comfortable Innovative Speedy Suburban Train) is also very popular: it has sold 258 units in 9 countries. The most powerful diesel-electric locomotive in Europe, the EURO 4000, has sold 130 units in 7 countries. Additionally, Stadler Service maintains fleets in 16 countries consisting of over 680 vehicles that cover a combined annual distance of 110 million kilometers.
Media contact:
Stadler Rail Group
Marina Winder
Secretary General and Head of Communications & PR
Member of the Group Executive Board
Telephone: +41 71 626 31 57
Mobile: +41 78 843 57 20
E-mail: marina.winder@stadlerrail.com
http://www.stadlerrail.com
Stadler Polska Sp. z o.o.
Marta Jarosińska
Head of Communications Division CE
Mobile: +48 601 198 003
E-Mail: marta.jarosinska@stadlerrail.com
Information Solaris
Solaris Bus & Coach sp. z o.o. is one of the leading producers of city and intercity buses in Europe. It focuses in particular on the development of zero-emission vehicles, i. e. electric and hydrogen buses as well as trolleybuses. This has resulted in the widest zero-emission product range in the European market and a leading position in this segment with a market share of 15.2%. Nearly 25,000 Solaris vehicles have been delivered so far and they ply the streets in 850 towns and cities across 33 countries located throughout Europe as well as beyond it. Solaris is part of the Spanish CAF Group (Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles) S.A. From conception, to the design and manufacturing phases, all Solaris buses are produced in Poland. Moreover, all activities undertaken by the manufacturer are in line with the brand’s mission, which is reflected in the motto “We are changing the image of public transport”. Solaris also actively partners with public transport operators and provides them with comprehensive support in their transition to zero-emission mobility.
Additional information
Mateusz Figaszewski
E-mobility Development & Market Intelligence Director
mateusz.figaszewski@solarisbus.com
