Solaris Bus & Coach
 | |
| Public | |
| Industry | Automotive industry |
| Founded | 2001 |
| Headquarters | Bolechowo, Poland |
Area served | Worldwide |
Key people | Solange Olszewska, Krzysztof Olszewski |
| Products | Buses |
| Revenue |
 €292.2 million |
|
€20.6 million | |
| Profit |
€13.5 million |
| Total assets |
€126.1 million |
| Total equity |
€87.6 million |
Number of employees | 1562 |
| Website | www.solarisbus.com |
Solaris Bus & Coach S.A. is a Polish multinational bus, coach, trolleybus and tram manufacturer based in Bolechowo near Poznań, Poland.[1]
It is a family-owned business, with Krzysztof Olszewski as co-owner and his wife Solange as CEO.
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 1,380 buses and trams. 280 went to Poland, 197 to Germany, with other important markets being Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Italy and Turkey. It was another record year in sales for the company.[2]
Products
Current models
- Solaris Alpino - low-floor city bus
- Solaris Urbino - low-floor city bus series in lengths of 10m, 12m, 15m (three-axle rigid), 18m or 18.75m articulated
- Solaris Urbino 9 (now discontinued)
- Solaris Urbino 10
- Solaris Urbino 12
- Solaris Urbino 15
- Solaris Urbino 18
- Solaris Urbino 18 Hybrid - family of hybrid powered city buses
- Solaris InterUrbino 12 - intercity bus/coach [3]
- Solaris Vacanza 12 - coach
- Solaris Vacanza 13 - coach
- Solaris Trollino - low-floor trolleybus in lengths of 12m, 15m (three-axle rigid) or 18m articulated
- Solaris Tramino - tram introduced in 2009/2010 [4][5]
Discontinued models
- Solaris Valletta - city bus
See also
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Solaris vehicles. |
References
- ↑ Premiery TRANSEXPO 2011 – Solaris i elektrobus, Infobus, 22 September 2011, retrieved 7 November 2014
- ↑ Another record year for Solaris Bus & Coach, 5 February 2015, retrieved 5 February 2015
- ↑ Kierecki, Aleksander (21 July 2009), Interurbino – międzymiastowa propozycja Solarisa, InfoBus, retrieved 7 November 2014
- ↑ TRAKO 2009: Debiut Tramino Solarisa, Rynek Kolejowy, 14 October 2009, retrieved 7 November 2014
- ↑ Kołodziej, Jacek, "Nowe krakowskie tramwaje", Świat kolei (magazine), Emi-press (5 / 2006), p. 8, ISSN 1234-5962
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