SOLARIS BUS & COACH OBTAINS ISO 14001:2004 CERTIFICATE

Solaris Bus & Coach is among the first companies in Europe to receive the certificate of compliance with the ISO 14001:2004 standard, the latest version of which was introduced in December 2004. The certification, which confirms

that the company complies with strict environmental standards, has been awarded by auditors from Lloyd‘s Register Quality Assurance.

The recommendation by the certification agency was preceded by an audit that took place on January, 17-19. The Lloyd‘s Register Quality Assurance auditors, acting also under the accreditation from the German DAR (Deutscher Akkreditierungs Rat) organisation, have checked the compliance of the environment protection system implemented at the Solaris plant with the requirements of the ISO 14001:2004 standard. In their report the auditors stated that the "system has been correctly documented and efficiently implemented" which means that Solaris Bus & Coach may be awarded the ISO 14001:2004 compliance certificate.

"Obtaining this ISO certificate by Solaris is a convincing proof of the fact that we strive not only to manufacture products of the highest quality that meet the requirements of our customers, but we also do our best to make sure that our company has the minimum possible impact upon the environment. What is more, the ISO 14001 certificate, is increasingly more often a necessary condition that must be met if one wants to bid in public tenders," said Krzysztof Olszewski, Solaris Bus & Coach chairman.

In reality, having achieved the ISO 14001:2004 compliance by Solaris Bus & Coach means, among other things, that careful sorting of waste with a view to their subsequent recycling is carried out in all plant areas, both in production and office departments, water-based rust-proofing paints and agents are used, while consumption of energy and natural raw materials in bus production has been considerably reduced. The company also tries to source parts and components from manufacturers who themselves have modern environment protection systems in place.

Care for the environment is also clearly seen in all Solaris Bus & Coach products. Solaris Urbino low floor buses are powered by diesel engines meeting the stringent Euro3 emissions standard which sets limits for noxious chemicals and particulates in exhaust fumes. Solaris also intends to introduce even "cleaner" Euro4 diesel power units well ahead of the date when Euro4 is due to become mandatory in October 2006.

The newly awarded ISO 14001:2004 certificate will be valid for three years. In that period independent auditors will carry out three more checks to make sure that all the system procedures are in place and function properly. After that time the company will need to apply for the certificate to be renewed.

To date Solaris Bus & Coach was in possession of the ISO 9001:2000 quality management standard certificate. From now on both standards, ISO 9001 and ISO 14001, will be combined into single "Integrated Management System" designed to ensure consistent improvement in productivity, product and process quality and environment protection.