Solaris Bus & Coach S.A. opens new manufacturing facility

On Tuesday, April 4th, a newly constructed Solaris Bus & Coach S.A. manufacturing facility was officially opened. To date over 13.500 sq. metres of space have been completed and handed over

for use. By the end of 2007 another 10.000 sq. metres of manufacturing space will have been added. Total Solaris investment to increase manufacturing capacity is worth around PLN 40 million.

Construction of the new Solaris Bus & Coach manufacturing complex has been divided into two main stages, with the first part of the project having stared in August 2005. During the eight months that followed over 13.500 sq. metres of new factory space have been added. This new part of the Solaris factory comprises:

- 4900 sq. m. paint shop and internal transport and handling facility

- 1800 sq. m. initial assembly and subassembly facility

- 2700 sq. m. vehicle final assembly facility

- 1000 sq. m. of warehousing space

- over 3000 sq. m. of office space plus rest and refreshment facilities and technical support facilities.

In total this new factory space exceeds 13.500 sq. metres. Additionally, some 9.000 sq. metres of yards and access roads have been built around the new buildings. This first stage of the project, now completed, has cost PLN 23 million.

The completion of the second stage, now under way, will mark the end of the entire project to build a new factory complex. It is scheduled for the end of 2007. This new stage will include building a new 7.800 sq.m. welding shop, a 1000 sq.m. warehousing facility as well as 1.200 sq. m. of office space and rest and refreshment facilities.

Thus the new factory will total over 23.500 square metres. Average usable height of the premises is 10 metres. After the second stage has been completed, the total cube will be 235.000 cu. metres.

Production from the „old” Bolechowo plant buildings used to date has now been transferred to the newly finished part of the new factory.

The newly finished section of the new factory houses the following operations: two axle and articulation fitment stations, three stations for bonding glass and floor coverings, four paint booths and a grinder booth. The final assembly building houses 12 assembly stations, three engine and electrics start-up stations and three reserve stations. In total, the new section of the factory houses 30 manufacturing stations.

By transferring part of production to the new premises Solaris has increased its daily capacity to 5 vehicles. When the second stage of the new factory has been completed, and the welding shop and body frame construction shop have been moved to new premises, the plant capacity will increase to 8 units daily.

During construction of the new facility particular attention has been given to all issues related to environmental protection. The paint booths in the new facility have been quipped with a modern air treatment and purification system. The air escaping from a paint booth comes through a special adsorption installation with activated carbon and special catalytic converter. Thank to this set-up the air from paint booths contains no harmful emissions. Additionally, all paint and grinding booths as well as booths for chassis rust-proofing treatment are equipped with ventilation and extractor units, which with large air volume exchange make it possible to maintain stable temperature to ensure comfortable working environment. The entire factory complex uses energy-efficient metal-halide lighting. The facility is heated by gas, using a direct heater system.

Modern solutions have also been utilised for internal transport and component and vehicle handling. Thanks to a special ramp moving on rails, it is possible to move buses across between individual manufacturing stations. This has made it possible to considerably reduce the space needed transport buses under construction inside the manufacturing facility.

- This new investment has been driven by the increasing number of orders coming from our customers. It has also been made necessary to upgrade the manufacturing processes and to improve overall efficiency. By grouping the entire manufacturing operations under one roof will enable us to increase our efficiency and to improve quality which in turn will make us more competitive both on the home market and in export markets. Today I can say that Solaris Bus & Coach boasts one of the most modern bus manufacturing plants in Europe.

Opening of the new facility coincides with the 10th anniversary of our factory. We could say this symbolizes the growth we have experienced over the last ten years. I do hope that the next decade will be equally successful for our company,” said Krzysztof Olszewski Solaris Bus & Coach Chairman and Chief Executive.