Dynamic growth SOR Libchavy

DYNAMIC GROWTH

With its headquarters in the village of Libchavy near Ústí nad Orlicí, SOR Libchavy s.r.o. is the secondlargest bus manufacturer in the Czech Republic. SOR Libchavy offers modern types of buses, trolleybuses and electrobuses in more than 30 models and with bespoke versions as required by the customer. It currently manufactures buses in 8.5m, 9.5m, 10.5m, 12m and 18m lengths, with specifications for urban, regional and long-distance operations. Buses are also offered with compressed natural gas (CNG), electrical and hybrid power as alternatives. SOR Libchavy s.r.o. is currently the number-one seller of buses in the Czech Republic.

“WE manufacture medium-class buses from 25 to 51 seated passengers, so the customer can choose a bus according to his needs while retaining uniform parts requirements for the type of bus. All buses are manufactured according to their own designs. Provision of warranty and post-warranty service, including spare parts, is automatic. The company has held the ISO 9001 quality certificate since 2001. SOR buses are updated regularly both in terms of function and design, always bearing in mind the needs of both customers and the need for continuously improving standards of safety and comfort for passengers. In 2011 we produced 559 buses, generating a turnover of CZK 2.5 bn, while employing 650 staff. Last year we also sold 40 trolleybuses and we currently have six electrobuses in operation”. says sales director Jindřich Chudý.

At the beginning of January 2011 SOR obtained confirmation from the Ministry of Trade and Industry of a further grant as part of the Business and Innovation Operational Programme, the aim of which is to improve vehicle manufacturing efficiency. A vehicle air-

tightness testing facility was brought on-line, as well as a CNC station to make rotational and fixed shaped parts using chip machining. Updating the production line with new and more up-to-date technology has created the conditions for greater streamlining and precision in manufacturing and an increase in production capacity. Investment is also going into the laser sheet-cutting facility and the robot chassis parts welding operation.

Two decades of intensive development

SOR Libchavy was founded in 1991 as a successor to the engineering company of the same name, with the strategic aim of developing, producing, selling and servicing smaller buses. The company’s founders opted at the beginning for the development of a 7.5 metre bus which would use bodywork and chassis of their own design, together with components from top-class world manufacturers. The introduction of this bus in 1993 started the story of a new automobile manufacturer in the Czech Republic.

“The main competitive advantage of SOR buses is clearly their lower fuel consumption, a result of the lower tare weight, which is on average some 2t less than for competitive vehicles of a comparable type. The reduction in consumption is approximately 14.5 per cent. We can also claim a higher per unit performance for our vehicles,” the sales director adds.

Brand strength

All buses produced by SOR are fitted with disk brakes on all axles as standard. To improve corrosion resistance, the under part of the chassis is made of stainless section and casings on the bodywork from plastics. The power units meeting EURO V EEV limits are from IVECO.

“Of our export markets the most important is Slovakia. Of other countries we export to we might mention Poland, the Baltic states of Estonia and Latvia, as well as Serbia, Russia and more recently Denmark. In the past the company has exported its products to Moldavia, the Ukraine, Belgium and the Netherlands.”

“Our most successful bus models include regional buses 10.5 and 12 metres in length, including low-access versions, as well as low-access 12 and 18 metre urban buses.” n