News & Resources

UK bus manufacturer plans move to increase capacity

21 Feb 2011

Following £7.4 million of investment, UK bus maker Optare plc has announced plans to relocate from its current plant in Leeds to a new manufacturing site in order to cope with new product growth and development.

Geographically close, this potential new site will house a state of the art production facility capable of handling Optare’s new generation of single and double deck buses. It also has the capability to double capacity to 1,200 buses as part of a strategy of targeting fleet sales growth. The move to a new facility will also represent the culmination of Optare’s site rationalisation programme, with three constrained production facilities being replaced by one highly efficient assembly plant.

Jim Sumner, CEO commented, “This placing is a significant milestone after more than 18 months restructuring and repositioning the business. These funds will allow relocation of the operations of the ageing Leeds factory to a new facility with the capability to substantially increase capacity, provide working capital for growth and significantly reduce term debt”.

Optare’s order-book now stands at a record £43 million and is continuing to grow following investment in new products and market developments.

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